Help send Jim Embry to Terra Madre/Salone del Gusto in Torino, Italy.
Embry Terra Madre Promo Letter
Donate today
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I have been selected as a USA
delegate to the Slow Food gathering in Italy. Help me cover my travel costs!
I
am very excited about this opportunity to learn from the Terra Madre delegates
about how to expand the good food revolution and then share this experience
with my community back home in Kentucky!
Greetings Dear Friends!
My name is Jim Embry and I have been
selected to serve as a USA delegate at Slow Food's Terra Madre and Salone del Gusto
conference in Torino, Italy. Wow! What an honor this is as well as a grand opportunity
for building international relationships. As a delegate I will meet people from130
countries throughout the world who are passionate about and committed to
sustainable agriculture, cultural preservation and good, clean and fair food for
all. When I return home to Richmond, Kentucky I will share my experience with
my community and continue the work of building the good food revolution here in
the USA.
My goals are to engage in at least
25 community outreach efforts… such as speaking engagements, photo exhibits,
house parties…before I go and after I return to share the Slow Food story and
the remarkable Terra Madre experience. I already have speaking engagements lined
up at universities, community colleges and coffee shops.
Who I am?
Two years ago I moved from Lexington
to Richmond to live on a small family farm next to my 90 year old Aunt. I have
planted a fruit orchard, a large patch of wild flowers, native plants and
sunflowers for the pollinators and have a large garden of all kinds of goodies.
Since 2006 serving as the founder/director of Sustainable Communities Network (sustainlex.org),
I have helped start 40+ community gardens, trained 400 teachers to create
school gardens, organized annual local food summits and community garden tours,
served on our local climate action plan team and the national planning
committee for the Growing Food and Justice Gathering. My passion however is providing
gardening, cooking and nutrition support to various women’s groups that serve
women at risk. I work with women who are healing from domestic violence abuse, drug
and alcohol addiction, homelessness, as well as provide support for teen
mothers and their children. In 1972 I was
a founding member of our local food cooperative, so I have been working on the
joy and justice of this good food revolution for a long time.
I
Need Your Support With Travel Expenses
Your
support will help send me to the conference in Turin, Italy. In return, I will
share Kentucky’s vibrant Slow Food culture with international audiences and
bring back knowledge gathered from folks around the world.
As a delegate my housing and entry
to the Terra Madre event are already paid for, but I need help with the other
travel expenses. I will be attending this amazing event, but also spending time
after in northern Italy visiting schools, farms and cooperatives to gain knowledge
which I can bring back to my community. Your donations will help cover my air
fare and expenses of extended stay in Italy which total about $2500.
Before I go and after I return, I
will be sharing the message of the global sustainable food movement and my
Terra Madre experiences with my community, neighbors, co-workers, friends and
families. All contributors will be invited to a presentation of my travels upon
my return, and each one will receive a thoughtful “thank you” gift that
represents my experiences in Italy.
What
is Slow Food?
Slow Food is a non-profit,
grassroots membership organization that was founded in Italy in 1986 as a response
to fast food and fast-food culture. It has grown into an international
organization with more than 150,000 members in 150 countries. Slow Food
strives to link the pleasures of the table with a commitment to protect the
community, culture, knowledge and environment that make this pleasure possible.
Kentucky has a three active Slow
Food chapters, Slow Food Bluegrass, Slow Food Lexington and Slow Food UK. In
addition, our state has a Kentucky Proud program and a robust community of
support for sustainable agriculture, good food and independent, local family
farmers.
When my 90 year old aunt asked me “Jimmy you are
going to Italy…well what is slow food?” I responded and said “Aunt Bessie, slow
food is what you have been doing as a small farmer your entire life!”
Other Ways to Provide Support
I know that some of you might want
to help financially but cannot do so at this time, and I appreciate that! But
consider these other ways to support my efforts to bring the Terra Madre experience
back home to Kentucky and the USA. After the Terra Madre gathering, I will be
visiting local farms, schools and businesses near Torino to maximize my
learning experience which I will share when I return home. My goal is to engage
in at least 25 community outreach activities designed to share my Terra Madre
experience with others, fulfill my responsibility as a delegate and continue to
build on the joy
and justice of good,
clean and fair food in my local
community. Here is how you can help:
·
Speaking
engagements: Please invite me to speak at
schools, universities, faith congregations, community groups, restaurants,
civic clubs, or conferences. I already have speaking engagements lined up at
Somerset Community College and the University of Kentucky.
·
House
Party: Organize a house party or
fundraising dinner before I go(10/21) to Italy, or after I return (11/2). I
would show pictures of my trip, talk about Terra Madre and the local food
movement.
·
Photo Exhibits: Help me organize exhibits of my Terra Madre photos at galleries, libraries
or schools in your community.
·
Social Media:
Please feel free to share my campaign through your social media connections.
·
Watch this video:
2014 Salone del Gusto/Terra Madre Pre-view and share with friends
·
Be
Creative: and
come up with other ways that you can contribute to this experience of bringing
Terra Madre-Salone del Gusto and the international sustainable food movement
home to Kentucky and the USA!
Please use the Indiegogo share tools to help spread
the word about my campaign!
With lots of love
and hugs!
Jim Embry
sustainlex.org Director Jim Embry featured on KET Kentucky Life show:
KET’s-Kentucky Life with Jim Embry.
National- International Urbarn & Small Farm Conference
"Building a Fair Food Economy to Grow Healthy People"
Request for Workshop Proposals
|
Application Deadline: May 1, 2014
|
Growing Power is proud to announce its request for
proposals for workshop presentations. We look forward to hosting another
stellar conference with workshops that will focus on the 2014
conference theme
"Building a Fair Food Economy to Grow Healthy People."
This conference will showcase the best practices and principles in
sustainable agriculture that have been developed to date and the
innovations underway that will grow a healthier tomorrow.
W
