Note: These were the workshops we offered for the 2009 food forum.

(All workshops are in Duns Scotus Hall 2nd floor = "DS")

Group A Workshops (9:15-10:15 a.m.)

DS 214 Jesse Meeder, “Aquaponics.” MAP has started an Aquaponic fish farm at their urban farm on the west side of Buffalo, growing 1500 fish and many vegetables together in a mutually beneficial, closed system. Learn the basics of aquaponics, including information on starting your own small home aquaponic system.

Jesse works for the Massachusetts Avenue Project as their Farm Manager and Farm Education Coordinator.

DS 219 Jon and Cathy Rieley-Goddard, “Ingredients of Local Healthy Eating.” Local eating makes more sense than ever. Come to learn, teach, and share ideas and information.

Cathy & Jon are co-pastors of Riverside-Salem United Church of Christ/Disciples of Christ. The church meets at 4 p.m. Sundays at its Environmental Chapel on West River Road on Grand Island. They have embraced the challenges of local eating.

DS 221 Brenda Young, “Rain Gardens.” Rain gardens are beautiful ways of helping control stormwater runoff. Through careful placement and planting, wildflowers, shrubs and trees can help capture rainwater from roofs, driveways and other hard surfaces and allow it to soak into the ground. Stormwater runoff is one of the major sources of pollution in streams and lakes; rain gardens help reduce this source. This workshop will discuss how to determine placement, soil drainage, rain garden size and the types of native plants that are appropriate for Western New York. Participants will also be able to visit the Daemen Rain Garden Demonstration during the World on Your Plate Forum.

Brenda Young received her undergraduate degree in Biology from Miami University of Ohio, her Masters from University of Central Florida and PhD from the University of South Carolina. She did post-doctoral research with NATO in Plymouth, England, University of Minnesota, and University of Wisconsin. She is Associate Professor of Biology at Daemen College and completed a Certificate of Sustainable Design from Boston Architectural School.

DS 222 Bryce and Robin Shipman, “Raising Chickens.” This workshop will detail what an individual would need to know before deciding to raise his own chickens. Topics discussed will include the numerous benefits of raising chickens, how to build a shelter and a run, deciding what your chickens will be used for, choosing the type of chicken for you, the cost involved, the investment of time, the specific materials needed including food and water, the real possibility of selling eggs for profit, and local zoning ordinances. Portions of the course will be hands-on and a useful bibliography of resources will be made available. A question-and-answer period will follow this course. Bring your questions and your enthusiasm.

The Shipmans are a homeschooling family who succumbed to the desire to settle in the country and raise a few chickens.

DS 227 Eveline Hartz, “Genetically Modified Foods.” A discussion of genetic engineering, its effect on our health and steps for avoidance and change.

Eveline Hartz is a RN, BSN, with a background in oncology and Hospice. She has a keen interest in nutrition & how foods affect our body, mind and emotions.

DS 236 Mike and Gayle Thorpe, “Grains from Field to Plate.”

Mike & Gayle Thorpe have been married and farming for 27 years. Certified organic since 1999. Run a diversified farm with organic dairy, livestock, poultry, vegetables, berries & grains. They have an OCSA & farm market. Thorpe’s Farm, 12866 Route 78, East Aurora, NY 14052.

DS 240 Michelle Bennett Stieglitz and Minister Raymon Reed, “Living Foods.” Our workshop will focus on the motto of my organization, Urban Community Health Organization (UCHO), which is "life gives life.” We will address the need for "living foods" to achieve health, enzymes and the importance of the connection between living systems.

Michelle Bennett Stieglitz has worked with urban schools and not-for-profit organizations to develop healthy food policies for students. Her UCHO initiative was included in the Healthy Eating by Design pilot program at Bennett Park Montessori Center and later assisted in developing a farm-to-school curriculum- based toolkit. Michelle’s passion is in empowering under-served urban populations to achieve health and well-being. Her professional background includes working as an Urban Planner and as a contracts manager for local health systems. Currently she is directing her efforts to meet her goals through the Urban Community Health Organization.

Minister Raymon Reed runs Walking on Water Health Retreats in Rushford, NY.

DS 244 Kim Burg, “Fair Trade.” We will discuss the impact of fair trade crafts on the lives of women and children in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Kim Burg is manager of Ten Thousand Villages, a not-for-profit retail store marketing fairly traded handicrafts from around the world.

DS 248 Lisa Tucker and Christa Glennie Seychew, “The Impact of Locavores on the Community.” This interactive workshop will discuss the many ways eating local foods positively impacts our local WNY community. It will cite real examples and provide the audience with tools and information they can use after the workshop.

