Cook-off, errand race to show sustainability in action

April 16, 2007

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Cars and bicyclists race to see who can complete errands faster in an urban setting. Professional chefs compete to see who can create the most inspiring dishes from locally sourced foods.

These events will explore in creative ways how sustainability can be achieved in practice during an April 25-28 conference organized by the University of Florida’s Office of Sustainability and departments of political science and religion.

UF faculty members Les Thiele and Anna Peterson have invited community leaders, academics and others to participate in the conference, “Walking the Talk/Closing the Gap: Transforming Environmental Values into Sustainable Practices.”

The free events are open to the public and will include a panel discussion with national leaders in sustainability issues.

“With the dire consequences of global warming on so many minds today, environmental concerns are being voiced by a much wider array of people than in years past,” said Thiele, a political science professor. “Unfortunately, changing opinions do not automatically produce changed behavior — translating attitudes into action is the hard part. We have to meet this challenge.”

The errand race will start at 5:30 p.m. April 25 at UF’s Tigert Hall and wind its way through Gainesville visiting locally owned businesses. It ends at the Union Street Farmers’ Market at 6 p.m. with local music and displays about sustainable living.

A panel discussion at 7:30 p.m. April 26 in the Reitz Student Union Auditorium will include Michael Shellenberger, author of “The Death of Environmentalism,” and Juliet Schor, author of “The Overspent American.” Other participants will include David Diaz, Chicano/a studies and urban planning professor at the University of California Northridge; Jeff Bercuvitz of Community Innovations; and Lisa Wise, of the Center for a New American Dream, a nonprofit organization that helps Americans to consume responsibly to protect the environment, enhance quality of life and promote social justice. The panelists will talk about how Americans can start to transform values into choices for a sustainable lifestyle.

The cook-off will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. April 28 at the Fresh Food Company on UF’s campus. Competing local chefs will include the team of Bert Gill of Mildred’s and the Sovereign and Carol Deneno of Ristorante Deneno, versus Israel Karasik of Dinner and Frank Ruffino of Blue Highway. They will compete to create the most inspired dishes with only locally produced foods.

No registration for any of the events is necessary. For more information, visit www.sustainable.ufl.edu/events.asp.