Sustenance: Food and the Roots of Sustainability 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 22, 2009 M.R. and Evelyn Hudson Auditorium Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art Johnson County Community College Stuart Shafer
JCCC College Scholars Program
Stuart Shafer
Professor, Sociology Johnson County Community College Stuart Shafer is professor of sociology at JCCC and a certified organic farmer of fruits and vegetables. He has maintained these two careers in parallel for most of his adult life. Now, as social movements have emerged around food and sustainability, these two interests converge.
Survival of species has always depended on their strategy and ability to secure and maintain their supply of food. The human species faces serious questions of sustainability in the 21st century, not the least of which is our ability to feed ourselves. This is a question not only of whether and how much we eat, but what we eat and how we produce it. How we address those questions affects not only our personal health and well being, but the health and well being of the planet. People are coming to grips with these issues from many directions, and what is emerging is a movement toward sustainability, with food at the root of it all.
What Does Sustenance Mean to JCCC? 11 a.m. Thursday, April 23, 2009 Craig Community Auditorium Johnson County Community College
JCCC’s College Scholars program presents members of the college’s own faculty, showcasing their research and scholarly contributions to knowledge within their academic discipline.
JCCC has recognized the necessity to take a leadership role in our community through a number of sustainability efforts, including signing the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment and the establishment of a college sustainability committee. Among the issues being considered in these initiatives are the possibilities of offering more locally grown food in our Dining Services departments, linking culinary students with local food producers, and recycling food wastes. What are the implications of these initiatives and what can we do to further them?