As Earth Month comes to a close, we wanted to share another sampling of the programs our City Coordinators have organized this month, in support of community health, food equity, and climate education:
On the 16th in New Orleans, we organized a “Living Lunch Exercise” with Cultivating Youth, a program to help children battling obesity and chronic illness through nutrition and fitness. In the exercise, we built terrariums to illustrate how ecosystems function. We served participants a plant-based lunch featuring over 15 different living foods, emphasizing the importance of heart-healthy, whole foods that fuel our bodies, help growth, and build strong minds. “Eat good, feel good” was our theme. For Earth Day, we collaborated with bEHR (Black Electronic Health Record), to host a community screening of Overheated. The goal was to bring people together for an open and honest conversation around the climate crisis and how it impacts our everyday lives. Our restaurant partner, Voodoo Vegan, catered a plant-based nacho bar, creating space for connection over culturally appropriate, sustainably sourced food while engaging with the film’s message. Following the screening, we held a Q&A where we unpacked topics like climate anxiety, fast fashion, the importance of returning to indigenous foodways, and the real impact of systemic climate change. Moments like these reaffirm that education, accessibility, and community are essential to planting real seeds of change in the minds of the youth and adults alike.
In Nashville, we joined forces with Recycle Reinvest for “Earth Day in the Hood” on April 18th for a day of learning and celebration in the community. We distributed 100 meals provided by the BE-Hive Deli & Market, had meaningful conversations with participants about why what we eat matters, and invited folks to take our Support+Feed Pledge.
In other news, Maggie and I also participated in several conferences across California. We were at the Music Sustainability Summit in Los Angeles, where Maggie was presented with the Bobby Weir Sustainability Award, and she spoke at the Commons’ x ThredUp Earth Summit and the hospitality-focused Bay Area Meetings Industry Day in San Francisco. We’re so grateful for the opportunity to gather with other thought leaders in the climate and food space to share insights and lift each other up – it’s never felt more important.