Food For Thought: Disrupt The Food System For Earth Day
Over fifty years ago, black clouds of pollution in the sky and rivers teeming with industrial chemicals were somewhat normal. And those toxic emissions made their way onto local farms and the food produced there.
That’s why Earth Day was established 52 years ago, as an opportunity to learn about and remember the importance of protecting our health and the health of the environment.
It’s all connected.
How we care for the earth has a serious impact on the food we eat. Our environment determines the crops we choose to plant, what we eat, and even who has access to nutritious food. And when it comes to the earth’s natural resources, using sustainable agriculture practices can help us address environmental problems like food insecurity and poverty.
Not knowing where your next meal is coming from is an unfortunate truth for many across the globe. In Denver alone, one in three families go hungry every day. Unfortunately, low wages and the rising cost of rent are forcing many to make dire choices about whether to pay for food or medicine, just to get by. Denver most recently became the 5th least affordable city in the country and more Denverites get pushed out everyday.
This Earth Day should also be a stark reminder that to achieve successful environmental protections and provide food relief, we need to work towards a balance between farmers, the food industry, consumers and our government. This can only happen if we get to the root causes of how our food ecosystem perpetuates inequity in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color.
Local changes can have a huge impact.
As a coalition, we collaborate with resilient leaders and policy makers to ensure that every Denver area family has the nutritious food they need to be healthy and thrive. By growing locally, we have been able to provide emergency food assistance, urban agriculture opportunities, public education, and an awareness of the interconnectedness of healthy food and our environment. We are committed to implementing long term solutions to ensure a more equitable food system for all.
This Earth Day, you can do your part! Every 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month, our partners at the Montbello Organizing Committee run a Mobile Food Pantry that provides fresh perishable food items including meat, milk, and produce in a contactless and risk-free form. Register to be a volunteer today