Lisa Tucker with Christa Glennie Seychew are co-founders of Field and Fork Network, which is a local non-profit dedicated to connecting area farmers and producers with local chefs and consumers. Tucker is also editor and publisher of Edible Buffalo magazine. Seychew also owns Feed Your Soul, a culinary events company which produces Nickel City Chef, does food tours for the public and trade associations, and is a long-time food writer in the Buffalo area.

Group B Workshops (10:30 – 11:30 a.m.)

DS 214 Ben Nazitto, “Magic Four Yoga Asanas.” These four yoga chair poses can fit any body type and are very convenient to practice, anywhere, anytime. They are very therapeutic and support any healing process.

Ben Nazitto is a licensed acupuncturist, herbologist, and registered yoga teacher.

DS 219 Kathy Christopher & Eveline Hartz, “Schools and Food: ‘Two Angry Moms’ (DVD).”

Kathy Christopher is Director of Nutrition for the Williamsville Public Schools; Eveline Hartz is a RN, BSN, & Certified Health Counselor with a background in oncology and Hospice. She has a keen interest in nutrition & how foods affect our body, mind and emotions.

DS 222 David Lanfear, “Straw-Bale Construction.” Come learn about the many advantages of straw-bale construction at this presentation by David Lanfear of Bale-on-Bale Construction. Mr. Lanfear will explain the history of, and rationale for, straw-bale construction. Using examples of local projects, he will step-by- step walk listeners through the construction of a state-of-the-art green home. David Lanfear is a local green builder. Inspired by the need for sustainable and healthy buildings, he has immersed himself in the world of natural and sustainable construction. Having built several straw-bale buildings locally, along with living roofs and solar hot water systems, Mr. Lanfear is constantly working to expand and improve techniques for green building.

DS 227 Elea Mihou Fox and Revieren Mfizi, "Planting Peace: Examining the Connections between Resource Scarcity, Land Use, Agriculture and Global Conflict." Elea Mihou Fox will present research on the roles that resource scarcity, land use and agriculture play in modern global conflicts. Revieren (“Revi”) will present research on the interconnection between warfare and resource scarcity, using Rwanda as a case-study. A discussion, Q & A session will follow.

Elea Mihou Fox is the Executive Director of the WNY Peace Center, a nonprofit based in Buffalo with a 42-year history of working for global justice. She is a graduate of UB where she earned a Masters of Urban Planning from the School of Architecture & Planning. Before moving to Buffalo she was a case-worker court advocate. Elea completed her undergraduate work at Northern Kentucky University, where she founded the school's first anti-racist, multiracial, student organization. She was heavily involved in student organizing and was named one of the top five student activists in the country by the Gleishman Foundation.

Reverien Mfizi is a survivor of the Rwandan genocide of 1994. He is a graduate student in the University at Buffalo's Department of Urban Planning and an intern at the WNY Peace Center.

DS 236 Tamer Osman, “Ethical Eating, Ethical Lifestyles: Islamic Perspectives on Food.” By providing a wholesome lifestyle where neither the soul nor body is neglected, education for children can address personal and social issues, their self-esteem and matters of discipline. The workshop will include a description of the work the Universal School does with the Urban Community Health Organization (Michelle Bennett Stieglitz) to set a standard for healthful breakfasts and lunches.

Tamer Osman is the Director of Islamic Studies at the Universal School of Buffalo, NY.

DS 240 J. Tim Vanini, “Safe Lawns.” This lecture will cover the basics of home lawn care; grasses and management practices. We will also delve into managing your lawn: "Anyway you want just to make it look GREEN" or "Implementing Organic and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Strategies.”

J. Tim Vanini, Ph.D. is a writer, speaker, turfgrass scientist, and co-inventor of a US Patent (5,622,002) for topdressing crumb rubber to natural turfgrass systems. He has worked and consulted on golf courses, sports fields, and lawns. Dr. Vanini studied Ornamental Horticulture at Cornell University (B.S.) and in Crop Science, Applied Turfgrass Science, Agronomy Journal and American Society for Testing Materials as well as SportsTurf and Golf Course Superintendent. He has spoken at regional and national conferences, and is currently teaching turfgrass management at Niagara County Community College. Also, Dr. Vanini is continuously researching the most up-to-date products and management strategies for sound environmental stewardship.

DS 244 Jordana Halpern Geist, “Raw Chocolate.” Learn about raw cacao--the ultimate diva of all beans--and one of the highest antioxidant whole foods known. Discover the incredible health benefits of chocolate and learn how to make delicious and healthy chocolate treats with raw cacao and natural sweeteners. Includes cooking demo, samplings of unique treats and take-home recipes.

