ADVOCACY: Level the playing field for family farmers – Save a Farmer Today!

Some of you may have received a “Save a Farmer Today” flyer at last week’s pick up. Here are more details on this important campaign:

If you have two minutes of free time, you can make a difference for local farmers across the country. Food Democracy Now’s “Save a Farmer Today” campaign is mobilizing support for the new GIPSA rule that will level the playing field for family farmers. By calling president Obama and voicing our support for the proposed rule, our combined Chubby Bunny forces can make a real difference. The number and call script are available below, and through the following link: http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/call/save_farmers_today/. If you would like to share the information or spread the word to family, friends or other contacts, an email template is available here:http://www.fooddemocracynow.org/blog/2011/jun/19/save-farmer-today-tell-obama-create-fair-contrats-/

For those interested in learning more, Food Democracy Now’s Founder and Director, Dave Murphy, sheds light on the motivation behind the movement in this exclusive interview with Eco Centric Blog: http://www.ecocentricblog.org/2011/06/16/our-hero-dave-murphy-of-food-democracy-now/

President Barack Obama

(202) 456-1111

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Introduce yourself and explain the issue:

Hi, my name is _______ from _________ (city and/or state) calling in support of the proposed GIPSA rule to level the playing field for family farmers. America's farmers need President Obama to live up to his campaign promise to protect farmers from unfair contracts and make our markets for farmers more competitive. This rule must protect our farmers and ranchers from retaliation and unfair practices of big packers. I strongly encourage USDA to finish and implement the GIPSA proposed rule as quickly as possible.

It's time that America's farmers were able to grow food under fair markets, please tell President Obama that I support the new GIPSA rules and care about America's family farmers.

Thank you.

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Remember to be polite and thank the operator for their time.

ADVOCACY: Welcome and a few events

Greetings from your new advocacy coordinator. I look forward to getting to know you this season and helping to keep everyone up to date on the latest sustainable agriculture news and opportunities to get involved beyond our CSA share. We hope to take advantage of the great organizations already working for this cause by aggregating their information each week for the Chubby Bunny community. We will also work to organize groups of Chubby Bunny members to participate in city-wide local farming events throughout the season as appropriate. A few fun events to mark on your calendar in the coming weeks include:

· Edible Manhattan’s Eat Drink Local Week (June 24-30) – Raises awareness about the bounty of products grown in the region, drives customers to the restaurants and other businesses that feature these products, and raises funds for charitable partners dedicated to regional agriculture throughout the state. Check out events and participating restaurants here:http://www.ediblemanhattan.com/events/eat-drink-local-week/

· Food Karma’s Cookout NYC on Governor’s Island (July 10)– Outdoor grilling by chefs, meats from local purveyors, and custom beers from local breweries (Sixpoint & Barrier Brewing). All meat will be sourced from small independent farmers through Dickson’s Farmstead Meats, Fleisher’s Meats, Heritage Foods USA and others. Part of the event proceeds go to Just Food’s Farm School: http://cookoutnyc.com/

Look for regular updates in our weekly newsletter and from advocacy@chubbybunnynyc.org. We will be collecting relevant information and events from Grow NYC, Just Food, Sustainable Table and Local Harvest among others. If there are any specific organizations that you would like to hear from on a regular basis, please email me at the address above and we will add them to the list.

Thanks!

Emily

ADVOCACY: CSA Conference This December

Hazon CSA Conference
December 9-12, 2010
Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center, Falls Village, CT

This conference is open to anyone who is a member of a Community-Supported Agriculture Program – you don’t have to be Jewish, nor do you have to be a member of a Hazon CSA to attend. Isabella Freedman is in the same area of Connecticut as Chubby Bunny Farm and is the site of Adamah, our goat cheese supplier.

In this weekend of learning and celebration, you will:

• Meet other CSA members from across North America

• Learn about the issues that affect our food system – from food policy and sustainable agriculture, to personal health and social justice

• Get excited about new ideas to bring back to your CSA, including cooking demos, program possibilities, tips for adding special shares like meat or cheese, and more.

• Enjoy a relaxing Shabbat and celebrate a season of good food at the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat center

Register here.

ADVOCACY: Commit to Eating Locally This September: Join the NY Locavore Challenge

Ever wanted to conduct your own “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle” experiment? Here’s your chance! Join the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York’s (NOFA-NY) Locavore Challenge this September and pledge to only eat locally and sustainably produced food for a day, a week, or an entire month.

How local is “local”?

According to the Challenge rules, all foods must be produced within 250 miles of where you live. Don’t worry, you won’t have to give up your morning coffee fix: The kind folks at NOFA-NY allow you to choose up to five ingredients that can’t be sourced locally, but that you absolutely can’t live without.

Where do I find that much local food in New York City?

