Voices- Redeemer Speaker Series: Food Sustainability Panel Discussion

Food Sustainability Panel Discussion:  Reaping What We Sow

McKay Jenkins has been writing about people and the natural world for 30 years. His most recent book is Food Fight: GMOs and the Future of the American Diet.  He is also the author of ContamiNation, previously published as What’s Gotten into Us?, which chronicles his investigation into the myriad synthetic chemicals we encounter in our daily lives, and the growing body of evidence about the harm these chemicals do to our bodies and the environment.  His book, Poison Spring, co-written with E.G. Vallianatos, has been called “a jaw-dropping expose´ of the catastrophic collusion between the Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] and the chemical industry.”  (Booklist, starred review)

For the last eight years, Rona Kobell, moderator, science writer and editor at Maryland Sea Grant has also been a reporter for the Chesapeake Bay Journal which covers scientific and regulatory issues in the watershed. She co-hosted and co-produced a show on Chesapeake Bay issues for five years on Baltimore’s main NPR station. Reporting on storm water, poultry manure, blue catfish, waterfowl, and crabs, she has written most extensively on oysters, covering the birth of the aquaculture industry in both Maryland and Virginia.  Prior to joining the Bay Journal, Kobell was a reporter with the Baltimore Sun from 2000 to 2008.

Charlotte Proctor moved to Baltimore from South Mills, North Carolina. She studied communication, civic engagement, and social entrepreneurship and has worked at a variety of non-profits. Passionate about the environment, Civic Works Real Food Farm was a natural fit. As the Program Manager, Charlotte helps train and empower community members to take on their educational and professional goals while strengthening their understanding of food systems and sustainable agriculture.

J.J. Reidy is an entrepreneur, global food activist, and urban developer, who has helped guide social enterprises in Baltimore, Milan, Ethiopia, and Peru. His work on developing urban food ecosystems has been recognized at the World Expo, Bon Appétech, and Food Tech Stockholm. In 2014 he founded Urban Pastoral, and currently serves as its CEO. Urban Pastoral combines real estate development and investment with a specialized focus in the design / implementation of vertically integrated food-sector businesses and alternative green spaces.

John Shields has written three popular cookbooks: The Chesapeake Bay Cookbook; The Chesapeake Bay Crab Cookbook; and Chesapeake Bay Cooking with John Shields. His professional career began by accident. After studying at the Peabody Conservatory of Music, the Baltimore native moved to Cape Cod with aspirations of becoming a rock star, and played the piano in bars. One day an injured friend asked John to work his shift in the kitchen of a popular Cape Cod inn.  36 pie shells later, Shields was on his way to becoming a restaurant chef/owner, author, and host of two national public television series.

Click here to sign-up for supper at 6:00 p.m. for $10 per person.  There is no cost and no sign-up to attend the lecture only.

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