Have you ever heard of Edible Education 101? Well, it is everything you need to know about our food system: the good, the bad, and even some solutions. Edible Ed is a live streamed lecture series out of UC Berkeley airing Mondays at 6:30pm PST/9:30pm EST.
So far there have been three talks: A Brief History of the Modern Food System by Michael Pollan, The Ecological Crisis as a Crisis of Agriculture & Linking Farm Policy to Health Policy in the Global Economy by Garrison Sposito and Marion Nestle, and The Hands That Feed You by Eric Schlosser. All three have been equally informative and inspiring.
Here are some highlights, as described by our Business Development Intern Rebecca:
1/26/15-A Brief History of the Modern Food System by Michael Pollan.
Michal Pollan, journalist, activist, professor of journalism at UCB, and famous author of The Omnivore's Dilemma started off the lecture series by setting the stage and tone of the class. He gave a solid basis for understanding the food system, how he became interested in the field, and why this is all important. 5 out of 5 stars, must watch.
2/2/15-The Ecological Crisis as a Crisis of Agriculture by Garrison Sposito & Linking Farm Policy to Health Policy in the Global Economy by Marion Nestle
Garrison Sposito is also a professor of Environmental Studies at UCB, he has received many awards for his various research endeavors. To be completely honest, Mr. Sposito's lecture was very dry. He is a very, very smart man, who knows a lot about soil, the environment, and what we as a society need to do in order to fix our planet. So, I felt a little guilty about skipping over the second half of his lecture. 2 out of 5 stars.
Marion Nestle Ph.D. M.P.H. is the Paulette Goddard Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at NYU. In 2011, Nestle was called the world's second most powerful foodie, second only to Michelle Obama. She made The Farm Bill accessible and easy to understand by breaking it down into smaller categories. By listening, you learn why The Farm Bill is important to our daily lives. Her talk was thought provoking. She used the right amount of scare tactic, but reassured the audience that we can change for the better. 4.5 our of 5 stars, you should really watch this for the second half of this lecture.
2/9/15-The Hands That Feed You by Eric Schlosser
Eric Schlosser is an investigative journalist known for his book, Fast Food Nation. He is also an avid food activist. Eric's lecture was eye-opening, but not one touch cliche. He questioned viewers how food effects how we live, the society we are apart of, and our bodies. As well as how our bodies, our society, and food effect our food system and supply. By bringing in a panel of women who were farm workers and lawyers, Eric gave the audience a great first-hand account and the untold perspective of how we get our most nutritious food. 5 out of 5 stars, watch this and learn what's what.
Feel empowered and want to help make a difference in our society? Join our intensive weekend long hands-on urban farming course, and become part of the solution.
