Strawberry workers, Salinas Valley. Photo by base10, Creative Commons

As I already wrote, Christmas Day is an opportunity for Jews and other non-Christians to come together in creative ways.  So, my friend Nadya and I braved gusty winds, dodged tumbleweeds, weathered snow flurries as we climbed over mountain passes and held our noses as we passed CAFOs.  Why would two nice Jewish girls endure such challenges?  To get to the Hazon conference in Pacific Grove, California.  Hazon (vision in Hebrew) is an organization devoted to promoting sustainable agriculture and environmentalism within the framework of Judaism.

So, while Nadya and I were actually pretty shielded from nature’s elements in the comfort of my car, there were some ironic moments on the way to this food conference.  For those of you who haven’t had the opportunity to be within range of a CAFO (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation), I recommend it because the stench and images are profound.  It really gives you a moment to think about our disconnect from our food sources that has enabled us to live in a society that supports and allows for the industrialization of one of our most precious resources and significant daily ritual. What are the consequences of our industrialized system of bringing food to our tables every day?

The second hair-raising moment was passing Tanimura and Antel and other farms industrial giants in Steinbeck country (aka Salinas Valley, America’s salad bowl).  These corporate farms entice you from your passing car with three-story high wooden cut outs of bent-over smiling white farm workers dressed in their make-shift sun protection garb.  Unless these farm workers are members of the United Farm Workers, these wooden cut outs are more appropriate at a Tanimura and Antel puppet show.

I’m already incredibly inspired by the people I’ve met at Hazon and their efforts to change our food system.  The landscapes I passed on my trip here provide inspiration for what we need to move from. Hazon is already helping to implement their visions for what we can and need to move towards.

takepart with the United Farm Workers and Hazon to learn about their efforts for a more just and sustainable food system.