10th Anniversary Connecting For Change Conference features full roster of food and farming programming

Connecting for Change, one of the East Coast’s pre-eminent sustainability and social justice conferences held annually in New Bedford, MA, is celebrating its tenth year. The event brings community leaders, concerned citizens, students, educators, scientists and business leaders together to share solutions to the environmental, social and economic challenges that we face today.

This year’s conference which features over a dozen keynotes and performers, 40 plus workshops, tours, family programming, an exhibition hall, music, dance and a vibrant youth initiative.Presenters will share stories and solutions that focus on food and farming, social justice, health and healing, spirituality, green business, indigenous knowledge, impact investing, women and youth empowerment and sustainability.

Food related programming at the conference includes Keynotes by Joel Salatin and Janisse Ray, as well as a group of workshops on varied topics from GMO’s, wild edibles and grazing to heal the planet. Details follow:

Esteemed author, lecturer and farmer Joel Salatin, owner of Polyface Farm in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, which is arguably America’s premier non-industrial food production oasis. The farm has been featured widely in the press and in multiple publications, most notably Michael Pollan’s book The Omnivore’s Dilemma. Salatin himself is a wordsmith and author of nine books. He is a passionate defender of small farms and local food systems.

Janisse Ray, writer, naturalist and activist is author of five books of literary nonfiction and a collection of nature poetry. Her latest work is a nonfiction book on open-pollinated seeds, The Seed Underground, a journey to the frontier of seed-saving. The author recounts stories, the author’s own and those from others who are waging a quiet revolution to preserve our traditional cornucopia of food, resisting the industrial monoculture that surrounds us.

Food for Thought
A workshop that will address the causes and social impact of food access inequity, including the impact of local and global food systems on the economy. Presented by Chloe Zelkha, The Food Project

Compost Anywhere!
Compost provides fertility for growing healthful food and utilizes previous resources while helping to prevent climate change. This workshop will cover the basics of composting: what to compost; materials that add carbon to the pile – Presented by Karen DiFranza: Quabbin Composting and Organic Gardening Program

Sniff, Forage, or Grow—An Introduction to Wild and Edible Aromatics
Celebrated farmer Eva Sommaripa and chef Didi Emmons will share their deep knowedge of standout seasonal edible plants, both foraged and cultivated, featured in Wild Flaros, Didi’s cookbook. Presented by Didi Emmons and Eva Sommaripa

Know GMOS: Protecting the Organic Integrity of our Food, Bodies and Biosphere
A vibrant movement for transparency in food labeling has blossomed across the country. More than half of the states are considering GMO labeling. This discussion will cover the health and environmental risks associated with genetically engineered crops and how to take action in our community and connect with regional efforts focussed on food democracy.
Presented by Martin Dagoberto, co-founder of Massachusetts Right to Know GMOS and Citizens for GMO Labelling and Citizens for GMO Labeling, and Kristi March, Founder of Choose Wiser.

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Microbes
This presentation will cover both the history of food preservation and the more recent developments where fermentation has come to be seen as a way to produce interesting flavors and textures in food, while positively impacting nutrition. Short demos will be included. Presented by Geoffrey Lukas, Sofra Bakery, and Lenagev

Pollinators
A scientific look at the impact genetics, pesticides, habitat, food, weather, and politics have on our pollinators.
Presented by ayne Andrews, Bristol County Beekeepers Association

Cows, Climate, and Why The Way We Grow Food Matters
This workshop will focus on how taking a “soils-eye” view of our world and climate change opens up many possible solutions.. The management of livestock is a key factor in determining whether their impact is destructive or can serve as a tool for large-scale land restoration as well as a food source. It’s up to us. Presented by Judith Schwartz, Author of Cows Save the Planet and Other Improbable Ways of Restoring Soil to Heal the Earth

Greetings from the Paradigm Fence: The Counter-Intuitive Potential of Grazing to Heal Land and Help Reverse Global Warming
This workshop will focus on grasslands, the world’s largest terrestrial ecosystem. An innovation called Holistic Planned Grazing shows great promise for reviving grasslands with livestock according to nature’s evolutionary principles, removing carbon from the atmosphere and bounding it in soil organic matter from which it has been lost through erosion and agriculture. In addition, this exciting, albeit counter-intuitive, practice offers hope for food and water security.
Presented by Seth Itzkan, Planet-TECH Associates/Biodiversity for a Livable Climate

In addition to keynotes and workshops, Connecting for Change presents educational activities in exhibition tents in historic downtown New Bedford, MA, that are free and open to the public. Activities for children include Birds of Prey, a presentation by the Paskamansett Bird Club teaches about biodiversity through interactive bird displays; art workshops with recycled materials; and a reptile show that brings awareness to protecting endangered species. An exhibition hall featuring sustainable businesses and non-profit organizations, a farmers market, entertainment and an open mic night round out the schedule.

Connecting for Change seeks to bring awareness and empowerment to attendees of all ages by providing opportunities to learn about climate change, the interconnectedness of the world, the importance of supporting local economies and the value of indigenous cultures. The event creators hope to broaden each attendee’s awareness of the tools that can help foster positive change in the world.

In order to make the event accessible to a wide audience, Connecting for Change registration is on a sliding scale—attendees pay what they can afford to pay, with a $10 minimum per day. To register or for more information, please visit connectingforchange.org.