Menu for the Future
A six-session discussion guide exploring the connection between food and sustainability.
During this course, participants will:
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Explore food systems and their impacts on culture, society and ecological systems.
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Gain insight into agricultural and individual practices that promote personal and ecological well-being.
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Consider their role in creating or supporting sustainable food systems.
“Food is our common ground, our universal experience.” – James Beard
If you are interested in starting this discussion course in your community, download the Menu for the Future Course Flyer here.
Topics
What’s Eating America
Given the array of food choices and advice, eating in modern industrial society can be wrought with confusion, contradictions and anxiety. This session considers the effects of modern industrial eating habits on culture, society and ecological systems.
Anonymous Food
Traces the historical shift from family farms to industrial agriculture to present day questions surrounding genetically modified organisms (GMO) and industrial organics. The session examines the ecological and economic impacts that have accompanied the changes in how we grow and prepare food.
Farming for the Future
Explore emerging food system alternatives, sustainable growing practices and the benefits of small farms and urban food production. How can individuals make choices that lead to a more sustainable food supply?
You Are What You Eat
This session explores food systems from a human health perspective. Consider the influences that shape our choices and food policies from the fields to Capitol Hill, and the implications for our health and well-being.
Toward a Just Food System
The readings in this session examine issues of hunger, equity, and Fair Trade. This session asks participants to consider the role that governments, communities and individuals can play in addressing these issues to create a more just food system.
Choices for Change
Individuals and communities are discovering the benefits of choosing local, seasonal and sustainably grown and produced foods. The last session offers inspiration and practical advice in taking steps to create more sustainable food systems.
Readings
| “Organic, Local, and Everything Else” by Zoë Bradbury “Navigating the Catch of the Day” by Daniel Duane “The Anxiety of Eating” by Michael Pollan “Sunday Dinner” by R.W. Apple, Jr. “Inheritance” by Sue Browning “The Pleasures of Eating” by Wendell Berry “On Trial: Industrial Agriculture” by James E. Horne and Maura McDermott “Your Food Doesn’t Come From the Store” by Tom Philpott “The SUV in the Pantry” by Thomas Starrs “Rethinking the Meat Guzzler” by Mark Bittman “Mean or Green?” by Liza Featherstone “The Potato” by Michael Pollan “Can Organics Save the Family Farm?” by Eliot Coleman Excerpt from Deep Economy by Bill McKibben “Lawn to Farm: Suburbia’s Silver Lining” by Wylie Harris “Making Food Deserts Bloom” by Brian Halweil “Why Don’t We Have Gardens Like This?” by Jennifer Cockrall-King “Look Mommy, There’s Our Farmer” by Frances Moore Lappè and Anna Lappè |
“Unhappy Meals” by Marco Visscher “The Illusion of Safe and Clean” by Anna Lappè and Bryant Terry “Five Easy Ways to Go Organic” by Tara Parker Pope “Food Without Thought” by Heather Schoonover and Mark Muller “Making Informed Food Choices” by Marion Nestle “Creating Scarcity from Plenty” by Frances Moore Lappè and Anna Lappè “Beautiful Horizon” by Frances Moore Lappè and Anna Lappè “Growing Resistance” by Alison Hope Alkon “Bananas” by Ed Hamer “Breadbasket of Democracy” by Ted Nace “When Eating Local Gets Personal” by Brian Halweil “Local or Organic? A False Choice” by Samuel Fromartz “Tangerine Meditation” by Thich Nhat Hahn “A Grand Experiment” by Bill McKibben “Returning Stories to the Modern Kitchen” by Ann Vileisis Excerpt from Small Wonder by Barbara Kingsolver |
