Do you remember the cafeteria food you had as a kid? It hasn’t gotten any better, in fact, it has gotten worse as demonstrated by recent widespread contaminated meat recalls, etc. The American diet in general is lacking, unbelievable levels of obesity and diabetes in children is shocking and undeniably traced back to diet. Meals poor in nutrition, high in fat, and high in preservatives, binders and other random unpronounceable additives are what sustain our children throughout the school day. Kids must have healthy food when they are expected to concentrate and perform at the levels that modern schools demand. It is impossible for anyone to function without the proper fuel. Slow Food USA has organized a chance for communities to come together and make a statement that the current way of highly processed, precooked, preserved and frozen foods is not good enough for our kids. Whole foods, nutritious foods, REAL food is what they need. Here are locations where you can become a part of this movement… No time to be there yourself? Make a donation or at least Sign their Petition.

In three days, people in all 50 states will sit down to share a meal and bend the direction of history just a little bit. Together, we are publicly rejecting the notion that our schools can’t afford to feed kids anything but the bad food that makes them sick. And the way we’re making this statement is by bringing neighbors together in the spirit of good will and for the joy of sharing good food. That is the heart of our movement.

Where to go in Arizona:

Bisbee AZ Eat-In

September 7, 2009

98 Cole Ave

Bisbee, Arizona 85603

Organizer: Sarah Meggison

Email: sarah.meggison@gmail.com

View Details

Chandler, AZ Eat-In

9/7/09

Chandler, Arizona

Organizer: Natalie Lawson

Email: Natsoup@gmail.com

View Details

Phoenix, AZ Eat-In

September 7, 2009

1826 West McDowell Road – Arizona State Fair Grounds

Phoenix, Arizona 85007

Organizer: Patty Emmert, Slow Food Phoenix

Email: info@slowfoodphoenix.org

Phone: 623-694-6172

View Details

Prescott, AZ Eat In

September 7, 2009

Prescott, Arizona

Organizer: Alaya Bouche

Email: alaya.bouche@gmail.com

View Details

When: October 9, 2009 from 7pm – ?

Where: Inside the Bungalow has donated the use of their beautiful facilities for the event. They are at 48 N. Robson
Mesa, AZ 85201

What: Dinner, auction and good times with food donated from Green Vegetarian Restaurant to benefit the Farm Sanctuary

How: The cost is $30 per person if you order your tickets before Oct. 2nd and $40 if you wait too long. Go to the official donation webpage, http://firstgiving.com/azfarmparty, to buy your tickets.

Why: Farm Sanctuary is a national, non-profit animal protection organization. Each year they rescue, rehabilitate and provide lifelong care for hundreds of animals rescued from factory farms, stockyards and slaughterhouses. In addition to operating the shelters, we work to gain legal protection for animals used in food production and to raise public awareness about factory farm cruelty and cruelty-free alternatives. Working against factory farming, from any angle, works against not just the cruelty inflicted therein but also against the huge environmental waste and pollution generated by those farms. If nothing else it is going to be a beautiful evening with fabulous food and compassionate people.

I hope to see you there! Please buy your tickets now.

Vegan bake sale to benefit Animal Place!

Vegan baked goods are fantastic! Just take a gander at my vegan baked good recipes and you’ll see that omitting the eggs and dairy from your recipes not only decreases environmental impact and cruelty but is also darn tasty! This is a great way to give back while indulging in delicious baked goodies.

Tuesday June 23rd —
Sunflower Farmer’s Market, (Southern & McClintock) 12pm – 6pm
Friday June 26th —
Sunflower Farmer’s Market, (Southern & McClintock) 12pm – 6pm
Saturday June 27th —
Changing Hands Bookstore, (Guadalupe & McClintock) 9:30am – 5:30pm

Contact mollyandritar1st@aol.com for more info or visit the Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale website.

image by manohard on flickr

Repower America is the clean energy plan supported by Al Gore with the goal to “repower” the US with 100% clean electricity within 10 years. They are reaching out to Arizonans at noon on June 10th so check out the info on this event:

We’re building our campaign here in Arizona because it’s a crucial time to show our elected officials our support for clean energy.

That’s why I’m pleased to invite you to join fellow Repower Arizona members and staff for a kickoff Repower Arizona Roundtable in Phoenix. We will discuss how clean energy legislation will help Arizona, and how you can get involved to support clean energy in the weeks ahead.

Here are the details:

Repower Arizona Roundtable
Burton Barr Library, Lecture Hall
1221 N. Central Ave
Phoenix, AZ 85004

Wednesday, June 10th
12:00 PM

RSVP Now.

The opposition has been working hard to push their misinformation and lies about clean energy.

We need your help to make sure your neighbors know the truth, so that our elected officials see the strong support for clean energy in Arizona.

Will you join us in Phoenix on Wednesday?

>>Yes, I’ll be there.

>>Sorry, I can’t make it, but I still want to help fight misinformation here in Arizona.

I have cut back on my spending a lot lately, I don’t know many people who haven’t. It still seems that most of our money goes toward eating out or groceries. Eating out feels like a reward, a little luxury that makes hard times easier. Those little luxuries are really helpful right now though eating out is often hard on your wallet and your waist line. One thing you can do is to hire a personal chef. While on your own this may seem like a silly suggestion, when you put a few families together it really starts to make financial and eco-sense. If you have a few close neighbors who are trying to eat better but just don’t have the time or know-how this might be perfect for you. I posted about Ripe Personal Chef’s services previously as an idea for Valentines’ but Chef Stephanie has a new service for group-rates. She specializes in highly nutritious, healthy meals, vegetarian, or even vegan. Click here to read more.