As part of the launch of The Cookbook in Support of the United Nations: For People and Planet at COP 27, we hosted an invigorating discussion with a panel passionate about food sustainability. 📖
Panelists included Earlene Cruz from Kitchen Connection, Sara Farley from the Rockefeller Foundation, Laura Lopez from the UNFCCC, Marilique Nijmeijer from Clim-Eat, Laura Quiñones from UN News, Dr. Gunhild Stordalen from the EAT Foundation, and was introduced by Dr. Reem Abdel Meguid from the Egyptian Government. This collaboration was supported by the UNFCCC, the Government of Egypt, the Mission of Switzerland to the UN, and the Mission of Austria to the UN. 🌎
On September 7th, we celebrated the launch of "How Does Our Food Grow?" at the UN Bookstore 📚✨🌍
A day of education and fun, where families explored food origins, discovered the magic of growing, and learned about our food's impact on the planet. 🌽
👥 Distinguished guests like H.E. José Blanco - Permanent Representative of the Dominican Republic to the United Nations, Ms. Hawa Diallo - Chief, Civil Society Unit, United Department of Global Communications, Ms. Melissa Fleming - Under-Secretary-General for UN Department of Global Communications, Mr. Stefan Pretterhofer - Deputy Permanent Representative of the Republic of Austria to the United Nations, and Ms. Hannele Tikkanen - Minister Counsellor, Permanent Mission of Finland to the United Nations shared valuable insights on food education and sustainability. Their wisdom resonated with all.
🌱 The highlight? Emily and Ella Hunsaker (aged 13 and 11), doing a book reading for our audience! Their faces lighting up as they discussed biodiversity, food waste reduction, and a sustainable future. Empowering the next generation in making informed food choices is our goal, and this event was a big step towards it.
🙏 Thank you for joining us and making it a resounding success. Your support inspires us to keep spreading the message of food education and sustainability. Together, we can make a positive impact on our planet, one meal at a time. 🍽️
#UNBookstoreRecap #FoodEducation #Sustainability
We are delighted to continue the launch of "The Cookbook in Support of the United Nations: For People and Planet."
To celebrate the launch, we invite you to join us for a cookbook signing event on April 25th at 1pm at the United Nations bookstore. This is a wonderful opportunity to meet some of the contributors to the cookbook and to get your copy signed by them.
To attend the event at the UN Bookstore, simply follow these instructions:
1. Arrive at The UN Security Office located at 801 1st Avenue between 12:30 PM and 12:45 PM on April 25th. Let them know you're attending an event at the UN Bookstore.
2. Once you've checked in, go across the street to the UN Visitor's Gate located on 45th Street. Go through the security check-in at the Visitor's Gate to gain access to the United Nations.
3. Once you are inside, take the stairs to the lower level where you will see the UN Bookstore.
If you're not able to make it to the UN Bookstore on April 25th, feel free to check both the UN Bookshop and the UN Publications pages on Facebook where it will be live-streamed.
We are honored to be a part of this project, and we hope that you will join us in celebrating its launch. We look forward to seeing you there! RSVP today ➡️ bit.ly/3ZQO8lS
Antarctica: In 2021, thousands of miles from home in Antarctica ❄️, I encountered a humpback whale: she beautiful, powerful, and scarred 🐋. Part of her tail had been cut off due to fishing activity, making her long migration journey even harder.
This moment raised an important question: in places like Japan, Norway, and Greenland, where whale consumption is deeply tied to cultural heritage, especially among older generations, how do we balance respect for tradition 🏯 with the urgent need to protect our oceans and wildlife? 🌊🐋
The answer isn’t simple, but the conversation is essential 💬 and led me to the current journey that I’m on, exploring cultures around the world 🌍 and learning how we might be able to leverage education to support both human and planetary goals. 🌱
I hope you’ll be able to join me. More Antarctica stories coming on @earlenetravels . Read the full story and reflection on my blog: earlenecruz.com ✨
“If we want to change the future of food, we must look to the ingredients that have sustained us the longest.” -Chef Pierre Thiam 🌾✨
Across Senegal 🇸🇳, fonio has been cultivated for thousands of years — a grain woven into the daily lives, heritage, and identity of West African communities. Yet despite its resilience and cultural significance, fonio has remained largely invisible on the global stage.
Chef Pierre Thiam is changing that. 👨🏾🍳🌍
Through his work with farmers, food producers, and global chefs, he is helping the world rediscover fonio, a climate-resilient grain that grows in poor soil, requires almost no water, and matures faster than nearly any other crop. In a country on the frontlines of climate change, fonio isn’t just a tradition it’s a lifeline. 🌱And the impact is real. From supporting rural farming cooperatives in Senegal 🤝, to expanding market access for African ingredients, to introducing fonio to restaurants and home kitchens around the world 🍽️, Chef Pierre is turning a local staple into an engine for economic opportunity and cultural pride.
This is what food system transformation looks like in Senegal and beyond: by building cooperatives in Africa at large, Chef Pierre and his team is investing in indigenous crops 🌾, strengthening farmer livelihoods 💼, restoring soil health 🌍, and honoring the ancestral knowledge that has fed communities for generations. ✨ When we uplift local ingredients and the people who grow them, we don’t just preserve culinary heritage, we build a more resilient, equitable, and nourishing future for all. @pierrethiam
In honour of International School Meals Day last week, Kitchen Connection has spent the last month educating students!
