Conservation & Environment Advisory Committee

Village Hall 507 Ashford Ave.

Feeding People in a Time of Climate Change Presentation by Lori Fontanes

Description:Climate change is already here, but the industrial food system that depends on those states is both wasteful and not the healthiest way to feed people. So will climate change finally force us to create new strategies for growing and distributing better yet affordable food? How can we change our personal eating habits to help reduce waste and emissions from seed to store to table? Does recycling really work? Do "plant-based” alternatives help or hurt? What can we do in New York State now to prepare for the coming effects of climate crisis on agriculture? This presentation offers a radical look at the relationship of climate and food and includes practical advice on eating better for planet *and* people. 

About Lori Fontanes Writer/community advocate Lori Fontanes raised ducks, plants and a daughter on a 1/4-acre property in Westchester County. Her work on agriculture and the environment has appeared in publications such as BackyardPoultry, Countryside, Acres, Grit and EcoWatch. She currently serves as Vice-Chair of the City of Rye Conservation Commission/Advisory Committee and as a board member of the Food and Environment Reporting Network (FERN). She's a former member of the Rye Sustainability Committee and co-founder of its healthy yard program. Lori has given presentations on topics such as edible gardens, pollinator planting, soil contamination, and climate change for organizations including Bedford 2020, Sustainable Port Chester Alliance, Rye YMCA, Federated Conservationists of Westchester, and the Larchmont-Mamaroneck Environmental Committees. Lori moderated panels and co-produced the annual food justice festivals for her alma mater, Manhattanville College, where she received her MFA in Creative Writing in 2019.