Taking Our Work to Taste of Climate Week NYC
Food is often left out of climate discussions, but this year, it was front and center for a whole week at Climate Week NYC.
On September 21, our founder and executive director, Judith Desire, joined a panel at the Taste of Climate Week NYC launch party at Le Botaniste in Penn Plaza. The event, organized by Planted Society, started a week of eco-friendly specials at Midtown restaurants. Over 350 people registered, and some had to be turned away because it was so popular.
The panel
The panel talked about how to make climate-friendly eating easier for everyone in New York City. Judith was joined by two other leaders who are working toward that goal in different ways:
- Eloísa Trinidad, Executive Director of Chilis on Wheels and Co-Creator of the Plant-Powered School Meals Coalition.
- Lauren Drumgold, Policy Advisor at the NYC Mayor’s Office of Food Policy, who works on food access and health, including the city’s chronic disease prevention strategy and public-private partnerships that expand New Yorkers’ purchasing power.
Judith also spoke about Uptown & Boogie Healthy Project and shared our future plans.
What the organizers took away
Britty Mann, Executive Director of Planted Society, shared three main lessons from the event. First, we cannot solve the climate crisis without improving the food system, so food needs to be part of more climate talks. Second, this work is a team effort, so we should connect with others and ask for support. Third, people are at the heart of this work. People want good food, and our goals should go beyond just serving meals or cutting emissions.
These ideas reflect our approach in Harlem and the Bronx. We run farmers markets that accept SNAP/EBT, a CSA, a greenhouse, Kwizin Cuisine, and internship programs that help young people start careers in food and agriculture. Each of these programs was created based on what our neighbors said they needed.
Thank you
Thank you to Britty Mann and the Planted Society team, NYC Lead Organizer Danah Davis, our hosts at Le Botaniste, the NYC Mayor’s Office of Food Policy, Climate Group, Beyond Meat, and all the participating restaurants for making the first Taste of Climate Week happen. We also appreciate Eloísa and Lauren for joining us on stage.
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