Seeds of Hope Administrative Manager Araceli Nieves tabling at the event
If the Great Hall at St. Paul’s Commons smelled faintly of compost Sunday, April 6, the crowd gathered there for Seeds of Hope’s first Climate week event didn’t seemed to mind. Attendees were checking out the vendor tables, getting bags of soil from LA Compost, seeds from Black Thumb Farms, signing the Plant Based Treaty, or learning about Prospering Backyards’ technique for managing lead contaminated soil. In the corner, Tawa Compost’s shiny patent-pending efficient compost bin was accepting food scraps from the apples and oranges that made up the edible centerpieces of the tables.
LA compost table at the event.
Seeds of Hope’s week of events from April 6 – 11, focused on food and soil justice, served one of the several LA Climate Week hubs around Los Angeles. Daily events brought together experts on regenerative farming, soil health, and alternative protein sources, as well as chefs, climate activists, and policy makers.
Angel Anderson, one of the main event organizers with Seeds of Hope, said that even when the problem seems so large, we can all make a
Angel Anderson was one of the main event organizers.
difference with our advocacy and lifestyle choices.
At a “Thinknado” brainstorming session lead by Climate Designers, participants questioned current systems, and considered alternative ways to organize different aspects of society which would be less harmful to the environment.
In a panel discussion with two regenerative farmers and a representative of the Healing Soils
Attendees participate in the “Thinknado.”
Foundation, panelists stressed the need for regenerative farming to be economically viable, in order to become more widespread. Unless there is major policy change regarding agricultural practices, farmers said, practices which do not harm the earth must be profitable in order to catch on. Panelists encouraged everyone to buy more of their food locally and ideally from regenerative farms, as well as to eat seasonal produce, which is less likely to have been shipped great distances.
On Thursday, April 10, participants got involved in
Regenerative farming panelists take questions from the audience.
brainstorming climate solutions again, playing a collaborative “climate cooldown” boardgame.
Anyone interested in getting involved with Seeds of Hope can sign up to volunteer here, and learn more about the organization here.
Attendees play the Climate Cooldown boardgame