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INSPIRE Speaker Series: Food for Big Thoughts
Phipps Conservatory & Botanical Gardens, Inc.
March 14, 2013
5:30 pm - 8:30 pm

Join us for the sixth session of the INSPIRE Speaker Series with national sensation, Stephen Ritz, local expert, Alice Julier, Let's Move! Pittsburgh, GROW Pittsburgh, and Food Revolution Pittsburgh!

Program Overview

FOOD FOR BIG THOUGHTS: EAT & LIVE HEALTHY

"Students shouldn't have to leave their community to live, learn and earn in a better one." Stephen Ritz

We have long anticipated this edition of our Inspire Speakers Series. It's all about FOOD! That is, it's about healthy food and healthy living in our homes, schools, businesses, and communities. Everyone - including parents, elected officials at all levels of government, schools, health care professionals, nonprofit and community-based organizations, and businesses - has a role to play in creating healthy and sustainable places by supporting access to affordable and nutritious food.

Access to healthy, affordable food in our schools: 95% of children attend school every day. Many children consume at least half of their daily calories at school. Food served at school may be the only food that many children eat regularly. More than 31 million children participate in the National School Lunch Program, and more than 12 million children participate in the School Breakfast Program. Serving healthy, nutritious food is more important than ever!

Access to healthy, affordable food in our communities: More than 23 million Americans, including 6.5 million children, live in low-income urban and rural neighborhoods that are considered "food deserts" - communities that are more than a mile away from a supermarket with limited access to affordable, nutritious food. A recent 2008 study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture showed that an estimated 49.1 million people, including 16.7 million children, lived in households that experienced food insecurity multiple times throughout the year.

National guest Stephen Ritz and his students have had a huge impact on their local community of the South Bronx, including:

• Growing enough healthy, local produce to feed 450 South Bronx students


• Funding and creating over 2,200 youth jobs with a living wage


• Increasing school attendance for his students from 40% to 93%


• Rooting the school's green initiatives in literacy and common core standards in order to help all students graduate high school and be fully prepared to enter college and pursue post-secondary training

Stephen and his students will share their adventures and explain how we can make changes in the places where we live, work, learn and play. Check out his TED Talk to see what's in store. And check out some photos of the Green Bronx Machine in action here.

Local guest Alice Julier, Associate Professor & Director of the Graduate Program in Food Studies at Chatham University, will speak about how today's food systems - from agriculture to cuisine - create both problems and opportunities for different communities. The demand for appropriate, accessible, and affordable food is the result of many factors, including the understanding from many communities that food is a way to add vitality and health to a community. The local food system plays an integral role in sustainability, allowing communities to sustain themselves.

The event will also feature several local organizations and initiatives, including Let's Move! Pittsburgh, GROW Pittsburgh, and Food Revolution Pittsburgh.

Learn more about Let's Move! Pittsburgh, a collaborative of organizations, parents, and caregivers in southwestern Pennsylvania committed to leading children in our region toward a healthier future. Inspired by First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! campaign to curb childhood obesity through raised awareness about the benefits of healthy foods, decreased screen time and increased physical activity for children, the collaboration led by Phipps Conservatory & Botanical Gardens aims to put solutions to this national problem locally.

"The physical and emotional health of an entire generation and the economic health and security of our nation is at stake." First Lady Michelle Obama at the Let's Move! launch, February, 2010

GROW Pittsburgh, a local urban agriculture nonprofit, seeks to demonstrate, teach and promote responsible urban food production. The organization believes access to locally-grown, chemical-free fruits and vegetables is a right, not a privilege. They envision the day when growing and eating this food is commonplace.

JOIN US for the INSPIRE Speakers After Party and Dinner at the Porch at Schenley! Enjoy networking and a delicious local, healthy dinner for only $20. Register here.

Event Sponsors:
Event Partners:
Scholarship Sponsor:

Students, teachers, and community members are encouraged to attend! For scholarship information, please contact Jenna Cramer.

If you are registering more than one person, choose the "Group Registration."

>> Members of Phipps Conservatory & Botanical Gardens, GROW Pittsburgh, East End Food Co-op and the Tri-State Area School Study Council receive the member partner rate for registration.

Group Registration Fee (Non-member): $45.00

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