Chubby Bunny, of course! Also, once you register to participate in the challenge for at least a week (and pay a nominal fee), NOFA-NY will send you a resource packet that includes a listing of in-season foods, suggested pantry items/shopping list, sample menu plans, and featured recipes from local chefs. You will also receive a directory of local farmer’s markets, co-ops, participating grocery stores and restaurants, and a copy of the 2010 Organic Food Guide.

NOFA-NY will be available for phone and email support throughout the month, and will be actively blogging and tweeting recipes and meal suggestions for participants.

How do I register?

Click here to sign up and learn more about the challenge.

ADVOCACY: Eaarth Book Review by Josh Kigel

Book Review Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet

The concept of “too big” is pervasive in modern society; from our banks to our Ford Expeditions to our waistlines. Between the near financial collapse and the ongoing environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, Bill McKibben’s mantra of scale back and slow down seems particularly sage advice.

For 253 pages in his most recent book Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet, McKibben explains the finer points of the “scale back/slow down” program, which turns out to be less suggestion, and more mandate. McKibben’s mandate is not the kind of government mandate Fox News might frantically label “interference.” This is a mandate from a planet that knows no political affiliation. Eaarth itself will be…a harsh environmental dictator that will force us to bend to new rules. The question is whether we will be smart enough to bend ourselves first. In essence, McKibben says we have “pushed nature around” and now nature is “pushing back with far more power.” McKibben suggests that we have so profoundly changed the planet it needs to be renamed, hence the second “a”.

The book is an easy read, which might temper the sense of urgency were the situation not so dire. McKibben can write in a pleasantly conversational style because the facts of the case and the magnitude of the consequences speak volumes on their own.

Readers will be introduced to a new magic number; 350. As in the upper limit of safety for carbon dioxide in our atmosphere is 350 parts per million, and the 650 that would be devastating to humanity. We are currently at 390.

So what can we do? Read chapter 4 and learn to live Lightly, Carefully, Gracefully. One of McKibben’s tenets of particular interest to members of a CSA is the need to adjust our eating habits in volume and substance. In pointing out that it takes 11 times as much fossil fuel to raise a pound of animal protein as an equal amount of plant protein, McKibben espouses reduction in meat consumption. Chubby Bunny vegetables anyone? McKibben does not argue for local food as a matter of taste as much as environmental necessity.

Far from condemning us all to a post-apocalyptic world, McKibben describes how ordinary people can get us back to 350, scaling back modern American society. This is artfully illustrated in his depiction of the Farmers Diner in Vermont, where all ingredients are from small local farms. Owner Tod Murphy competes with the economics of industrial farming and the preconceived notions about food held by a population that has grown up under the regime of industrial food. Murphy is “constantly working to solve the problem presented by the need to get food from the farmer to the customer at a price point that everyone could live with,” or the need to educate his customers that cream from a cow raised naturally isn’t necessarily white. Murphy’s struggle is a microcosm of the “food issues” facing modern diners on planet Eaarth.
“Like someone lost in the woods, we need to stop running, sit down, see what’s in our pockets that might be of use, and start figuring out what steps to take.” You are already a member of a CSA—what other ideas might McKibben turn you onto?

ADVOCACY: Upcoming Events

Support People’s Garden NYC’s Effort to Plant a Garden at City Hall!

People’s Garden NYC is actively petitioning Mayor Bloomberg to plant a vegetable garden at the front steps of our City Hall. The petition calls for the garden to be tended by NYC public school students, in collaboration with the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation and our region's talented gardeners and farmers. The harvest will be donated to a nearby food pantry to feed the hungry.

In the next few weeks, folks from People's Garden NYC will be visiting Chubby Bunny’s pickup site to gather signatures and talk more about the petition campaign. You can also visit http://www.PeoplesGardenNYC.org to sign the petition online and learn more!

Greenmarket Chef’s Tour and Taste Luncheon
Thursday, July 22^nd, 11:00am

Help bring farm fresh food and farmers into NYC schools while enjoying a great lunch! Henry restaurant and Chef Mark Barrett will lead a behind-the-scenes tour of the local 116th Street Greenmarket followed by a seasonally inspired lunch menu made from the day’s bounty. All proceeds from this event will benefit the Greenmarket’s Youth Education Project. Make reservations with the Greenmarket Manager or at Henry’s (2745 Broadway at 105^th Street).

Basics of Local Seasonal Cooking

Wednesday, July 21st, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm

In this class, you'll learn how to create meals centered on the bounty of locally-grown produce.

Cost is $18 and pre-registration is required by Monday July 19th. Click here to download the registration form.

