From MXuereb at regionofwaterloo.ca Fri Nov 4 15:46:02 2011 From: MXuereb at regionofwaterloo.ca (Marc Xuereb) Date: Fri, 4 Nov 2011 15:46:02 -0400 Subject: [WRFoodNews] Waterloo Region Food News November 4, 2011 Message-ID: <4EF78F4AB4C2114885FF70365EFF4B1706C1A31393@MAIL.region.waterloo.on.ca> Please find the latest Waterloo Region Food News below. WRFoodNews archives can be viewed at http://www.wrfoodsystem.ca/wrfoodnews, and you can receive timelier updates by subscribing to the Waterloo Region Food System Roundtable's blog at http://www.wrfoodsystem.ca/index.php?p=blog.RSS. 1. Food Waste Event Focuses on Solutions York PhD student Michelle Coyne shared stories of dumpster diving as a way to drive the point home that we need to reduce food waste. She was speaking at the Kitchener Public Library on October 25th as part of the Roundtable's Healthy Food System series. Read a summary of her talk and a link to the full presentation on the Roundtable blog. 2. Roundtable Seeks New Members The Waterloo Region Food System Roundtable wants you to join it in working toward a healthier food system. The Roundtable's eighteen members meet five times per year, and most members get involved in working groups to help work on identified food system priorities. Nominations are due by November 14, 2011: see Roundtable blog post for full details. 3. Sketching a Plan for a Sustainable Food System Participate in an Interactive Conversation to develop a holistic plan to identify the assets, resources, strategies and tools needed to support the development of a sustainable food system for Mid-Western Ontario. Come to Guelph for the day on Tuesday, November 22 and be part of this process! For details, see Roundtable Events page. 4. Food Issues Discussion Guide The Interactivity Foundation has published a guide to leading discussions about food issues with your classroom, colleagues, or neighbours. Read all about it on the Roundtable blog. 5. How to Influence the Soft Drink Industry Health concerns with the heavy consumption of soft drinks led to a new report by Public Health Law & Policy on the workings of the industry, written with a view to making strategic interventions. You can find highlights of the report and a link to the full report in the Roundtable blog post. 6. The Seedling Sprouts Opportunities Waterloo Region has been playing a pivotal role in supporting and expanding community gardens in the region. Not only do community gardens give people access to fresh healthy food that they don't have to buy, but they develop a sense of shared ownership and social cohesion among neighbours that helps overcome barriers posed by poverty. Read all about what OWR has been doing for community gardens in the Roundtable Blog post. 7. Study Compares Organic to Conventional Agriculture Cambridge Foodie Krista Long posted a link to a study by The Rodale Institute on the Roundtable's Discussion Forum tracking the Institute's 30 years of field trials comparing organic to conventional agriculture. The study found that organic corn and soy crops had comparable yields to conventional ones, but used 45% less energy and produced 40% fewer Greenhouse Gas emissions. 8. Upcoming Food Events Here are the Foodie events for the next couple of weeks. Post your own Foodie events on our Events page and view details on these and other upcoming events. Grow Your Farm Profits, Tuesday, November 8 & 15, Linwood Sketching a Plan for a Sustainable Food System, Tuesday, November 22, 9:30am-4pm, Guelph Local Food in the Public Sector: Challenges and Opportunities, Tuesday, November 29, 6:30pm, KPL Forest Heights Branch Marc Xuereb staff support Waterloo Region Food System Roundtable www.wrfoodsystem.ca c/o 99 Regina Street South, 3rd Floor Waterloo, ON N2J 4V3 519.883.2004 x.5872 MXuereb at regionofwaterloo.ca -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: