|
In My View
Gubernatorial Debate
Our Environment • Our Food
By George Schenk
Why a Gubernatorial
Debate?
Like a lot of other
people I followed the presidential primaries
with a level of interest that surprised me.
Maybe it was the historic nature of the
candidates, the closeness of the races, or
the extraordinary voter turn out that moved
me, but more than these I came to feel that
we are a society at a crossroads: that much
of the conventional wisdom that has guided
the country's growth and development since
the Second World War is being challenged by
new technologies and environmental
limitations.
As this is true for
the nation and the world, it is also true
for our state and our communities. Vermont
is rich in culture and has many natural
resources – not least of which is the thing
we seem to talk about most – our weather –
but like everywhere, we have our share of
difficulties, and things that are simply not
serving us well.
In my view, the
dominant food system is not serving
Vermonters or our environment in the ways
that it could, and I believe, ultimately
needs to.
Food, in all of its
various forms, is the largest business on
the planet. Its production, processing and
distribution has the largest impact on our
environment of any other human activity, and
it is, along with air, water, shelter,
clothing and love, common and elementary to
us all. Yet despite its central role in the
human experience and its profound effect on
the earth, it is a subject that historically
we have infrequently talked about in our
highest political conversations.
For a long time it
didn't seem to matter. American farmers
always produced enough to keep our shelves
full and prices low. We worried about the
high rate of failure of small family farms
but felt helpless to do much about it in the
face of inexorable market forces. It was the
price of progress.
This was the logic
for our political silence of the past.
Today there is a new
food imperative with a new food
conversation. It is a conversation with
questions that will not go away and demand
our thoughtful consideration. Why does so
much of our food that could be grown and
raised here come from so far away? What do
residues of pesticides, growth hormones and
antibiotics; the genetics of GMO's and
cloned meats; and the technology of
irradiation mean to our health, the health
of our children and the health of our
environment? Do consumers have the right to
know what's in their food and how it has
been treated? How will the next generation
of farmers afford the land they need? What
kind of food should we have in our public
schools? In our hospitals and nursing homes?
Could better food be a tool to improve
behavior in our prisons? How do we relieve
hunger and provide for basic food security
for all Vermonters? Is good clean wholesome
food only something the rich can afford? Who
is responsible for GMO pollen drift that
contaminates organic crops? How do Vermont
dairy farmers compete in a global market?
Can we produce the food we need in greater
harmony with the environment we live in?
Together, these
questions and others illuminate the central
question: How will we feed one another?
Directly or indirectly, we are all in the
business of food. We are in this together,
and it will be together that we will best
find ways to create meaningful food that
nurtures our health, that promotes the well
being of our communities, and that
safeguards our environment for the
generations to follow.
To help advance this
important conversation and to inform the
voters of Vermont on the positions of the
candidates for Governor concerning the
environment and agriculture and food policy
American Flatbread is honored to co-host
with the Vermont Natural Resource Council (VNRC)
and the Vermont Localvores the first
Gubernatorial Debate of 2008 at Lareau Farm
Sunday July 20th at 5 p.m. The moderator
will be the Pulitzer prize editor of the
Rutland Herald, David Moats. The debate is
free and open to the public; all are
welcome. Immediately following the debate
there will be a Flatbread picnic in the
pavilion with live jazz and free Ben and
Jerry’s ice cream. Please carpool.
A Note on Political Bias.
By any objective
measure American Flatbread, or maybe more
fairly, I, tend to fall left of center on
most political subjects. My intention in
hosting this Gubernatorial Debate is not to
promote or support any one candidate or
conversely, set up for failure, embarrass or
in any way personally attack or put down an
individual candidate. My intention is to
facilitate a conversation on subjects that
are important to Vermont. Although I may
from time to time disagree with specific
policies or priorities, I observe that
Vermont is blessed with elected officials
and civil servants who are professional,
conscientious, ethical and have a great
affection for this land we call home, and
for the people we call our neighbors.
An event like this
is the work of many people; thanks to all
who have helped coordinate this debate.
George Schenk
Founder, CEO
American Flatbread |