Jordana Halpern Geist is a holistic health counselor and founder of Healthy Happy You. She has a BA in Journalism, certifications in Integrative Nutrition from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and Columbia University, Teacher's College. She is also a member of the American Association of Drugless Practitioners.

DS 248 Bill Jungels, “Broken Branches, Fallen Fruit.” This documentary witnesses the struggle of an extended Mayan family to survive the disappearance of agricultural work. Related mini-documentaries will analyze how agricultural policy related to NAFTA and neo-liberal economics has put many Mayan highlands of Chiapas (Southern Mexico) in a position where immigration for some members is the expected solution. Audience discussion will follow.

Bill Jungels is a documentarian and activist working with Latin American social justice topics and currently with the impact of neo-liberalism on indigenous families in Southern Mexico.

Group C Workshops (2:45 – 3:45 p.m.)

DS 214 Tim Bartlett, “Eating Well on a Budget.” In this workshop, we'll give you some ways that you can continue to eat delicious local, organic, and wholesome food during challenging economic times.  We'll cover creating smart shopping lists, making a budget and prioritizing your grocery dollars, tricks for avoiding the temptations we retailers throw at you, and lots more.  We hope you'll join us and bring tips of your own!

Tim Bartlett has been the General Manager of the Lexington Co-operative Market in Buffalo, NY since 1998.  Prior to working at the Co-op, Tim apprenticed on two organic farms and sold at farmers markets in the Washington DC area and at Union Square in NYC . Tim lives in the Elmwood neighborhood of Buffalo with his wife and two daughters.

DS 219 Turiya Mistretta, “Healing Foods – for Self and the Earth.” Discover how you & your family can live more healthfully, vibrantly, & sustainably! Includes a sampling of various treats: superfoods, local, organic, & wild (more SLOW foods!).

A certified herbalist and registered yoga teacher, Turiya’s holistic studies began at the Center for Well-Being & Creativity in Kiental, Switzerland. Evolving through various dietary studies, Turiya has been a vegan live foodist for over 7 years, working on the side as a raw chef. She is the co-founder of the Living Now Festival of Healing & Transformation (2003-2005) and has since been teaching at living food health seminars & retreats all over the U.S. and Canada. Her lifestyle & food choices are founded on a deep love for the earth, inspired in part by 2 years spent living in a teepee on a permaculture preserve in New Mexico & also while studying in Colorado & the Pacific Northwest. Locally, she co-founded Friends of the Ancient Forest and teaches with Earth Spirit Educational Services & occasionally as an Al Gore Climate Action presenter. Most recently, Turiya has been involved with retreats for women & girls, teaching yoga, nutrition, & nature immersion as a path to empowerment. She is presently launching her own business promoting this vibrant eco-living & more sustainable lifestyle. Her mission is to help others to achieve their optimal potential while living more harmoniously with the Earth.

DS 221 Mary Hughes, “Edible Medicinal Plants.” Learn how to identify local plants "with a purpose" and prepare simple dishes. Become familiar with remedies right in your own back yard. There will be hand-outs and samples.

Mary Hughes has worked as a naturalist for 25 years at Tifft Preserve and the Buffalo Museum of Science and continues to attend presentations to enhance her expertise. She has degrees in chemistry and biology.

DS 222 Ron Douglas and Lesley Haynes, “We Need Food Not Bombs” (DVD). The video concentrates on the current members of Buffalo Food Not Bombs and explores the history of the group. The documentary addresses the interrelations of war & poverty. It promotes non-violence through feeding people as an alternative to increased military spending.

Ron Douglas is a long-time Food not Bombs Activist and Basic Video instructor at the University at Buffalo; Lesley Haynes is a lifelong pacifist, community organizer, and social justice activist.

DS 227 Geri Hens, “No Bees, No Food.” Healthy bees and pollinating insects ensure the widespread availability and diversity of your food choices and they play a vital role in successful agriculture. What if there were no bees - what would we eat? Social commentary & discussion about the importance of insect pollination and agriculture, food decisions/production/distribution/, land use issues, habitat loss and ecosystem collapse - how it impacts food on your table. Why should you care? What you can do about keeping pollinators healthy? How the decisions you make impact the health of bees and your food choices.

Geri Hens of Hens Honey Bee Farm operates a successful organic apicultural operation. She is one of two NYS Raw Organic Nature Wildflower and Tree Varietal Honey producers. Geri is a Pride of New York producer and is Vice- President of the WNY Honey Producers and the "bee" person at Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) - Niagara County.

