Earth Day - April 22
 Since
the energy crisis of the 1970's, Earth Day has
been a worldwide celebration and renewed commitment
to ecology, conservation, and the protection of
our environment - green living for everyday life.
The Earth Day celebration was first celebrated
on the Vernal Equinox; it generally occurs around
April 22 each year, and the day still focuses
on conservation, saving
energy, renewable
energy research, recycling and global climate
issues.
You can learn the latest information and facts
about global warming and its impact on our world
at the Earth
Day official site, where you can sign up for
activities, organize Earth Day festivals in your
community, or join activists promoting peaceful
change to protect our environment.
Visit the EPA Kids Site for fun and educational
resources for green living. Visit
Kids for Saving the Earth for learning resources
- a free environmental curriculum for kids. Visit
NASA for cool pictures and video of the earth
(like the one above) and life on earth resources
for learning about global warming and conservation.
 Earth
Day Resources
Recycling Crafts & Cool Art Stuff
You can make padded hangers, framed pictures,
decorative cards, tags, gift boxes, collages and
more with cast off "stuff" from your
home or office.
Earth Day Dinners Sprout
Up Nationwide
La Farge, WI - March 26, 2007
Organic Valley's New Earth Dinner Toolkit Helps
Seed the Movement
What do Thanksgiving, Christmas, Independence
Day, even St. Patty's Day have in common? They
all have traditions involving family, friends,
and of course, food. Earth Day deserves a celebration
too—a fun food tradition that revolves around
local, sustainable and organic cuisine, and involves
meaningful discussion about the impact farming
has on the planet we share. That's why Earth Dinners
are taking root throughout the country as a way
to celebrate Earth Day on April 22nd.
If Your Appetizer Could Talk, What Would It
Say?
An Earth Dinner can be a simple potluck dinner
or masterful multi-course meal. What's important
is having meaningful discussion at the table about
the food that's being served. How was it grown?
Where did it come from? Who grew it? How does
this food connect to your own personal history,
and those of your guests?
This season, Organic Valley Family of Farms is
offering an online Earth Dinner toolkit that does
everything but cook the food for your celebratory
meal. Visit www.earthdinner.org for great menu
and recipe ideas, party activities and décor
suggestions. Tips for creating a kids' Earth Dinner
also can be found. Pick up a pound of ideas and
a pinch of inspiration, and mix together to make
it your own signature springtime fête.
If you are hosting an Earth Dinner event for
a group, you can apply for support from Organic
Valley at www.earthdinner.org/support.
Request monetary grants of $50 to $1,000, Organic
Valley foods ranging from milk to eggs to cheese
and meats, and more. Doing a fundraiser? Organic
Valley can provide a Silent Auction Kit, featuring
Earth Dinner Cards, 52 Organic Valley free product
coupons and a display poster to merchandise the
auction or raffle item. For events with 100 or
more guests, you can even invite an Organic Valley
farmer to speak and inspire the crowd.
"Our new Earth Dinner toolkit is designed
to provide hosts with all the ingredients they
will need to host an unforgettable dinner that
we hope becomes an annual tradition for all who
partake,” said Theresa Marquez, Earth Dinner
founder and chief marketing executive for Organic
Valley, the nation's oldest and largest cooperative
of organic farmers.
Sparking Conversation from a Deck of Creativity
Cards
The main dish in the Earth Dinner toolkit is
the 49-card deck of "Earth Dinner Creativity
Cards,” written by award-winning author Douglas
Love. This playful, thoughtful collection of food
and farm trivia and thought-provoking questions
is divided into four suits: Fun Facts—From
start to finish, how long does it take a hen to
lay an egg?; Storytelling—Can you name a
food that emits a terrible aroma but a delicious
taste?; Imagination—How many songs can you
think of that reference food or eating?; and Inspiration—How
many generations have gathered at your Earth Dinner
table? How many different places and cultures
do they represent?
Deal the deck of cards in a variety of ways,
use them as place cards, hand one out to each
guest as they arrive, start a roundtable discussion,
or just let guests pick a card and strike up a
private conversation with their seatmate.
Visit www.earthdinner.org
to download a sample set of Earth Dinner cards,
or purchase a full deck online. Organic Valley
donates all proceeds from the sale of cards to
the Organic Farm Friends Foundation, a program
that aims to foster a strong connection between
rural organic farmers and urban communities.
Seeding Dinners
Throughout the month of April, chairs are being
pulled up to Earth Dinner tables around the country.
Chefs and home cooks, professionals and amateurs,
will put their twist on the annual dinner in restaurants
and people's homes, college campuses and community
centers in Chicago, Seattle, Madison, Wis., St.
Paul, Minn., San Francisco, Portland, Ore., Montpelier,
Vt., Cambridge, Mass., and in neighborhoods throughout
New York City.
To seek out an Earth Dinner near you visit www.earthdinner.org/events.html.
Better yet, gather friends and family around your
own table using local and organic fare as your
culinary muse.
The Earth Dinner is supported by a broad-based
coalition of organizations including Beyond Pesticides,
Bioneers, Chefs Collaborative, Healthy Child Healthy
World (formerly Children's Health Environmental
Coalition), Earth Day Network, Earth Pledge, Eco
Education, Ecotrust, Environmental Working Group,
Heifer International, Slow Food USA, Small Planet
Institute, Social Venture Network, OM Organics,
The Organic Center, Organic Consumers Association,
and Waterkeeper Alliance.
Organic Valley/CROPP Cooperative: Independent
and Farmer-Owned
Organic Valley Family of Farms is America's largest
and oldest cooperative of organic farmers and
is one of the nation's leading organic brands.
Organized in 1988, it represents 940 farmers in
27 states and one Canadian province and realized
a record $335 million in 2006 sales. Focused on
its founding mission of keeping small and mid-sized
farmers farming, the cooperative produces 200
organic foods, including organic milk, soy, cheese,
butter, spreads, creams, eggs, produce, and juice.
Its sister brand, Organic Prairie, produces delicious
organic pork, beef and poultry. (www.organicprairie.com)
Look for Organic Valley and Organic Prairie in
leading supermarkets, natural foods stores and
food cooperatives nationwide. For more information,
call 1-888-444-MILK or visit www.organicvalley.coop.
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