Photo by Grant Kessler.

The Good Food Festival is coming to Chicago March 15-17!

When I eat food, I want it to be good. Oh, I put”bad” food down the gullet—a pint of Ben & Jerry’s almost every weekend, the occasional candy from my son’s “secret” stash—but mostly I focus on putting fresh, organic, sustainable food into my body. I think I’m healthier for it and, although good food can cost more (at times, but not always), I’m worth it. So is my family.

Good Food n. /güd/ /füd/ (as defined by The Good Food Festival)
1. Delicious, healthy food produced as close to home as possible, by family farmers and producers that use sustainable, humane, and fair practices.
2. A rapidly growing movement driven by strong customer demand.
3. A Festival and Conference that promotes the growth of the movement.

I wasn’t always so diligent about my food selections and my conversion to good food (not yet at 100%, I must admit) didn’t happen overnight. It’s an ongoing learning process which began with my advocacy for the environment. But I have come to understand that good food is not only better for us and our children. It’s better for the earth. It also helps ensure the survival of our bees and other pollinators, without which we could not survive. The reasons for good food are too plentiful to list here.

To gain a better grasp on the bigger picture, I’m attending the Good Food Festival. It will be a great and fun way to learn about the Good Food Movement from passionate, nationally significant leaders and I hope you’ll consider joining me.

The festival will be located at the UIC Forum—725 West Roosevelt in Chicago.

Highlights of the festival:

1. In-depth workshops featuring top experts and nationally recognized speakers shedding light on timely topics like growing your own food, good food activism, eating on a budge and even backyard chickens! For the full workshop schedule, click here.
2. 2-day speaker series featuring national and regional leaders of the good food movement.
3. Cooking demos from Chicago’s finest chefs, including “Most Sustainable Chef” Bruce Sherman, Heather Terhune and Mark Mendez.
4. Interactive Kids Corner, including a scavenger hunt, arts and crafts, face painting and more! Children under 12 are admitted to the Good Food Festival FREE when accompanied by an adult.
5. Programming focused on moving school food procurement towards more healthful, regionally  sourced and sustainably produced options.
6. 150 Good Food exhibitors including farmers and food artisans offering a wide selection of local food, gifts, Community Supported Agriculture memberships and lots of useful information to help you eat locally and healthy year-round.
7. “Localicious” party (Friday night) which pairs family farmers with chef-driven restaurants for a sampling of the freshest ingredients and flavors of the season.

Buy your tickets online to save. And be on the lookout for a ticket giveaway on sponsor myEARTH360.com’s facebook page and twitter!

For updates, follow @GoodFoodFestChi on twitter and join their facebook page.

Can’t make the festival? Get started with good food with a Community Supported Agriculture membership as a way to buy local, seasonal food directly from a farmer. Click here to find one near you. There might be a home food delivery service that supports local and organic independent farmers. If you’re in Chicagoland, I recommend Irv + Shelly’s Fresh Picks. Mention my name with your first order and you’ll receive a food gift valued at $15!

Don’t eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food. ~ Michael Pollan

Still not sure about good food? Consider this…

If your car requires “Premium” gas, do you put in the lowest grade? I think most people would answer no. Well, we need to think about our bodies in the same way. We’ll run better on good food—good meaning healthy. Organic. Sustainable. Locally and humanely grown. GMO-free. Tastier! And, if we all support good food, it will become more and more accessible. And the world will be a better place. (Did that sound lecture-y?)

* originally published on my blog, I Count for myEARTH.