Location: 197 East Broadway (near the East Broadway F)

ADVOCACY: Activist Vandana Shiva Speaks in Harlem

Wednesday, July 7, 2010, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm ACTIVIST VANDANA SHIVA SPEAKS IN HARLEM The Riverside Church 490 Riverside Drive   Together with the Sisters of Earth, CSSR, The Riverside Church of New York, Faith Leaders for Environmental Justice, Green Faith, New York Faith and Justice, and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, WE ACT is pleased to welcome Dr. Vandana Shiva and her sister, Dr. Mira Shiva to speak at New York's Historic Riverside Church at 7 pm on Wednesday, July 7. This event will be open to the public for a free will donation. See the Food Systems Network's event page for more information.

ADVOCACY: Facebook

Chubby Bunny is now on Facebook! Our page will keep you up-to-date on the latest Chubby Bunny news and events, recipes, and photos, as well as other happenings in the NYC local foodie community. Become a fan here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Chubby-Bunny-CSA/138744699474069

If you're staying in the City this 4th of July weekend, check out this overnight event from Slow Food NYC: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/115541 A pig roast, a farm visit, live music, and sleeping under the stars...All without leaving NYC! 

ADVOCACY: School Food

Slow Food USA is advocating for healthy foods in schools with an Eat-In.

Support local and healthy school food campaign. Event details can be found at

http://www.slowfoodusa.org/timeforlunch.

ADVOCACY: Food Systems Network NYC

Food Systems Network NYC is a membership organization working toward universal access to nourishing, affordable food. Through collaboration, education, and advocacy, the Network is helping to establish a just and vibrant regional food and farm economy that promotes human and environmental health and prevents hunger.

There is a monthly network meeting on the second Tu of every month at lunch time (tomorrow is our next meeting). For more information, please contact advocacy@chubbybunnynyc.com.

ADVOCACY: Food Declaration

Check out Food Declaration, a declaration that embodies the values that many people have in connection with a CSA membership. If you agree, please feel free to sign on.

ADVOCACY: Edible Brooklyn presents GOOD BEER at BAM

SAVE THE DATE:

Wednesday, July 29th 4-8 p.m.BAMcafé at Brooklyn Academy of Music, 30 Lafayette Avenue, Fort Greene.

$45 (or half price when you subscribe to Edible Brooklyn, Edible Manhattan or Edible East End)

www.brownpapertickets.com/event/69343 or ediblebrooklyn.net.

On Wednesday, July 29, Edible Brooklyn magazine, in partnership with the just-launched Good Beer Seal, July Good Beer Month and GreatBrewers.com, will throw a sudsy soiree at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Driven by the conviction that our great beer town deserves an annual bang-up beer bash—and inspired by the three-time success of Brooklyn Uncorked, our annual sold-out wine fete at BAM—we’ll serve up the best brews and, of course, top eats, too.

In contrast to the typical overwhelming swill sloshfest, Good Beer at BAM offers an intimate setting for breweries, food artisans, and we who love them, to raise a glass (or few) to the role beer plays in contemporary culinary culture. Because everyone deserves good beer, Good Beer at BAM will bring together NYC food and drink enthusiasts to sip and sup from:

* 12 to 15 breweries from New York and the region, who will pour alongside an edited list of tastes from Brooklyn and Manhattan restaurants and food makers.

* New beers brewed for the event. Expect food-focused beer premiers, cask ale from Sierra Nevada, never-before shared homebrew from the kitchen at Gramercy Tavern, beer cocktails from Back Forty, and an interborough pairing of Brooklyn Brewery beer paired with Queens County Farm pork.

* Beer bars that represent. A specially curated selection of Old Word and international beers, seldom imported and made in limited quantities, poured alongside their New World brethren by local beer bars. Tip back a Japanese white alongside the white ale from the Southampton Publick House. Enjoy an Ommegang stout next to a rare stout from England.

Good Beer at Bam will benefit Just Food and Added Value.Beers by: Brooklyn Brewery, Southampton Publick House, Kelso of Brooklyn, Blue Point Brewery, Allagash, Troegs, Ommegang, Left Hand, Sierra Nevada, Smuttynose, Magic Hat, Victory, Ramstein, Keeghan, Fire Island, Ithaca, and Brooklyn HomebrewBeer bars: Jimmy’s No. 43, Beer Table, Blind TigerFood by: The Good Fork, Beer Table, Back Forty, Gramercy Tavern, Jasper Hill, No. 7, Widow’s Hole Oysters, iCi, Porchetta, Co., Rosewater, Brooklyn Greenmarkets,

For information contact Rachel Graville, rachelgraville@gmail.com, 646.246.9650.

ADVOCACY: JUST FOOD Annual Fundraiser

Just Food organizes and provides a lot of training for CSAs, including Chubby Bunny, helps urban farmers in New York including raising chickens, does advocacy work around food justice and the environment, etc. Their annual fundraiser is in September and below is the save the date and link to ticket sales website.

