Next Program:

Gus Schumacher on Prescription Vegetables, Feb. 22, 12:30, JALSA Office, 18 Tremont Street, Suite 320, Boston.

Innovative, Collaborative Initiatives for Food Justice

Jan. 28,  JALSA’s Environmental Justice Task Force heard from Lisa Gross, discussing the organization of a “Boston Tree Party”, a collaborative campaign to plant 100 pairs of heirloom apple trees across Greater Boston in partnership with hospitals, schools, businesses, community groups, nonprofits, and faith communities.  The project is designed to develop collaborative working relationships between groups as they care for their “pair of apple trees.”

The Task Force first heard from Karen Spiller, Project Director, Boston Collaborative for Food and Fitness, learning about a multitude of programs throughout Boston working to ensure that all communities have access to fresh foods and trainings to develop healthy eating patterns.  Many of these programs have opportunity for future  JALSA collaboration and we’ll be writing about these in more length.

Boston’s New Director of Food Policy Describes Initiatives at JALSA Meeting

Edith Murnane, the City of Boston’s first Director of Food Policy, was our guest speaker at a joint meeting on October 29, 2010 of JALSA’s Environmental Justice Committee and CLSA.  Murnane shared information on the goals of her office and a variety of initiatives in which she and the city are involved.    All projects of the Food Policy Director, said Murnane, are related to one or more of three areas: hunger, health or economic opportunity. A key concern is “food insecurity” in parts of Boston. A loose definition of food insecurity is residents not having food available, for various reasons, to prepare a meal at home.

Promoting Urban Agriculture is an important theme. Murnane said that an RFP for Urban Agriculture Projects has been issued for 4 parcels of city-controlled land. Proposals must respond in some way to the goal of reducing hunger and increasing access to healthy foods for residents.

Environmental Justice Committee Co-Chairs Rick Reibstein and Erica Mattison at left, with Edith Murane at right.

As Food Policy Director, Murnane works in collaboration with the Boston Public Health Commission. She described the BPHC’s Healthy Corner Store program, which works toward the stocking of healthy foods at small stores, focusing currently on East Boston and Mattapan in particular.

Murnane participates in the Boston Food Council which was established in 2008 by Mayor Menino to ensure access to healthy food and expand local food sources for the residents and businesses of Boston and the region. The Council also looks at ways to reduce hunger in Boston. Murnane believes we need to change the way people think about and engage with food –obtaining healthy food and cooking healthy meals. We need to relearn some things that we have lost culturally. She discussed how current regulations say that you can’t sell fish at farmer’s markets in Boston due to supposed health risks. This is being re-examined.

Edith distributed posters for the Mayor’s “Boston Can Share” Campaign.

Boston is a leader in making fresh food at Framer’s Markets available to people using food stamps (EBT cards).

With regard to initiatives involving schools, healthy cooking classes are currently offered to Boston students at a few public schools in the Mattapan and Roxbury-Dorchester areas and they are well received. The “Breakfast After the Bell” program allows Boston Public Schools students who arrive just in time for their first class to grab a breakfast bag and eat during their first class, so that they will not need to go on an empty stomach until lunchtime. This program is in a few schools now and they hope to find funding to expand it.

Flyer for Mayor Menino’s “Boston Can Share” program handed out by Edith Murnane.

Co-chairs: Erica Mattison and Rick Reibstein

The Environmental Justice (EJ) Task Force was founded because environmental threats are important issues of social justice and urban development. We have a very wide view of our scope.  EJ has traditionally been viewed as pertaining to addressing disparate impacts – excessive pollution in poorer areas, polluters taking advantage of dis-empowered populations to site dangerous activities.  Our meetings have focused on this issue in general, such as discussing options for strategic enforcement with state officials, and in specific ways, such as accelerating progress in childhood lead poisoning prevention.  But the committee has also looked towards positive, green development of impacted areas, such as creating access to local, organic foods in inner cities and creating access to new green jobs for disadvantaged youth.  In all of our meetings we have sought to foster collaboration among key parties.

We hope you will join us in working collaboratively to end environmental injustices and promote the development of greener, safer, more beautiful communities for everyone.