Chicago Botanic Garden

for immediate release

Chicago Botanic Garden Convenes Experts for Daylong Symposium, “Urban Agriculture: Feeding the Movement”
To Celebrate World Environment Day

Local, national experts discuss local food production, jobs and the emerging green economy

 

Media Only:
Gloria Ciaccio
(847) 835-6819, direct
gciaccio@chicagobotanic.org

GLENCOE, Ill. (May 21, 2009)—The Chicago Botanic Garden will mark the United Nations World Environment Programme’s World Environment Day on June 5 with a daylong symposium that will focus on the nexus between urban agriculture, food security, and job development. The symposium begins at 9 a.m. and concludes at 5 p.m.

National and Chicago-based experts from industry, government, non-profit organizations, and academia will explore policy initiatives, workforce training programs, and infrastructure requirements to make urban agriculture a significant part of the emerging green economy. The symposium will include an overview of Chicago-based urban agriculture programs, featuring reports from some of the city’s leading food policy and urban agriculture groups. Workshop sessions will address land use, job training, community health, local production, and policy issues. The goal is to make recommendations that can be acted on locally and heard nationally by legislators, human service experts, and business leaders.

This year, people can receive live updates from the Urban Agriculture Symposium by following “chicagobotanic” on Twitter.

“There is a strong correlation between the growing national focus on local and sustainable food production and the recognition that many in our society are suffering the economic, health and social ill effects of a food system that no longer serves them. Urban agriculture initiatives are emerging as part of a systematic approach that will support better food access, public health, community economic development and jobs training,” said Patsy Benveniste, vice president of community education programs for the Chicago Botanic Garden.

Rose Hayden-Smith kicks off the symposium with an overview of the national urban agriculture movement. A nationally recognized expert on food policy and the history of community-based food growing, she develops programs for youth and adult learners in agricultural literacy and garden-based learning. She is on the faculty of the University of California, Davis, and is a food and society fellow for 2008–2009.

Nicole Robinson, the director of community involvement for Kraft Foods, will be joined by Kate Maehr, executive director of the Chicago Food Depository and Mary Ellen Caron, commissioner, City of Chicago’s Department of Family and Support Services, to talk about hunger and food security in Chicago.

National, state, regional and local legislation on urban agriculture will be addressed by Neil Hamilton, director of the Agriculture Law Center at Drake University; Debbie Hillman, coordinator, Illinois Local and Organic Food and Farm Task Force; and Martin Bailkey, co-coordinator, MetroAg: the Alliance of Urban Agriculture.

Information on funding options for urban agriculture, green jobs and workforce development will be presented by Katherine Kelly, executive director, Kansas City Center for Urban Agriculture; Therese McMahon, deputy director, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Bureau of Workforce Development and Elizabeth U, manager of strategic partnerships, RSF Social Finance and food and society policy fellow.

This event supports the goals of the just released United Nations Environment Programme’s report “The Environmental Food Crisis,” which highlights the threats and cost of food insecurity and environmental degradation on a global basis.

The Chicago Botanic Garden, through its Green Youth Farm and Windy City Harvest community gardening programs, seeks to make a difference locally for the communities it serves and globally through the broad range of plant conservation research and programs it conducts.

Green Youth Farm works with junior and high-school aged students, and offers them the opportunity to learn all aspects of organic farming-from planting seeds to managing a hive of bees, from cooking with the food they grow to selling it at farm stands and markets.

Windy City Harvest is an organic vegetable and plant production enterprise that provides instruction in sustainable horticulture and urban agriculture to residents of Chicago, in partnership with City Colleges of Chicago. The program creates jobs and opportunities by training participants in year-round growing of organic produce, which is made available and accessible to local residents through neighborhood farmers markets and restaurants. Program participants earn a certificate in urban agriculture that has been approved by the Illinois Community College Board.

Information about the daylong symposium can be found at www.chicagobotanic.org/wed or at (847) 835-8261.

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Editors, please note: The Chicago Botanic Garden's newsroom is online at www.chicagobotanic.org/pr. For digital images, contact Julie McCaffrey at (847) 835-8213 or at jmccaffrey@chicagobotanic.org.

The Chicago Botanic Garden, one of the green treasures of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, is a 385-acre living plant museum featuring 23 distinct display gardens surrounded by lakes, as well as a prairie and woodlands. With events, programs and activities for all ages, the Garden is open every day of the year. Admission is free; select event fees apply. Parking is $20 per car; free for Garden members. The Garden is located at 1000 Lake Cook Road in Glencoe, Ill. Visit www.chicagobotanic.org, or call (847) 835-5440 for seasonal hours, images of the Garden and commuter transportation information.

The Chicago Botanic Garden is managed by the Chicago Horticultural Society. It opened to the public in 1972 and is home to the Joseph Regenstein, Jr. School of the Chicago Botanic Garden, offering a broad array of adult classes in plant science, landscape design and gardening arts. Through the Division of Plant Science and Conservation, Garden scientists work on plant conservation, research and environmental initiatives that have global impact. The Center for Teaching and Learning brings the wonder of nature and plants to children, teens and teachers. The Garden's Horticultural Therapy and Community Gardening programs provide nationally recognized community outreach and service programs. A program of the Chicago Botanic Garden, Windy City Harvest is an organic vegetable and plant production enterprise that provides instruction in sustainable horticulture and urban agriculture to residents of Chicago’s North Lawndale and West Side neighborhoods.

The Chicago Botanic Garden is accredited by the American Association of Museums and is a member of the American Public Gardens Association (APGA). The Chicago Botanic Garden is also host to Botanic Gardens Conservation International-U.S., and a member of the Center for Plant Conservation. In 2006, the Chicago Botanic Garden received the Award for Garden Excellence, given yearly by the APGA and Horticulture magazine to a public garden that exemplifies the highest standards of horticultural practices and has shown a commitment to supporting and demonstrating best gardening practices.