Category: Front Page News

Posted Feb 2, 2014

The Politics of Food: Why Should We Care?

Friday, February 7, 2014; 9:15 AM
Community Room, Carey Memorial Library, 1874 Massachusetts Avenue, Lexington, MA

Everyone has a personal relationship with food, but not everyone is aware of the politics and policies that surround the origins of our food and how it actually travels to our plates. Recently, the State of Massachusetts awarded the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) a contract to create a state-wide food policy.

So what is a food policy and why should we need one? Will it affect our local farmers, our thriving farmer’s market and community based food programs? Will it improve the quality of our food and the efficiency and fairness of food distribution?

Join us for a lively panel discussion on this topic. Our panelists include: Jim Wilson owner of Wilson Farm, Liza Connolly, co-founder Kids Cooking Green and Board Member of Lexington Farmers Market, Charlie Radosolovich (the “Rad Urban Farmer”) and Lauren Yaffee, Owner of Meadow Mist Farm.

For more info, click here.

Watch the forum that was held on Tuesday, November 19, 2013 at Babson College.

Click here for the youtube video from the Wellesley Channel or watch it below.

LWV Wellesley, with co-sponsors LWVMA, Citizens Climate Lobby and LWV Needham, presented a program, “Pricing Carbon,” that focused on the emerging national dialogue about a revenue-neutral carbon tax. Could such a tax accelerate the transition of the US to a clean energy economy and help in the fight against climate change?

Steve Curwood, host of NPR’s “Living on Earth” was the moderator for the event. The speakers included Dr. Theda Skocpol, Professor of Government and Sociology, Harvard; Dr. Joseph Aldy, Asst. Professor of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School; Dr. John Reilly, Senior Lecturer and Co-Director of the Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change, Center for Environmental Policy Research, MIT Sloan School of Management; Dr. Fritz Fleischmann, Professor of English, Babson College; and Dr. Gary Rucinski, New England Coordinator, Citizens Climate Lobby.

For an event flyer, click here.

Get a jump on the discussion. Read the report on Modeling the Economic, Demographic, and Climate Impact of A Carbon Tax in Massachusetts, a report prepared by Regional Economic Models, Inc. (REMI) for the Committee for a Green Economy. To view the report click here.

The Board of Directors of the League of Women Voters of Massachusetts (LWVMA) is pleased to announce that Meryl Kessler has been named Executive Director. Kessler brings over 20 years of experience as an attorney, non-profit leader, and educator, as well as a strong commitment to civic education and engagement. She will lead the organization in its nonpartisan efforts to encourage the active and informed participation of citizens in their government through education and advocacy.

For the full announcement click here.