Real Food Challenge Northwest

Food justice is social justice. Say NO to the TPP: http://350seattle.nationbuilder.com/tpp_foodletter

Food lovers, farmers, retailers, and food organizations: Tell our Washington Congressional... a grassroots organization passionate about climate and ecological justice

TODAY IS THE DAY, FOLKS! If you have not added your comments to the Public Comment Forum about the updating Real Food Standards, do it TODAY before 6 PM Pacific Time! bit.ly/1OWmYSr

2 WEEKS TO GO! 2 weeks left to SHARE YOUR VOICE about the Real Food Standards! The public comment forum CLOSES April 1. Be sure to share this link with your peers, community partners, campus staff, and producers in your community! bit.ly/1OWmYSr

For years, VALUES like JUSTICE & DIGNITY for workers and producers, and a food system that SUSTAINS our communities, seeds, water, and land have been translated into labels and certifications, and carefully aggregated into our REAL FOOD STANDARDS.

Now, we have the opportunity to further STRENGTHEN OUR VISION and our VOICE for what the Real Food Standards should be.

MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD by April 1 about the standards we uphold and the values we stand for in a real food system. bit.ly/1OWmYSr

RFC student organizers and allies from coast to coast are DEMANDING ACTION from their administrations because there's , . !

Spring 2016 Action for a REAL FOOD system.

On Friday, Husky Real Food Challenge delegated University of Washington President Ana Mari Cauce, with a stack of statements in hand in support of UW committing to real food.

We have serious questions about Cauce's response: “Before making the commitment, I would want to know about the costs to achieve this,” Cauce said. “We have students come and tell us that food and housing costs are too high, so I’d like to make sure that we have an estimate of what this would cost the students.”

Ana Mari Cauce's approx Salary* = $600,000
Cost of room & board at UW = $11,310
Average UW student DEBT load = $26,000
Average farm worker wage = $15,000
*based on 2013 UW employee salaries

Is it *REALLY* STUDENTS who must bear the cost (assuming there is greater cost, not always or inevitably the case) - of the university supporting an equitable food system—a food system that would be fair to students as consumers AND to the people and natural resources responsible for production?

How low will our universities let food chain workers wages go? Or the prices farmers are forced to sell at? How high will student debt continue to rise? How long before our institutions' decision-makers take responsibility for the world they are invested in?

We aren't just waiting around for a response. Husky Real Food Challenge -and so many - are taking action for the change they know is right.

President Cauce takes real food under consideration Ana Mari Cauce, president of the UW, is taking the Husky Real Food Challenge’s (HRFC) proposal of committing to 25 percent real food at the university under serious consideration.

Check out this 3-min film calling on President Drake of The Ohio State University to COMMIT to supporting a real food system in Ohio and beyond. There's tens of millions of food dollars at stake here -- and we know they can be used to support a more just world.. .if Drake takes a stand!
(stay tuned for amore action later this month!)

Dear President Drake Email President Drake why real food matters to you by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1QYoBB9 Find more info about Real Food Challenge here: http://u.osu.edu/re...

Prime farmland in Snoqualmie Valley is under threat! Wouldn't it be better if the land was used for sustainable farming training programs for new and beginning farmers??

https://www.change.org/p/save-snoqualmie-valley-wa-farmland-from-gmos-roundup-and-synthetic-fertilizers

Save Snoqualmie Valley WA Farmland from GMOs, Roundup, and Synthetic Fertilizers! King County, Washington is about to pass an Ordinance (2015-0423) that would sell, at a loss, publicly owned prime farmland, the ‘Jewel of the Snoqualmie Valley’, called the Tall Chief property, to the largest land owner in the Valley, Keller Dairy, a confinement dairy farm that intends to grow Roun…

Restaurant Opportunities Center of Seattle - ROC Seattle’s latest report - "Behind the Kitchen Door: The Highs and Lows of Seattle’s Booming Restaurant Economy" - is the most comprehensive examination to date of the Seattle-area restaurant industry. Although the city has made some great strides, few benefits, low wages, and poor workplace conditions still abound across Seattle’s restaurants. The report offers a vivid portrait of the state of the industry, and makes recommendations that will improve Seattle’s economic development, public health, as well as workplace conditions for the city’s restaurant workers.

Check out the report at the link below, and share it far and wide.

Behind the Kitchen Door: The Highs and Lows of Seattle’s Booming Restaurant Economy | ROC Behind the Kitchen Door: The Highs and Lows of Seattle’s Booming Restaurant Economy Posted on October 29, 2015 by ROC United. Restaurant Opportunities Center of Seattle’s latest report is the most comprehensive examination to date of the Seattle-area restaurant industry. The report draws on 524 work…

Been crusing along the Great West during our Real Food on the road TRIP! Just had an awesome workshop at University of Montana and tomorrow we are headed to Utah!

Northwest Farms Hit Hard by Wildfires As you read this, wildfires are burning on about 1.7 million acres of land across the western United States. Most are in Washington and Oregon, where fire is raging uncontained in 23 separate locations. So far this year, nearly 7.7 million acres have been directly affected by wildfires—almost three…