Public health, nutrition and environmental experts will join Vermont Law School students to address challenges related to food safety, food security and food sovereignty in disenfranchised communities during the law school's annual Solutions Conference from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Friday, March 27, at VLS.
Titled "Global Food, Local Solutions," the day-long conference will include three panels: "Food Safety Issues as They Affect Low-Income Communities and Communities of Color," "Native American Food Sovereignty: Environmental Challenges to Food Security," and "New England Food Justice."
"We wanted to highlight the challenges faced by many communities in the U.S. and internationally, and how we can work with various models of agriculture to help find solutions," said Alona Tate '15, a juris doctor (JD) candidate at VLS. "We are lucky to be surrounded by bountiful farms in Vermont. However, in many communities in the U.S. there is not adequate access to healthy food, and many people do not have the resources to purchase local and organic food. It is important that we consider all models of agriculture as an integral part of sustainable solutions."
Panelists slated to discuss food safety include Associate Professor Jennifer J. Quinlan of the Department of Nutrition Sciences and Department of Biology at Drexel University and Associate Professor Wendy Heiger-Bernays of the Department of Environmental Health at Boston University. Amos Hinton, director of agriculture for the Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma, and Simone Senogles, coordinator of the Indigenous Environmental Network's Food Sovereignty program, will participate in the Native American food sovereignty panel. And Faye Conte of Hunger Free Vermont, Jenny Rushlow, a staff attorney with the Conservation Law Foundation, and Skye Cornell of Wholesome Wave in Bridgeport, Conn., will discuss food justice issues in New England.
Students said they hope offering diverse perspectives will draw community members and foster a lively discussion.
"Food is a topic that's very easy to get excited about, but everyone comes to it from a slightly different angle," said Sarah Danly '15, a Master of Environmental Law and Policy student at VLS. "I first became interested in our food system when studying community health as an undergrad. Because it's such a complex issue, there's always a need to bring different perspectives together, and so for the Solutions Conference we wanted to bring in stakeholders and concerns that are less often addressed."
The 2015 Solutions Conference is sponsored by Alliance, Black Law Students Association, Native American Law Students Association, Food and Agriculture Law Society, Federalist Society, and the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems at Vermont Law School. The conference is free and open to the public and press; continuing legal education (CLE) credits are available for a fee. For more information, including registration and CLE credits, visit eventbrite.com or email alonatate@vermontlaw.edu.