DS 236 Diane D’Arrigo and Maria Maybee, “Water/West Valley Nuclear Waste Upstream and Leaking.” NOW might be our last chance to force the government to DIG IT UP before long-lasting, deadly nuclear power and weapons waste made in the 1960s and 70s leaks into our water. Buried in unlined ditches and holes 20- to 50-feet deep and in single-shelled tanks, still lurking, already leaking, inadequate monitoring, recent major floods, serious erosion toward the buried waste, cut by streams draining into Cattaraugus Creek flowing through the Seneca reservation, gushing into Lake Erie above Buffalo and Erie County water intakes. Independent scientists predict hundreds of cancers and escalating costs if we don’t start FULL cleanup right away. Despite state and federal legal, financial negotiations the public must force common sense to prevail. Join the West Valley Action Network campaigns and help brainstorm more!

Diane D'Arrigo is Radioactive Waste Project Director for Nuclear Information and Resource Service and on the Sierra Club Nuclear Issues Team. She’s been tracking the West Valley nuclear waste site since 1979 when she joined the Coalition on West Valley Nuclear Wastes and has worked at NYPIRG, Citizens Alliance, Great Lakes Labs at Buff State, Ecology and Environment and for the Sierra Club Radioactive Waste Campaign. Maria Maybee is a long-time environmental activist and member of the Seneca Nation. She is deeply concerned about the West Valley nuclear site and the Peter Cooper hazardous waste site which drain into the Cattaraugus Creek, which runs through the Seneca Nation of Indians reservation. In spring of 2008 Maria organized a 13- mile walk along the creek to Heal the Waters.

DS 240 Dave Lanfear, “Living Roofs.” Living roofs, or green roofs, are an exciting option to the same old hot dirty asphalt now covering most roofs. A properly designed living roof will double the life of the roof, reduce heat on a property, increase greenspace, reduce storm runoff and more. David Lanfear will explain the mechanics and rationale of living roofs in a conversational presentation including examples of local projects.

David Lanfear is a local green builder. Inspired by the need for sustainable and healthy buildings he has immersed himself in the world of natural and sustainable construction. Having built several straw-bale buildings locally, along with living roofs and solar hot water systems, Mr. Lanfear is constantly working to expand and improve techniques for green building.

DS 244 Samina Raja and Susannah Barton, “Community Gardens.” Community gardens are communal, green open spaces where residents gather together to garden; they reflect people’s commitment to their community. Despite the fact that community gardens have existed in the United States for many years, they are relative newcomers to the realm of public policy and urban planning. Many municipalities, including Buffalo, have not addressed community gardens in their policies, plans and ordinances, which jeopardizes efforts to transform and stabilize neighborhoods. With an abundance of vacant land, the City of Buffalo is in a unique position to develop a comprehensive approach to plan for community gardens and become a leader in neighborhood revitalization and community development. This workshop will present the findings of the “Queen City Gardens Plan,” developed as part of a graduate course in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the University at Buffalo.

Samina Raja is an Associate Professor in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at UB. She earned her doctorate on the University of Wisconsin at Madison and has won many awards & honors—most noted is her award-winning plan Food for Growth: A Community Food System Plan for Buffalo’s West Side, produced for MAP and featured by the Hunger Action Network of NYS in 2004. Susannah Barton is completing her final semester of graduate school at UB where she is pursuing a Masters of Urban Planning (MUP). As part of her studies, Susannah spent ten weeks in the summer of 2008 in Monteverde, Costa Rica, where she studied sustainable development in a small, mountaintop community struggling with the cultural and environmental effects of tourism. She was also part of Professor Raja’s class which produced the “Queen City Gardens Report” for the City of Buffalo. Susannah has continued her work to improve the regulatory framework for community gardens in Buffalo as a member of the City of Buffalo’s Community Garden Task Force. Susannah has focused specifically on local, community-based food systems as an intern for both the Massachusetts Avenue Project’s (MAP) Mobile Market program and the Elmwood-Bidwell Farmers Market.

DS 248 Nan and Walter Simpson, “Food and Climate Change.” We are facing the most challenging and potentially devastating environmental crisis in history. How does diet help or hurt? Can we eat ethically and ecologically? This workshop will explore how our food choices affect climate change. A recent United Nations report states that animal agriculture contributes more green-house gases to the atmosphere than does automobile use although diet is rarely mentioned when climate change solutions are being discussed. We will explain how animal agriculture impacts fossil fuel use and carbon emissions and discuss the benefits of eating locally, organically, and lower on the food chain.

Nan is a Registered Nurse and health & wellness advocate. Walter is an energy and environmental professional. Both have been vegetarians for thirty years, trained by Al Gore and his Climate Project, co-founders of the WNY Climate Action Coalition and former WNY Peace Center staff.