➡️SchoolMeals are more than just a plate of food at school, they ALSO support:
📚Education
🍽️Nutrition
💰Families
🌱Agriculture
🌳Local economies
Investing in school meals today = Investing in children & nations
#InternationalSchoolMealsDay!
During Climate Week, Kitchen Connection had the honor of learning from Dr. Cary Fowler, the founder of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, World Food Prize laureate, and now Special Envoy for Global Food Security.
His vision for soil health, biodiversity, and seed preservation offers powerful inspiration for building a sustainable, resilient food future. We’re grateful for leaders like Dr. Fowler, whose dedication lights the way toward abundance and security in global food systems. 🌎🌾#ClimateWeek #FoodSecurity #Biodiversity #FutureOfFood #KitchenConnection
🌐🌱 The @svalbard_global_seed_vault is nestled deep within the permafrost of the Arctic Circle in Norway and serves as a global insurance policy for food security. Its primary mission: to safeguard the world's agricultural biodiversity by preserving seeds from every corner of the globe. With climate change, natural disasters, and human activities posing increasing threats to crop diversity, the vault provides a fail-safe repository, ensuring the genetic diversity essential for future food production.
🌾🌍By storing duplicates of seeds from gene banks worldwide, the vault mitigates the risk of losing critical plant varieties due to unforeseen circumstances. This genetic diversity is crucial for breeding resilient crops capable of adapting to changing environmental conditions, pests, and diseases. Moreover, the remote location of the vault offers a unique advantage. Situated 130 meters above sea level on a remote archipelago, the facility is protected from most natural disasters, including flooding and earthquakes.
🤝🌱The Svalbard Seed Vault stands as a symbol of international cooperation, with countries depositing seeds to ensure the preservation of agricultural heritage for generations to come. In an era of increasing uncertainty, this Arctic sanctuary serves as a beacon of hope, safeguarding the building blocks of our food supply and the future of global agriculture.
#kitchenconnection #svalbard #seedbank #seedvault #svalbardseedvault #globalfood #foodsystems #foodsecurity #agriculture #agriculturalheritage #international #geneticdiversity #norway #spitsbergen
💧🌱Did you see out last post about hydroponics?
🌿🥒Recently, Kitchen Connection joined middle school students to visit their local Hydroponics garden! There are four separate hydroponics gardens located in Union City, New Jersey, of which this was the first. These facilities grow produce and herbs, some of which were recently used in the student cooking activities that are part of our 4-week program.
Thank you so much for having us!
#kitchenconnection #hydroponics #hydroponicgarden #education #agricultureeducation #experientiallearning #towergarden #horticulture #sustainablefuture
💧👩🌾Kitchen Connection recently contributed to a presentation about farming in our modern Age. To conclude the presentation, we emphasized how invested Kitchen Connection is in sustainable living for healthier people and a healthier planet. The Director of Kitchen Connection, Earlene Cruz, then shared her experiences with an individual home hydroponics project!
🌱💧Hydroponics revolutionizes home kitchens by offering efficient, year-round cultivation without soil. Its benefits include water conservation, faster growth rates, and space efficiency. With hydroponic systems, individuals can grow fresh herbs, vegetables, and fruits directly in their kitchens, minimizing carbon footprints and ensuring a steady supply of nutritious produce. By controlling nutrient levels and environmental conditions, enthusiasts can customize growth for optimal yields. Hydroponics fosters a deep connection to food, educates on sustainable practices, and empowers individuals to cultivate fresh produce.
#kitchenconnection #hydroponics #hydroponic #hydroponicgarden #sustainablegrowth #sustainablecuisine #sustainability #healthyplanet #healthyeating #doityourself #homegrown #agriculture #SustainableAgriculture
👩⚕️🩺Last month, Kitchen Connection’s Director, Earlene Cruz, was invited to give a presentation to health professionals at New York University on the topic of agriculture.
🌎👨🌾Topics ranged from a discussion of the Ice Ages, discoveries of farming, ancient civilizations, trade and explorations, the role of sugar, the Industrial Revolution, population growth, war and conflict, globalization, challenges and opportunities in agricultural policy-making, and how farming impacts climate change. Finally, we wrapped up the presentation with a look at modern sustainable agricultural solutions such as innovating lab-grown meat, hydroponics, the Svalbard Seed Bank, and the results of growing food in space!
🇺🇳🌾One of the main goals of the presentation was to impart an appreciation for this unique planet Earth, for the agricultural work done by generations before us, and for the foods that keep us healthy. Additionally, we emphasized the presence of the United Nations and some of its contributions to fostering climate change awareness and the need for sustainable global living.
🫶🌐We are very grateful to have had the opportunity to share what Kitchen Connection is passionate about with such forward-thinking individuals. Thank you so much for having us!
#kitchenconnection #nyu #unitednations #foodeducation #foodsystems #agriculture #education #sustainablefuture #sustainableagriculture #ancientcivilization #farmer
Ashley is one of the contributing authors to our children's book, How Does Our Food Grow? We were honored to have her go through our 4 Week Program this year and are thankful to have had the opportunity of working with such a brilliant young mind on this project. Please join us in extending our sincerest gratitude to Ashley for her energy and effort in this educational initiative. We can’t wait to see what other amazing things you’ll do!
#kitchenconnection #HowDoesOurFoodGrow #foodeducation #foodsystems #foodaction #education #childrensbooks #learningathome #learninginthekitchen #planetaryhealth #healthyplanet #healthyliving
