I’m sweet on Vermont!

I like their maple syrup and idyllic landscapes, and they like my SNAP challenge story! You probably already read it here on marianhd.com, but in case you prefer my story in a more northeastern setting, check it out again here: UVM Food Feed

I know what you’re thinking. Why does the University of Vermont care about my story in Maryland? That’s because this past June I was fortunate enough to spend a week in lovely Burlington, Vermont at the first annual Breakthrough Leaders Program for Sustainable Food Systems. You can see my pre-summit interview blog here.

While I was there I learned about my leadership strengths, toured local farms, ate delicious food, and considered whether and how the work in Vermont could be scaled up around the country. Although I didn’t have my blog way back then, I was a blogger on the inside, and the Center for a Livable Future saw it and asked me to summarize my experience on their blog, and of course I did–From Burlington to Baltimore, the Bronx, and Beyond. And I took lots of pictures during my week. Here are a few of my favorites that highlight the experience.

Dinner of Champions (before I knew about my lactose intolerance)

Watched the sunset on my last evening in Burlington

They host a burger night with all ingredients fresh from the farm. Beef and veggie burgers included! http://www.breadandbutterfarm.com/

The teacher from the Bronx who started the Green Bronx Machine getting his students to grow and sell microgreens instead of marijuana. Look up the Green Bronx Machine on facebook!

Did your school lunch ever look this good? Mine didn’t! http://sa.bsdvt.org/

The kids only section of an incubator farm at the Intervale

Fletcher Allen hospital takes health seriously and grows some of their own produce in their rooftop garden.

For a full re-cap of the public one-day summit that was a part of our week, check out Sheree’s recap here. Her real camera got way better shots during the indoor conference, and she knows some really cool ways to integrate other social media into one great story.

Inspired to go and learn yourself? First, watch this video. Its first public viewing was at the Food Systems Summit in Vermont. Then check out the inquiry page for the 2013 summit.