“The Sustainable Table: A Deliberative Panel Discussion” at Franklin Pierce University
Feb 7, 2013

Franklin Pierce University will host “The Sustainable Table: A Deliberative Panel Discussion,” featuring local farmers, a coordinator from The Cornucopia Project, and an expert who is studying the local dairy industry. Panelists will share their first-hand experiences and then engage in a conversation with the audience about the impact of our food choices. The program will be held on Tuesday, February 12, at 6 p.m. in Spagnuolo Hall at the Franklin Pierce University campus in Rindge (free of charge). Franklin Pierce project participants include the First Year Composition Program, the New England Center for Civic Life, and the Sustainability Center, with assistance from the DiPietro Library.
The local farmers will include Craig Jensen from Sun Moon Farm, and Tracie Smith from Tracie’s Community Farm. Both have long been involved in sustainable agriculture. Sun Moon Farm uses the "Community Supported Agriculture" model for connecting a community of people to each other and to the food they eat. Farmers and members share the risk and rewards of a growing season, celebrating the cycle from seed to table. Tracie’s Community Farm has been growing pesticide, chemical-free vegetables, fruits, and herbs since 1999 for the Monadnock region. They provide over 320 families with food through their spring, summer, fall, and winter shares at their on-site farm store in the barn, and through the spring at their farm stand.
Kat Radune is a School Program Coordinator from The Cornucopia Project. She has been
involved in the field of farm-based education for the past seventeen years. The Cornucopia
Project aims to teach sustainable and nourishing life practices to children and adults
by connecting them to the land and community through organic farming. They also establish
organic gardens and gardening curriculum in local schools, offer programming at the
Cornucopia Community Garden, and are working toward creating a sustainable local food
system.
Taryn Fisher is pursuing a doctorate at Franklin Pierce and also teaches in the College
of Graduate & Professional Studies programs at the University. She is currently conducting
a study on alternative competitive strategies for local dairy farms.
This event, which is free and open to the public, is part of the New England Center
for Civic Life’s semester-long project “Digging In: A Dialogue about Sustainability,”
a which will culminate in a deliberative forum and the building of a community garden
during Earth Week, April 22-26. Both of these events will also be open to the public.
For more information about this program or other public events associated with the
project, please contact Joni Doherty, Director of the New England Center for Civic
Life at (603) 899-1025 or email: dohertyj@franklinpierce.edu.