GRACE Communications Foundation
Kristen is the Social Media/Communications Coordinator for GRACE. A native of Cleveland, OH, she is a writer and policy wonk who enjoys blogging about public policy and social justice in food/water/energy systems. Kristen is also a volunteer mentor with Girls Write Now.
Last week, drafts of the nearly $955 billion 2013 Farm Bill legislation were passed through both the House and Senate Agriculture Committees. The wild, wacky odyssey towards a new five-year farm bill continues - to what end is still unclear. Ahead: floor debates in the Senate and the House.
This is a big week for the 2013 Farm Bill. Ultimately, we're forecasting quite the floor fight as cuts to SNAP will again be the most contested part of this legislation which could rightly be referred to quite simply as the "Food Bill."
Last month, UNITE HERE Local 1 made their voices heard in a new report advocating for local, sustainable food as a part of ongoing efforts to green Chicago's airports.
In the wake of the Monsanto Protection Act becoming law, Food and Water Watch has a handy new report on the agri-giant. "Monsanto: A Corporate Profile" runs down a famous list of misdeeds, from Agent Orange to GMOs, and if you eat, you should be interested in this.
Salt, sugar, fat. In recent years, they've lived at the center of a mighty battle between food industry marketers and "good food" advocates. Enter Michael Moss, whose must-read book does something a little different.
Today is International Women's Day, but we hardly need an excuse to recognize some noteworthy advocates, programs and projects around the world whose mission and achievements improve the lives of women as well as our whole planet's well-being. Cheers!
Welcome to sequestration! Here's your quick guide on how those immediate, deep, across-the-board federal budget cuts will greatly impact food, water and energy programs (among many others). If you love meat, you'd best read on.
Connecting our global food with global markets, journalist Fred Kaufman forges a new way of thinking about food prices and food systems in his engaging, informative new book Bet the Farm: How Food Stopped Being Food. Spoiler alert: we liked it. Read on!
We're beginning 2013 with a nine-month extension to the 2008 Farm Bill which has passed both houses of Congress and become law - so the newly-sworn 113th Congress will have to draft a new farm bill. So how did this happen? And what does it mean?
Happy Holidays! It’s BEST OF listmaking-time these days, and in spite of the groans of the blogosphere, we couldn’t resist taking stock of the past year. So now, in the second of two installments, here’s an Ecocentric look back at some of the most contentious, disappointing, inspiring, anticlimactic, game-changing moments of 2012 in food, water and energy. Today: the Water, Energy, Nexus edition!
It’s "Best Of" listmaking-time! So now, in the first of two installments, here’s an Ecocentric look back at some of the most contentious, disappointing, inspiring, anticlimactic, game-changing moments of 2012 in food, water and energy. Today: the Food Edition. Come back tomorrow when we talk water, energy and the nexus!
Today comes news of the latest gnarly discovery in the world of food safety: yersinia enterocolitica bacteria were found in 69% of the nearly 200 random pork samples tested from six US cities in a study by Consumer Reports, the widely respected independent consumer advocacy organization.
Giving the perfect gift can be difficult, even more so if you're looking for something that’s good for your recipient, your community and our planet. To help you out, here are some ideas for greener gifts sure to please everyone on your list!
From New York to Ohio and beyond, Superstorm Sandy brought climate change and the nexus into millions of our homes and lives like never before. As the cleanup and recovery efforts continue, we're thinking about how to pitch in - and how food, water and energy play big roles.
This year, Blog Action Day focuses on "The Power of We," to celebrate people working together "to make a positive difference." So check out some of our favorite people & organizations helping our food, energy & water systems!
UPDATE: For many Indian farmers their fantastic ride with all-in guar production came to a jarring halt and carried with it financial ruin. This is just another stop in the uncertain world of fossil fuel extraction, one whose economic model is based on the old "boom-bust."
