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If there’s one word I’d use to describe the programming Food Tank is bringing to Ireland and the U.K. next week, it’s storytelling. Next week is London Climate Action Week, and I believe storytelling is a critical component of taking action in the food system.
Sharing and listening to stories brings people together, illuminates the world around us, and helps us see the impact of high-level policy decisions and business strategies on a deeply personal level. But a good—or great—story does more than just convey facts. The emotion, excitement and, contagious passion of folks deeply telling their own stories is what can truly move us to transformative action!
Next Monday, June 22, is the sold-out Dublin premiere of Food Tank’s debut original documentary short “Voices of Irish Farmers: A Love Story,” at 6PM at the Light House Cinema in partnership with Kinisla. More info is HERE.
Alongside a screening of the short, which showcases exactly the kinds of deep personal stories I’m talking about, we’ll be joined by some amazing speakers including David Cooney, Kinisla; Minister Timmy Dooley, government of Ireland (via video); Ailbhe Gerrard, farmer in County Tipperary; Sophie Bell, farmer in County Cavan; Carina Roseingrave, farmer in County Clare; Stephen Flynn and Darragh Flynn, The Happy Pear Farm; Haven Worley, “Voices of Irish Farmers” director; and amazing musicians Seánie Bermingham, Reylta, Louis Younge, and Ruairi Forde.
Then we’ll head to London, where our programming during London Climate Action Week continues on Wednesday, June 24, with “Voices of Farmers: Putting Finance on the Table,” an immersive sold-out dinner featuring farmers’ love stories from the land in partnership with EIT Food and EDF.
With farmer storytellers William Sanders, Sophie Bell, and Carina Roseingrave, and musician and composer Alice Boyd, we’ll also be joined by Richard Zaltzman, EIT Food; Britt Groosman, Environmental Defense Fund; Elvira Domingo Varona, EIT Food; Stephanie Speck, Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT; Marie-Agnès Joujean, World Bank; Rowan Douglas, Howden Insurance; Selena Ahmed, Periodic Table of Food Initiative; Claus Felby, Novo Nordisk Foundation; Oluwaseun Adekugbe, Thousand Currents; Gonzalo Muñoz, Ambition Loop; and more still to be announced!
Then, we’re heading to Google London–Central Saint Giles for our sold-out 3rd Annual Food Tank Chief Sustainability Officer and Food Systems Funders Summit at London Climate Action Week, on Thursday, June 25, in partnership with Google Cloud, Compass Group, the United Nations Environment Programme, PAI, Landscape Alliance, Kinisla, Tapestry Foundation, Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT, WWF, Strong Roots and the Institute of Food Technologists. More details about the Summit are HERE. And if you can’t join us in person, you can tune in online by catching the live stream at FoodTank.com!
More than 250 high-level leaders across food businesses, philanthropic foundations, and influential corporations will join discussions spearheaded by a group of speakers including Kasia Faber, Google; Helen Clarkson, Climate Group; Nick Mabey, London Climate Action Week Steering Group; Hongpeng Lei, UN Environment Programme; Samed Agirbas, COP31 High Level Climate Champion; Jade Hoai, Whole Foods Market UK; Daniella Vega, Ahold Delhaize; Una Hrnjak, ALDI South Group; Minister Timmy Dooley, Ireland; Richard Chute, Kinisla; Emma Curtis, Strong Roots; Fernando Bellese, WWF; Blake Harris, Institute of Food Technologists; Blade Brink, Wholechain; Nabeeha Kazi Hutchins, PAI; Dorothy Shaver, Unilever; Bianca Brown, Edelman; Dr. Éliane Ubalijoro, Landscape Alliance; Kaushik Kappagantulu, Kheyti; Myriam Sidibé, Brands on a Mission; Helmy Abouleish, SEKEM; Marcela Quintero, Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT; Stephanie Speck, Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT; Matthew Hewitt, BNP Paribas; Chris Adamo, Danone; Pierrick Poulenas, Picterra; Caitlin Leibert, Amazon Grocery and Whole Foods Market; Kevin Watson, Levy UK; Clémence Laudren, Accor; Holly Letch, JKS Restaurants; Charlie Hudson, Compass Group; farmers Ailbhe Gerrard, Sophie Bell, and Carina Roseingrave; songwriter and performer Felix Hagan; and more.
Wherever you are in the world, whether you can join us in person or virtually, storytelling is one way we can all be part of transforming our food and agriculture systems and climate action! I’m so excited to be able to hear and share stories from so many leaders on the front lines—and, hopefully, to encourage even more folks to tell their own action-oriented stories, too.
And storytelling is just as powerful in one-on-one conversations as it is in front of large audiences, so let’s kick things off here.
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Photo courtesy of Evan Rally, Unsplash
