June 16, 2009

Dear IATP Friend,

I returned last night from the U.N. global climate talks in Bonn, Germany. The summit reminded me once again that building a climate-friendly food system that provides enough healthy food for all and that protects the livelihoods of farmers worldwide has never been more critical.

Today, your support is needed more than ever as we work at the local, national and international levels to build a better food system—one that provides enough healthy food for everyone, protects the environment and ensures that farmers can make a fair living.

Already this year, our efforts are bearing fruit:

• In the Twin Cities, we are setting up models for healthy, local food purchasing through school lunch programs and health care institutions. We’re pioneering projects to bring more fruits and vegetables to corner stores and organizing mini farmers markets in low-income neighborhoods.
  
• At the state level, thanks to IATP’s organizing and advocacy work, Minnesota became the first state in the nation to phase out use of the toxic chemical bisphenol A in baby bottles—a huge victory that will improve children’s health for years to come.
  
• Nationally, the coalition we co-founded to roll back the threat to public health from antibiotic use in factory farms now has champions in Congress and government agencies, and a bill is making its way through Congress.
  
• At the global level, IATP staff have met with government leaders, international institutions and civil society organizations at major meetings in Bonn, Madrid, Rome, Johannesburg and New York to push for real solutions to the global food crisis that empower hungry countries to build their own sustainable food systems.

Earlier this month, we co-hosted a screening of the new movie Fresh, where 700 people squeezed into a local theater to watch the film and discuss how to build a better food system. The room was packed with people, ideas and energy. It’s time to harness those ideas and energy and make the changes we need.

I invite you to join our efforts in building a healthy and sustainable food system from the farm to our forks. You can contribute now or sign up to make a monthly contribution and become a Harvest Circle member. Working together, we can make difference!

I hope we can count on your support!

Sincerely,

Jim Harkness
President