Hi All,

This past Saturday I had the pleasure of bringing Krishna Das and his band to the Cinema Arts Centre for a special fundraiser Kirtan in support of Orkestai Farm and Elija Farm. Both of these farms work with young people on the autistic spectrum, and Krishna Das’s music has a special calming effect that not only benefits them, but can benefit us all, especially during these trying times. His new CD, Peace of My Heart; Chants to Calm the Mind and Ease the Heart, is now available for the first time! Following the concert, everyone was invited to bask in the peaceful, loving, blissful energy, and share some delicious food in the cafe. It never ceases to amaze me in the power of food! It brings people together and helps to build community. I am still basking in the love!

October 12th is your Last Chance to Register to Vote in NY! Other States have Different Deadlines! Don’t Wait! Do it Today!! And then, Show Up to VOTE On November 6th!

The Long Island Food Conference Comes to LIU-Post on November 3rd, with a Pre-Conference Documentary Screening of “What the Health” on Friday Evening, November 2nd.

The Long Island Food Coalition is once again organizing a conference you will not want to miss! To wet your palate, we will have a pre-conference screening on Friday evening, November 2nd at 7:30 pm, of the documentary film, “What the Health“. This film examines the link between diet and disease, and exposes the collusion, corruption, and influence that big business has on our governments policies. There are billions of dollars at stake, and this explains why they have incentive to keep us sick!  Following the film, I will lead a discussion and Q & A session with Dr. Charles Ventresca of Birch Hill Natural Medicine. Please come and watch this eye opening exposé! 

The Long Island Food Conference will be returning to Long Island at LIU Post, with the theme; Food As the Solution! This is an all day event, with Frances Moore Lappé, the author of Diet for a Small Planet and co-founder of the Small Planet Institute, kicking off the event as our keynote speaker. We have two panels scheduled for the morning, Food Policy and Justice, with Tom Colicchio and Karen Washington, followed by a panel on Food and Climate Change, with representatives from Food and Water Watch, NOFA-NY and Feedback. A plant based catered lunch will be served to all, with time to visit our pop-up Farmers Market, our exhibitor booths and our onsite book store! In the afternoon, we have two more panels scheduled. The first one is Food as Medicine, with Dr. Robert Graham from FreshMed, Ellen Kamhi, The Natural Nurse, and Sally Fallon Morell, from The Weston Price Foundation. The last panel is on Growing Food, where we have Fred Lee from Sang Lee Farms, Michael Doall from Montauk Shellfish Co, Fran Whittelsey from Gateway Community Garden and Stefan Oberman from Aero Farms. We will end the day with a little wine and cheese reception, and reflect on all of the wonderful inspiration that the day offered us. Space is limited, so get your tickets today, during the early bird pricing! 

If you are interested in becoming a sponsor of the conference, or having an exhibitor table, please go to our website.

Join iEat Green’s 24th Year Cooking a ‘Thanksgiving Feast for the Needy’ in Rufus King Park, with The River Fund-NY’s Food Pantry

It’s hard to believe, but Thanksgiving will be here before we know it, which means it’s time to sign up on the iEat Green’s doodle doc, to volunteer to cook for our huge Thanksgiving Feast! This year, the event will take place on Tuesday, November 20th, with the prep days starting on Saturday, Nov. 17th through the 19th. We partner with the River Fund-NY every year, to bring the joy and abundance that we are blessed with, to those in need. It’s all about sharing the LOVE!!  If you have any questions, send me an email!

Please help us collect Coats, Jackets, Sweatshirts, Sweaters, Hats, Scarfs, Blankets, Sleeping Bags, Gloves, Socks, and anything else to help people stay warm during the winter months! Items can be dropped off at the iEat Green Homestead in Old Westbury.

Cornucopia Institute’s, Mark Kastel, Joins iEat Green on the Progressive Radio Network

Mark Kastel is co-founder of The Cornucopia Institute, a farm policy research group based in Wisconsin and acts as its Senior Farm Policy Analyst and Co-Director. He directs its Organic Integrity Project.

For almost 20 years prior to Cornucopia’s launch, he was president of M. A. Kastel and Associates, Inc. His professional practice included political consulting, lobbying on behalf of family farm groups, and business development work benefiting family-scale farmers. Mr. Kastel has played a key role in a number of cooperative ventures designed to empower farmers in the marketplace. His development work has focused on creating sustainable farmer-owned businesses with an emphasis on dairy production and marketing.

Kastel played a key role in the farm community’s response to the introduction of rBGH. His watershed research, published while doing policy work for the Farmers Union, brought great media scrutiny when he revealed the fact that cows were dying and whole herds were suffering from serious illnesses soon after they were injected. He has been intimately involved at numerous stages during development of the bill to regulate organic farming in Congress, as part of the 1990 farm bill, and the subsequent rule making process at the USDA. He continues to be closely involved in monitoring the seriously flawed management of the National Organic Program at the USDA.

Kastel, who worked for agribusiness giants International Harvester, J.I. Case and FMC before making the paradigm shift to sustainable farming, lives on a 160-acre organic farm in the rugged hills of southwestern Wisconsin, near the tiny burg of Rockton.