TEDxManhattan ‘Changing the Way We Eat,’ organized by Change Food, brings together thought leaders to discuss how we can create a healthy, sustainable food system that is just for all.
On March 7, TEDxManhattan celebrates its fifth anniversary, and Food Tank is thrilled to be a part of it. This event has brought together more than 1,000 change makers, innovators, and experts for live talks, networking, and celebrating sustainable food and farming. Since 2010, 75 speakers have discussed world-changing ideas at TEDxManhattan, and their talks have been viewed more than 6.1 million times online.
Talks in the past have focused on everything from the economics of food, to great tomatoes, to changing the way children eat. In 2011, Brian Halweil, Food Tank board member, editor of Edible East End, and co-publisher of Edible Brooklyn and Edible Manhattan said during his presentation, “what we eat is not the problem; it is the solution.”
In 2013, Chef Ann Cooper said, during her presentation on school lunches, “It should be a birthright in our country that every child, every single child, has healthy, delicious food in school, and that no child in our country is hungry ever again.”
Last year, Tom Colicchio, celebrity chef and founder of Food Policy Action said, “We’re going to send a clear message to Congress that we’re organized, we’re viable, we’re strong, and yes we have a food movement and it’s coming for you.”
This year, viewers can expect discussions on family farming, organic food, local food distribution, and ugly vegetables.
I will be focusing on the importance women farmers in my talk entitled, “Cultivating Equality in the Food System.”
“The only way we’re going to change the food system is if we do it together,” said Hatz. “And TEDxManhattan brings together people from all parts of the food world to learn, share, and inspire.”
Speakers and talk topics include:
Nikiko Masumoto – Legacy of three generations of Japanese American family farmers. Masumoto is a farmer on the Masumoto Family Farm and co-author of The Perfect Peach.
Anim Steel – Food justice. Steel is Executive Director and co-founder of the Real Food Challenge.
Ali Partovi – What’s the real reason organic food costs more? Partovi is an angel investor who has worked with Dropbox and Facebook and co-founded LinkExchange, iLike, and Code.org.
Stephen Reily – How do cities build platforms to help the local food economy achieve sustainability and scale? Reily is an attorney, entrepreneur, civic leader, and founder of Seed Capital Kentucky.
Michele Merkel – What is legal is not always right – fighting for justice in rural America. Merkel is the co-director of Food & Water Justice, the legal arm of Food & Water Watch.
Marcel Van Ooyen – Scaling up local food distribution to take it from niche to mainstream. Van Ooyen is the Executive Director of GrowNYC and former Legislative Director for the New York City Council.
Robert Graham – Teaching doctors about the importance of food to health. Graham is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Integrative and Holistic Medicine.
Stefanie Sacks – How small changes in eating can make big differences. Sacks is a culinary nutritionist, author, radio show host, educator, speaker and consultant.
Joel Berg – The only real way to end hunger in America. Berg is Executive Director of the New York City Coalition Against Hunger and a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress.
Dana Cowin – The power of ugly vegetables. Why ugly, bruised vegetables are the future of food. Cowin has been Food & Wine’s editor in chief since 1995 and oversees the Food & Wine brand.
DJ Cavem – Health education through art and hip hop music. DJ Cavem is an international recording artist and 2014 Music Educator Award Grammy Nominee. He is the founder of Going Green Living Bling and Eco-HipHop.
Henry Hargreaves – How end-of-the-world doomsday preppers are thinking about their food. Hargreaves is a New York City based photographer and artist.
Shen Tong – The impact of venture capital money and investment dollars in the food system. Tong is a serial entrepreneur, angel investor, foodie, social activist, and writer. He founded Food-X, a food-business accelerator.
Kendra Kimbirauskas – The rift between the good food movement and the explosion of factory farms in the U.S.
Kimbirauskas founded the group, Friends of Family Farmers, operates a farm in Oregon, and serves as Chief Executive Officer of Socially Responsible Agriculture Project (SRAP).
Danielle Nierenberg – Why the food system will fall apart without women farmers. Nierenberg is a food and agriculture expert and president of Food Tank.
Danny Meyer – Fine dining and chain restaurants – the evolvement and overlap of the two. Meyer is the CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group.
Debra Eschmeyer – Executive Director of Let’s Move! and Senior Policy Advisor for Nutrition Policy at The White House.
“It is such a privilege to bring together this inspiring group of luminaries who are working tirelessly to improve the global food system,” stated Hatz. “While TEDxManhattan happens on a single day, the event energizes people who care about food to take action year-round.”
The entire day will be livestreamed on Saturday, March 7 from 10:30am-6:00pm EST. Listeners can tune in via live broadcast on the Food Tank website, HERE or sign up to receive a reminder HERE. Last year there were 150 viewing parties around the world, SIGN UP to host your own or check out the MAP for viewing parties near you!
