The Food Print Project

The Food Print Project Cook-Offs - Sept 24, Oct 3 & Nov 21, 2009

Do It Green! Minnesota is introducing our newest program called The Food Print Project, funded by the City of Minneapolis Climate Change Grant program. The Food Print Project's mission is to educate residents about how the foods we choose impact climate change.

Did you know? In the U.S., local foods come from an average of 56 miles away and conventional foods come from an average of 1,500 miles away!

We are launching this project through a series of low carbon cook-offs, featuring local chefs producing low carbon dishes and judges who will choose the lowest carbon dish. At the cook offs you can taste test the chefs' creations and learn how your food choices can affect the environment.

The cook offs will offer:
* Low carbon recipes and a Food Print wallet card guide to take home.
* A display of local foods and resources to get you started.
* A chance to play Eco Wiggle, a fun new version of Twister.
* The opportunity to take the Minnesota Energy Challenge to save money and energy in your home.

Come visit one of these free and open to the public Low Carbon Food Cook Offs!

-Thursday, September 24th 5:30pm, Camden Farmers Market (4400 Osseo Rd). Chef Jim Malinowski and Chef Mike Longville from Edinburgh U.S.A will be joining us for our first cook off.

-Saturday, October 3rd 10:00am, Northeast Minneapolis Farmers Market (corner of 7th Ave NE and University Ave NE). Chef Heather Hartman at SpoonRiver and Chef Philip Dorwart with CREATE Catering and Dining Studio will be joining us.

-Saturday, November 21st 12:00pm, Green Gifts Fair at Midwest Global Market (920 E Lake St). Chef Paul Lynch with Firelake and Chef Molly Herrmann with Tastebud Tart will be joining us.

We will also be taping the cook offs and posting them as You Tube videos, so even if you can't make it you won't miss out (except you won't get to taste the samples!).

Low carbon foods can be achieved by eating low on the food chaing and considering seasonal, organic, less packaged, and local foods. 

Low Carbon Food Print Kit:

* Click here to download the Food Print wallet card shopping guide *

* Click here to download the Why and How to Lower Your Carbon Food Print poster *

* Click the following pages to download Low Carbon Holiday Recipes * 1  2  3

* Click here to download the Eco Wiggle (version of Twister) Spinner *  

* Click here soon to download the Eco Wiggle game board *  

http://www.doitgreen.org/

http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/sustainability/ClimateChangeGrants_home.asp

http://www.mnenergychallenge.org/

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Eco Party Kit Project

* Home party * Eco Mom club * Classroom * Block Club event *
* Co-worker get together * Book club * Family fun * Girl /Boy Scouts *

Check back soon to download free activities, games,

pledges,and prizes for adults, teens and children to put on your own eco party.

Learn about climate change and commit to doing something about it.

Brought to you by the City of Minneapolis, the Minnesota Energy Challange and Do It Green! Minnesota.

What is the Eco Party Kit?

The Eco Party Kit created by the Do It Green! Minnesota Team is based off of the idea of the 1980’s Tupperware Party – offering a reason to bring people together in any kind of environment, including your own home. The Eco Party Kit offers many different ways to bring people together in a fun way to learn about climate change,our personal affect on the environment and to do something about it.

Why host an Eco Party? 

Will Steger, of the Will Steger Foundation, often promotes that the solution to climate change is to “start talking about the issue in your workplace, home, school and community and you will soon find a group or groups of like-minded people to work with and support each other in making small, but collectively significant changes in slowing global warming.” 

Who can have an Eco Party?

These kit activities are created for any kind of group that regularly meets or would like to get together for the first time, including adults, teens, children and families. This could include:

• Hosting an Eco Party activity at your child’s next Girl Scout or Boy Scout meeting
• Having an Eco Potluck lunch and discussion at work
• Choosing a climate change themed book for your next book club meeting
• Having friends over to watch a climate change movie and discussion
• Conducting a Home Energy Audit with family or roommates
• Playing the Sustainable Cards at your next card night
• Taking the Energy Quiz in the classroom
• Playing the Do It Green! board game with the family
• Set up an Eco Discovery table display after mass at your church, school or community event

How does an Eco Party work?

The intention is to incorporate climate change discussion and hands-on activity into a party idea or into the regular meeting of an existing group. The games or activities are designed to make it fun and interesting to talk about climate change. We can empower each other to understand the problem and to then commit to one change each of us can make to reduce our carbon footprint (personal affect on the environment related to our choices about what we eat, buy, wear and how we transport ourselves each day).

Once the Eco Party activity is completed, the group will be asked to choose one thing they can commit to doing to change their effect on the environment.

After a personal commitment has been written onto a reminder slip or magnet to post on your fridge at home or work, the idea is that your “group” that participated in an Eco Party activity will now be your support group in helping each other to complete your personal commitment and continue on your journey to slowing climate change together.

Adults participating will also be asked to complete the Minnesota Energy Challenge at www.mnenergychallenge.org. This website offers a challenge form that you complete to help you calculate your carbon footprint and learn how to save money and energy in your home. You are also registering yourself on this site which gives you access to forums, the Energy Expert, and allows your energy savings to be collectively tracked with hundreds of others across Minnesota.

Once participants complete their personal commitments and the Minnesota Energy Challenge, they can receive a free fluorescent energy saving lightbulb or a Do It Green! Magazine, a guidebook to living lighter on the planet. Kids will receive a pencil made of recycled blue jeans or money. These incentives can be ordered or picked up at participating locations in Minneapolis.

How do I acquire the Eco Party Kit and activities and incentive prizes?

You can download the Eco Party Kit activities and order free incentive prizes online or check out the physical kit and pick up incentive prizes at participating locations. Incentive prizes are available for groups of up to 20 and include the following options:

Adult incentive prizes: Fluorescent energy saving lightbulb or a Do It Green! Magazine, a guidebook to living lighter on the planet

Child incentive prizes: Pencil made of recycled blue jeans or money (pencils can be sent to accommodate whole classrooms larger than 20) 

If you would like to put on an Eco Party or activity from the Eco Party Kit, simply go to www.doitgreen.org/ecoparty to create a user account. You will then be able to download any of the Eco Party Kit activities and instructions. This will also allow you to become a user of the entire www.doitgreen.org site, which includes being able to submit events on the calendar page, download PDF and other files throughout the site, and more!

Eco Party Activities can also be checked out from August 1st, 2008 at the following locations (more locations to be added soon). Please call ahead to reserve the kit to be sure it is available for your event.

Twin Cities Green
2405 Hennepin Ave. S., Mpls
612-374-4581

The Do It Green! Resource Center location inside Twin Cities Green is available during business hours to use for your Eco Party Event for up to 15 people.

IN SHORT, ECO PARTY STEPS INCLUDE:

1. Choose and conduct an Eco Party activity and download it online at www.doitgreen.org/ecoparty or visit this site for locations to check the kit out and order incentive prizes.
2. Participants pick one thing they can commit to doing and write it on a reminder slip or magnet to post at home or work.
3. Adults complete the Minnesota Energy Challenge at www.mnenergychallenge.org.
4. Participants receive a fluorescent energy saving lightbulb or a Do It Green! guidebook to living lighter on the planet once the commitment and challenge is completed.
5. Participants will continue on their journey together in making small changes for the environment, supporting each other and celebrating successes!