Save the Date

Let Us Eat Local

September 16, 2009

Early Bird Tickets Available

Tickets available now at the New York Charities website. Early Bird ticket prices available for a limited time only. Click here to buy your tickets now.

General Admission: $150 - early bird $125

VIP: $235 - early bird $215

This year, we will offer tastings from more than 30 of NYC's best restaurants and food producers, including:

- Angelica Kitchen - Aureole - Blue Hill - Candle 79 - Cookshop / Hundred Acres / Five Points - Da Silvano - Dirt Candy - Gramercy Tavern - Great Performances - The Green Table - Jean Georges - Jimmy's No. 43 - Marlow & Sons - Mas - Pure Food and Wine - Rose Water - Rouge Tomate - Saul - Telepan - The Tipsy Parson -

Join us as we celebrate Just Food's delicious mission -- to connect New York City residents with sensational, seasonal, locally grown food.

ADVOCACY: FOOD INC.

In case you haven't seen the latest "horror movie" about America's industrial food supply, FOOD INC., it is now showing in New York at Film Forum and reveals how the nation’s food supply has become industrialized and is controlled by a handful of corporations that often ignore consumer health, the livelihood of the farmer, and the environment in the interest of profits. The film includes interviews with Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation) Michael Pollan (The Omnivore’s Dilemma), Joel Salatin (Polyface Farms), and Gary Hirschberg (Stonyfield Farms). Showtimes are: 1:00, 2:50, 4:40, 6:30, 8:20, 10:15.

If you can't make it to the movie and want to know more, Council on the Environment/ Greenmarkets recorded a panel discussion. Link is here: http://www.cenyc.org/about/foodinc

CENYC Executive Director Marcel Van Ooyen joined all-star panelists at the New York Times Center for the New York Premiere of Food Inc.. Panelists included Eric Schlosser, the film’s director, Robert Kenner; Alice Waters, the renowned chef of Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California and a champion of locally grown ingredients and farm to school; and Gary Hirshberg, the chairman and president of Stonyfield Farm, the world’s leading organic yogurt producer.

ADVOCACY: What's on Your Plate?

What's On Your Plate? is a thought-provoking and entertaining documentary about kids, food and politics. Safiyah and Sadie are two 11-year old African-American girls growing up in New York City. Over the course of a year filmaker Catherine Gund follows them as they start to ask - and answer - questions about the food on their plate. Where does it come from? What's in it? Why is it so hard to get healthy meals into schools and what will happen if we don't?

Official film site is Aubin Pictures: http://www.aubinpictures.com/woyp/about.htm

July 7, 2009 from 6:45pm to 8pm

BAMcinematek

30 Lafayette Avenue

Brooklyn, NY 11217

To buy Tickets: http://www.movietickets.com/pre_purchase.asp?house_id=5311&movie_id=75052&showdate=5

ADVOCACY: Legalize Urban Bee Keeping!

Come to a Rally on 6/23 and Help Legalize Urban Bee Keeping in NYC!

Click here for more details....

ADVOCACY: Pollinator sound bite...

Help Legalize Beekeeping in NYC and Celebrate Just Food's Bee Pollinator Week. Go to...

http://justfood.org/events/index.html#pollinator

ADVOCACY: Support Farm to School Legislation

Calling all Chubby Bunny CSA members to support farm to school legislation and Federal Child Nutrition programs. 

 

The NYC Alliance for Child Nutrition Reauthorization 2009 (CNR) is a collaboration of NYC organizations committed to ending hunger and improving the health of our children. Over the next few months, Congress will have the opportunity to make serious improvements to programs that feed millions of children each day -- the School Breakfast Program, the National School Lunch Program, the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC). The NYC Alliance has put together a comprehensive set of recommendations that not only recognizes the importance of healthy children and healthy food but also the critical need for sourcing regional and local foods for these Federal child nutrition programs. The recommended farm to school procurement language supports the health of children, local and regional economies and New York area farms!  We invite you to sign on to these recommendations and become a supporter of the NYC Alliance for Child Nutrition Reauthorization. Read the recommendations here.

In the coming months there will also be an opportunity for you to attend an event with elected officials and community members to help spread the word about the importance of the CNR Act.  

If you are interested in signing on, please contact advocacy@chubbybunny.com or Lexi Van de Walle at lexi@alexavandewalle.com and she can add you to the growing list of individuals and organizations that are signing on to this important platform. 

Fresh the Movie

Unfortunately, it's too late to go to a screening here in NYC for this film since it happened last week, but if you are a die hard and willing to travel it is being screened in several other locations in the very near future. We are looking into the availability of a DVD in the future, but until then... you can either host your own screening or just watch the trailer repeatedly.