An In-Depth Examination of a Sustainable Food Future in the Grocery, Farming and Foodservice Sectors
PORTLAND, OR, December 2008: From February 26 to 28, 2009, the organic food and farming sector will gather in Portland to study and discuss a sustainable food future during a three-day conference called, Organicology. Organicology will offer intensive workshops, networking, a trade show and key notes from a diverse array of the world’s foremost food and farming experts. The first-time event is presented by Oregon Tilth, Organic Seed Alliance, the Food Trade Sustainability Leadership Association, and Organically Grown Company and will be held at the Doubletree Lloyd Center.
“As the realm of organics and concept of sustainable food systems rapidly expands with products, distributors, growers, innovators, chefs, educators, and people working behind-the-scenes, there’s clearly a need to orient and educate the ever-growing pool of people joining the industry,” said David Lively, Marketing Director for Organically Grown Company. “Organicology participants will leave charged with enthusiasm, armed with enhanced skills specific to their job, a network of trusted contacts, and a deeper understanding of the trade, beyond their own responsibilities.”
Here's just a sampling of what Organicology has to offer.
World-renowned authors, scholars and activists, including:
Dr. Vandana Shiva, Director of the Research Foundation for Science, Technology, and Natural Resource Policy and author of Earth Democracy: Justice, Sustainability, and Peace. Dr. Shiva pioneered the organic movement in India and established Navdanya, the country’s biggest network of seed keepers and organic producers.
Paul Roberts, author The End of Food and The End of Oil, writes and lectures frequently on the complex interplay of economics, technology, and the natural world.
Claire Hope Cummings, an environmental lawyer, journalist, and the author of Uncertain Peril: Genetic Engineering and the Future of Seeds.
Gil Friend, President and CEO of Natural Logic, Inc., a consulting and software development company. Tomorrow Magazine called Friend “one of the country’s leading environmental management consultants – a real expert who combines theoretical sophistication with hands-on, in-the-trenches know-how.”
Frederick L. Kirschenmann, a Distinguished Fellow for the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University and President of Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture in Pocantico Hills, New York.
Learning Intensives and workshops
Organicology will present an array of in-depth courses on all aspects of sustainable farm production, sustainable business initiatives, organic seed production, labor practices, organic certification, renewable energy, managing the threats of genetically-engineered crops, and the challenges of local food systems. A complete list of intensives and workshops is available at www.organicology.org.
Opportunities to network and have fun
Complementing the curriculum will be a trade show, awards dinner, and nightly entertainment. On Saturday, Organicology will present a day-long Organic Exhibition with a wide array of displays, including seed companies, farm supply companies, farms, organic manufacturers and retail products. The Organic Exhibition is an ideal time for participants to network and share their own stories about how they incorporate sustainability into their livelihoods.
Organicology will host nightly entertainment, including a talent show, a seed swap, a wine and beer social with potato variety tasting, an audience-judged debate, and performances by Portland Taiko and the Pheromones--a band comprised of farmers and plant breeders. Mixing the fun with well-deserved kudos for the sustainability community will be Organicology's Awards Dinner.
Generous support for Organicology comes from industry partners Heath & Lejeune, Organics Unlimited, Earthbound Farms, CF Fresh, Cross Creek Trading, PCC Natural Markets and the Organic Trade Association.
For more information about registration, lodging, how to participate in the trade show, or course offerings, visit www.organicology.org
Recognizing the educational needs of the ever growing organic and sustainable food and farming trade, Organicology was founded by four organizations leading the organic revolution: Oregon Tilth (www.tilth.org) the nation’s premiere certifier for organics, and a nonprofit research and education membership organization dedicated to biologically sound and socially equitable agriculture. Organic Seed Alliance (www.seedalliance.org) supports the ethical development and stewardship of the genetic resources of agricultural seed. The Food Trade Sustainability Leadership Association (www.ftsla.org) works to foster sustainable business practices in the organic food trade through educational programming and annual reporting by member businesses. Employee and grower-owned Organically Grown Company (www.organicgrown.com) is the largest organic fresh produce purveyor in the Pacific Northwest, and dedicated to promoting the health and vitality of the region through organic agriculture and a thriving sustainable food system.
Source: seed-pr.com
<>
LEADING SUSTAINABILITY GROUPS HOST ORGANICOLOGY
