2025 Food Literacy for All Videos – Sustainable Food Systems Initiative

Alumni Spotlight: Theresa Ong ’17

Date: January 19, 2021 Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies and Ecology, Evolution, Environment & Society, Dartmouth College Dr. Theresa Ong is a scholar activist who found personal and professional nourishment through involvement with Science For The People and volunteering at D-Town Farm. Learn more about her work and connect with her and/or learn more about […]

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Unexpected Limitations to the Biological Control of the Coffee Leaf Miner

Authors: SFSI Faculty Affiliates Ivette Perfecto and John Vandermeer along with EEB students Zachary Hajian-Forooshani and Alexa White Published July 2020 in Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment ANN ARBOR— The most recent publication by the Perfectomeer lab of Ivette Perfecto and John Vandermeer details the affect of lizards and ants on the biological control of the coffee leaf miner in

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Faculty Spotlight: Cindy Leung

Cindy Leung is an Assistant Professor of Nutritional Sciences at the School for Public Health. She is also a lecturer for the School of Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley, and a Faculty Affiliate of the UM Sustainable Food Systems Initiative. Community nutrition advocate, native Californian, and mom, Cindy Leung, is interested in understanding the implications

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SFSI Affiliate Named for University Diversity and Social Transformation Professorship

Author: Lauren Love, Public Affairs Originally published: July 16, 2020 Published here: July 23, 2020 As part of the university’s continued commitment to promote diversity, equity and inclusion, four University of Michigan professors have been named recipients of the University Diversity and Social Transformation Professorship. Established in 2019, the UDSTP recognizes senior faculty who have

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Vandermeer and Perfecto Labs hold annual educational day with local schoolchildren in Mexico

Ivette Perfecto (arms raised) and John Vandermeer play an ecological game with the children during Ecodía. Image credit this page: Jonno Morris. Date: June 24, 2020 Interviewees: Jonno Morris & Sara Donají González Herrera Jonno is a doctoral student in the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability and EEB communications. Sara Donají González Herrera

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Ivette Perfecto (arms raised) and John Vandermeer play an ecological game with the children during Ecodía. Image credit this page: Jonno Morris.

U-M ecologists call for protection of scientific diversity during and after pandemic

Author: Jim Erickson Date: June 16, 2020 A team of researchers including two University of Michigan ecologists has called on the international scientific community—and especially those in leadership positions—to support the retention and diversity of early career scientists during and after the COVID-19 crisis. In a letter to the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution published

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Sustainable Food Systems Initiative holds 6th annual Fast Food for Thought event

Read the article on the Michigan Daily’s website here. Tuesday, October 1, 2019 – 9:22pm MOLLY NORRIS Daily Staff Reporter The University of Michigan Sustainable Food Systems Initiative held its 6th annual Fast Food For Thought event Tuesday night. Nine speakers presented on a range of topics surrounding sustainable food to over 200 students. The speakers each

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The Community of Food, Society and Justice Conference, October 2019

October 17-18 East Quadrangle University of Michigan More details available here Listen to the RC Podcast episode about the fonference featuring four of the planning committee members: Alex Bryan, Lilly Fink Shapiro, Virginia Murphy and Lisa Young. #UMFoodSocietyJustice *As of 10/3, registration for the Conference is closed, but we welcome you to see the registration

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Austin Frerick | Book Talk on Barons: Money, Power, and the Corruption of America’s Food Industry

February 25, 2025 “Barons” is the story of seven titans of the food industry, their rise to power, and the consequences for workers, eaters, and democracy itself. It paints a stark portrait of corporate consolidation, but it also shows that a fair, healthy, and prosperous food industry is possible—if we take back power from the

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Kiese Laymon: Book Talk on “Heavy: An American Memoir”

March 11, 2025 Kiese Laymon is a Black southern writer from Jackson, Mississippi. Laymon is the author of the genre-bending novel, Long Division and the essay collection, How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America. Laymon’s bestselling memoir, Heavy: An American Memoir, won the 2019 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction, the 2018 Christopher Isherwood Prize for Autobiographical Prose,

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UM Alumni Spotlight: Becca Harley ’21

Becca is a farmer, educator, and food access advocate with experience in farm management and youth education. As the Director of Children’s Farms in Action, Becca Harley manages the growing and educational programs at the Montbello Urban Farm, which provides fresh produce for the community. She also facilitates several school-based and community garden programs. She

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Hannah Wittman: Caring for Human and Planetary Health Through Agroecological Transitions

February 25, 2025 Dr. Hannah Wittman will discuss the concepts of agroecological transitions, food sovereignty, and planetary health. We will illustrate these concepts by exploring the work of agroecological networks in Ecuador and Brasil that connect growers and consumers through participatory certification, food literacy, and solidarity actions. We will discuss rights and responsibilities among diverse

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Panel on Food Waste (jøn kent, Reneé V. Wallace, Hajime Sato, and Jamina Shupack)

February 18, 2025 Learn from four innovative panelists: jøn kent, Reneé V. Wallace, Hajime Sato, and Jamina Shupack, as they share their insights and diverse approaches to tackling food waste. Launched in 2017, Food Literacy for All is a community-academic partnership course at the University of Michigan supported by the Sustainable Food Systems Initiative, School

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Katherine Miller: The Power of Local Food Systems

February 11, 2025 “The Power of Local Food Systems: How Chefs, Farmers, and Advocates Are Rebuilding America’s Food Economy” will explore how local food networks strengthen communities, boost sustainability, and transform how we eat. Katherine Miller will share stories of collaboration between chefs, regenerative farmers, and food advocates pioneering innovative approaches to revitalize our food

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Shiloh Maples: Seeds of Sovereignty

February 4, 2025 Launched in 2017, Food Literacy for All is a community-academic partnership course at the University of Michigan supported by the Sustainable Food Systems Initiative, School for Environment & Sustainability, Program in the Environment, and CEW+ Frances and Sydney Lewis Visiting Leaders Fund. From January to April 2025, Food Literacy for All features

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Four Fish: Oceans, Sea Slavery, Climate Change, and the Future of the Last Wild Food

February 2, 2025 Paul Greenberg is the author of seven books including the New York Times bestseller Four Fish and, most recently, A Third Term. A regular contributor to the Times and a frequent guest on national television and radio including Fresh Air with Terry Gross, Mr. Greenberg lectures widely at institutions ranging from TED

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Tambra Raye Stevenson on Food as Freedom

January 27, 2025 Tambra Raye Stevenson is the visionary leader behind Women Advancing Nutrition, Dietetics, and Agriculture (WANDA). Her mission is to cultivate a generation of empowered Black women and girls who drive transformation in the food system, fostering healthier communities through education, advocacy, and innovation. Featured in Forbes, The Washington Post, and Voice of

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