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Earth Café: Film, food and ideas about supporting local producers  On Saturday, April 22, something will happen on Michigan State’s campus that’s never happened here before. Amidst many other Earth Day events and the widely-publicized Nazi rally at the capital, there will be a unique event where all the audience members will actually participate and create something meaningful. Community members (that means you!) will come together to learn and talk about food issues and how they affect our area, our health, our environment, and our future generations. There will be a movie, a dialogue session and delicious complementary food from local farmers and businesses. The Earth Café is modeled after dialogue sessions like World Café and Conversation Café, with an emphasis on tapping into the collective intelligence of the entire group of unique individuals. Because everyone brings something special to the table, we can all teach and learn from one another. The warm and inviting Earth Café atmosphere will help everyone feel comfortable to sit, eat and chat about food issues in our community and beyond. The main issues we’ll be focused on are the consequences of the foods we eat and empowering individuals and groups to make positive choices that reflect their values. Having a main question or general purpose in mind is important to keep the process focused, but having an open-ended issue that promotes reflective thinking is even more important.  We’ll also be watching a short 30-minute film by local producer Chris Bedford titled “What Will We Eat,” about the local food movement and the true consequences of the foods we eat. There will also be plenty of information about local businesses, organizations and farms that support positive food choices in our community. We’ll also be distributing Earth Café hemp shopping totes to help promote reusable bags as opposed to plastic or paper bags. A suggested donation minimum of $5 will go to the new permaculture [to learn more about this alternative to intensive agriculture check out www.permaculture.net] garden at MSU’s Student Organic Farm [www.msuorganicfarm.com]. To learn more about Earth Café, other issues mentioned in the article, or to pick up some great hemp totes, check out www.TheEarthCafe.org or email Mitra at stickle5@msu.edu |