My head is still swimming a bit from all that I heard and continue to absorb from the day. The first panel that I went to was titled: "Climate Change and Food." I didn't film it, but I will be posting highlights/transcripts as soon as my little fingers can type them up. Like the panel yesterday on re-localizing food, this discussion also focused on a decentralized food system and smaller farms as the only means of surviving the massive climate changes that are occurring and will continue to occur- and like yesterday there was a tone of optimism and promise that truly does make things appear less bleak.
Later on in the afternoon, I went to the culminating discussion "Slow Food Nation." Michael Pollan, Vandana Shiva, Eric Schlosser, Wendell Berry, Alice Waters and Carlo Petrini. The line up of speakers kind of seemed too good to be true, but it was true! And I feel so lucky to have been able to listen in on their conversation. I say listen in because it felt less like a presentation for the audience than it did an exchange of ideas and exploration of how to move forward given the current social, political and environmental state of the world. The people who were on stage this evening are all working towards a similar goal, but their experiences and expertise covered a wide range of activity. There was something incredibly powerful about seeing those experiences and expertises playing off one another. I don't know if any of the people on stage tonight will walk away freshly inspired with new ideas to take on the challenges our world currently faces, but there was a feeling, at least to me in the audience, that something was being born. Not an idea, but a charged energy and appreciation of the movement itself. The direction we and our political leaders need to go is clear. The discussion tonight felt like a burst of energy to fuel us into that direction. (Again, I will be posting transcripts... but it was 2 1/2 hours long so it might take me awhile).