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1609 Connecticut Ave NW #400 Washington, DC 20009 Phone: 202.332.3320 Fax: 202.332.3327 |
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Help us SUPPORT the next generation of environmental leaders
About "The Foodies"The ELP Food Affinity Group ("The Foodies") was created to stimulate debate about the complex linkages between food and environmental issues. These issues are diverse and apply to each of our professional and personal lives in different ways ranging from concerns over the amount of energy required to produce our food and the rights of farm workers who are subject to chemical pesticide exposure, to more theoretical topics such as the concept of food sovereignty and the different philosophies that underpin sustainable agriculture.Much is at stake in creating solutions and new perspectives on how environmental leaders can conserve (rather than destroy) our natural resources through food production. As Joan Gussow eloquently stated in her book Chicken Little, Tomato Sauce, and Agriculture (1991), "The food supply, I have come to believe, will not be saved by trying to save the supply itself, but by engaging eaters in the race to save the planet. Food is simply a lens through which connections to other problems can be understood. People concerned only about the food they put into their own stomachs are likely to be fair weather friends of agriculture, but people concerned about the environment will almost inevitably become engaged in helping to sustain the systems that supply their food." The education of environmental leaders from the diverse areas represented in the ELP community (conservation, environmental justice, business, faith-based groups, academia etc.) will play an invaluable role in advocating for a food system that will not only provide us with fresh, healthy food, but also will use our land and resources in thoughtful and sustainable ways. The Foodies were founded with support from an ELP Activity Fund grant in 2007 (by Saulo Araujo, Melissa Bailey, and Laila Goldberg). More than 50 ELP Fellows now count themselves among The Foodies. Saulo Araújo has dedicated himself to working for the resource rights of rural and urban communities in Brazil, Mexico and the U.S. In his native country of Brazil, Saulo worked with rural communities in the arid northeast region to develop sustainable water sources and protect local genetic materials. He also worked with water management programs in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico. In New England, he has worked with environmental justice groups in inner city neighborhoods, supporting the work of residents to protect open and green spaces, food security and environmental health. Currently, Saulo is a board member of two community-based organizations in Central Massachusetts--Worcester Roots Project and Worcester Earn-a-Bike--and is a member of the Grant-making Committee of the New England Grassroots Environmental Fund (NEGEF). Saulo has a Master's Degree in International Development and Social Change from Clark University. Melissa Bailey is pursuing her PhD at Tufts in livestock production systems and their impact on the health of water, people and animals located near farm operations. As a "Water and Health" doctoral trainee fellow through the National Institute of Health (NIH) and a candidate to receive a Water: Systems, Science and Society (WSSS) Certificate through Tufts, Melissa is working to integrate the environmental health and agricultural aspects of water science and policy. Her academics have focused her efforts both domestically and in the Central American region through work on watershed assessments and management projects. In addition to academics, Melissa heads up an outreach organization (FEAST: Food Education and Action for Sustainability at Tufts) and is a part-time research analyst for SJH Inc., a Boston-based agribusiness consulting firm. Laila Goldberg is a project coordinator at The Food Trust, an organization whose mission is to ensure that everyone has access to affordable, nutritious food. Laila joined The Food Trust in 2004 as a project associate for their School Nutrition Program. She currently works on a new initiative to develop a stronger infrastructure for Pennsylvania produce and to ensure that farmers can gain access and better compete in the region's markets. Previously, she worked with Cornell Cooperative Extension's community gardening program in Poughkeepsie, NY and studied abroad in Chile, where she had the opportunity to learn about global food trade through her research of the table grape export industry. |
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