Institute of Sustainability Executive Director Dodd Galbreath will be the keynote speaker for the Saturday, Dec. 3 agenda at the upcoming Tennessee Local Food Summit at Nashville’s Lipscomb University. Galbreath will speak on the “Role of Education” pulling together the elements of sustainability and how this relates to food.
Two area sustainable farmers Eric Smith of Bug Tussle Farms, Bug Tussle, KY and Susanna Lein of Salamander Spring Farms, Berea, KY have also been added to the agenda. Smith will speak about how Easy It is to Grow Your Own Food and will offer advice for beginners and seasoned gardeners alike. Lein will speak on Permaculture in the Garden and will take a look at no-till methods and other permaculture methods for home food production.
The summit will be geared to home gardeners, farmers, students, consumers, and anyone interested in learning about local food. Other speakers already confirmed include: Hugh Lovel, regular contributor to Acres USA, Shabari Bird, whose late husband Christopher Bird co-authored The Secret Life of Plants and The Secret Life of Soil, and Jeff Poppen, aka The Barefoot Farmer.
The Summit will open Friday evening with a free keynote from Lovel, Why Care About Local Food, exploring agriculture’s role on our health, our environment, our economy and our consciousness. Workshops on Saturday and Sunday will include tracks on The Science of Organics, Backyard Gardening and Food The Best Medicine. Plenty of time will be available for one on one discussions with the speakers and each other in an effort to learn how Tennessee can grow it’s own food. The conference fee will include three locally grown and homemade organic meals and a Saturday night Square Dance.
The conference fee is $100 for the weekend. Students get in for $50.00, low income for $25.00. There is a day rate of $50.00 per day. Registrants are invited to set up a booth at no additional fee. No one will be turned away, but can do volunteer work.
For registration information, contact Anne Nicholson, tnlocalfood@gmail.com, 615-426-3395.
The Summit is being organized by local sustainable farmers and The Institute for Sustainable Practices. For more information, please go to http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=181259291958014 or to www.barefootfarmer.com
For sponsorship information, please contact: David Daily, 615-604-3886, david@realfoodfarms.com
