and the next one, albeit on organic food...

Published March 19th:
Students from the Environmental Studies program organized a daylong conference held at Hart House on Saturday about local, sustainable and organic food sources. Students, environmental activists, health conscious consumers, and professors from U of T all gathered together to listen, and exchange thoughts on the current state of consumer foods.
The day began with a keynote speaker and in the afternoon two lectures ran simultaneously every hour and a half, each with a speaker from a different organization or company involved in promoting healthy eating and living. The vegan lunch, served in the Great Hall, boasted flavourful organic and local food. Vendors and student organizations had tables in the room as well, so as to educate those standing around. Nora Saks and Maciej Jamrozik, two U of T students, informed those around them about getting involved in the campus run by Food for All Equally. “The things that you only read about, you can actually touch and taste,” said Saks.
The well-designed conference featured keynote speaker Lori Stahlbrand of Local Flavour Plus in the morning. Posters stating “Go the distance so your food doesn’t have to,” are placed all around campus. This is campaign by LFP who in September 2006 gained a contract U of T. Stahlbrand spoke of the need to increase the sale of locally grown and organic food in public institutions throughout Canada. Providing examples from the University of Edinburgh, and Portland State University, she spoke of student initiatives to bring agriculture directly into the lives of students such as organic food programs, and constructing community gardens. Currently, there are over 200 farm-to-campus programs in North America.
Dr. Rachel Schwartzman, Naturopathic doctor at Continuum Wellness, gave a detailed talk on the necessary components for a healthy body. Discussions about the benefits of flax seeds, garlic, beans, and water dominated the conversation. U of T’s own professor and Global Aware founder Dr. Leslie Jermyn was very eloquent in her one-hour history of the globalization of food throughout the last 5000 years. Students were surprised to learn of the links between agriculture and things such as the steam engine, the industrial revolution, and urbanization. Tanmayo Krupanszky of the Canadian Organic Grower’s Association thoroughly explained the nature, and future of organics. “Only 1½% of Canadian Farmers are certified organic,” she said, also highlighting that “local does not necessarily mean organic”. The benefits of eating organic are both “dramatic and immediate”, she stated. Ideas arose such as approaching supermarkets to sponsor local farmers markets, and carrying local food within the store itself.
The conference united several fields of study. Joanna Jack, one of the students who organized the conference, said the idea came to her group after having been assigned a project in her Environmental Studies 320 course. We wanted to make this accessible to as many students as possible, and create a community orientated experience,” she said, “We wanted to do something that made a difference. We wanted to bring people together, and this has been an amazing success”.