talk
february 2009
Changing the world in bite-sized bits
This inspiring, intriguing and entertaining presentation will include a cooking demo to zero in on some perplexing and vexing food issues and help you prepare this recipe for a sustainable future:-
Ingredients
1 wild-caught vision (check that your eyes are shiny and clear)
1 free and tasty imagination (cleaned of ‘Business As Usual’ barriers to action)
1 delicious set of values (covering social, environmental, aesthetic and personal)
1 complement of living flavours (think, design, create, feel, feast and play)
A good dash of commitment, a jiggle of courage and a generous serve of optimism.
Method
1. A visioning exercise to create the new neural pathways needed for change to follow. 2. An assessment of “where am I and where do I want to be” 3. An analysis of some small steps that lead to the goal and some timelines, targets and rewards. 4. Action to support the good work of others, especially the grass-roots community and environment groups. 5. Engage with your community where possible and cast a thoughtful vote. 6. Serve with a good look, the gift of hope and, when available, always serve with plenty of humour. 7. Cook up daily and share joyfully with family, friends and complete strangers.
Giselle Wilkinson has been a social and environmental activist for over thirty years. Influenced by early experiences of communal living and travel and her studies toward a Masters degree in Education, Giselle realised earlier then most that choosing to live consciously is a powerful force for positive change. Always appreciative of good food, the kitchen is filled with delicious cooking smells. Her creativity is also reflected in her original artwork and her productive vegetable garden and fruit trees. In 2007/08, Giselle authored ‘The Conscious Cook’. This book takes us on a journey into the breadth of food-associated issues, helps us join the dots connecting the issues and demonstrates the complexity of sustainability and the simplicity of many of the actions involved in achieving it.
Melanie Chan likes eating, cooking, and thinking about where her food comes from. She put all of those to good use helping Giselle out with the editing of her book ‘The Conscious Cook’. Her favourite past-time is feeding people nice things, and being fed nice things herself. She strongly denies that she joined the Feast programming team just because you get to eat more stuff in the Feast talk tent than you do in Think. She is the proud owner of an overgrown tomato plant in a sunny window, and five million jars of homemade Seville orange marmalade.