2^nd Annual

Local and Sustainable Foods Conference at Unity Centre for the Performing Arts on March 31

Unity, Maine – March, 2007 –  Unity College is pleased to announce the 2^nd Annual Local and Sustainable Foods Conference at the Unity Centre for the Performing Arts on Saturday, March 31 from 10 a.m. and concluding with a dinner of foods harvested locally from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., immediately followed by a performance featuring local musicians.

    The conference is an all day open-house event featuring information offered by groups working on food issues in Maine, local food, speakers, forums, and workshops geared toward creating local solutions to food-related issues. 

    Suggested donation is $15 for the conference and $10 for dinner, though no one will be turned away for lack of funds. Donations of non-perishable foods are welcome. Diners are encouraged to bring their own bowls, plates and utensils for lunch.  Registration is not required but encouraged.  To register visit foodformainesfuture.org, or call Terra at the Healthy Schools Initiative 207.692.2571 or 1.888.874.3593 toll free, or by e-mail at Terra@healthyschoolsinitiative.org.  Biotech industry representatives are required to register prior to the day of the event.

     Presentations will include homesteading, living and eating within a 25 mile radius, growing and preserving food in rural and urban areas, healthier food in schools, seed saving, permaculture and buying locally, among other topics.  The conference will also focus on the importance of preserving biodiversity and how mono culture and genetic engineering are a threat to biodiversity.

     The conference is presented by Food for Maine’s Future, Unity Barn Raisers, the Healthy Schools Initiative, The Good Life Center, and the Unity College Garden Club.

     Additional details and a list of presenters is available online at http://www.unity.edu/conference.07.asp.

     The Unity Centre for the Performing Arts is located at 42 Depot Street (off Route 202) in Unity, Maine.  March begins the Celtic theme series of concerts.

    Unity College is a small private college in rural Maine that provides dedicated, engaged students with a liberal arts education which emphasizes the environment and natural resources.  Unity College graduates are prepared to be environmental stewards, effective leaders, and responsible citizens through active learning experiences within a supportive community.