Get hands-on with sustainable food at free OMSI event

OMSI is taking the concept of “farm to table” to a new level with its Dirt to Dinner event on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 4 and 5, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The free bilingual festival will highlight activities and organizations that support sustainable choices. It also will explore the life cycle of food, from farm to table and beyond.

Dirt to Dinner will help families learn more about the different stages of food — where it comes from and how it gets to where it is going. Hands-on activities will allow families to learn practices that help them make more sustainable decisions about their food — economically, environmentally and socially. Participants will learn about sustainable shopping, food preparation, gardening, food waste management and food preservation.

“The event creates a unique opportunity for OMSI to teach visitors how to make healthier and more sustainable choices around food that will benefit their well-being and lessen the impact on their wallet,” OMSI Events Manager Andrea Middleton said. “There is no other event in Portland that showcases the life cycle of the food on your plate and helps you to understand how your eating habits can reduce your impact on the environment. We will provide a fun, engaging way for families to learn practical new skills they can take home and apply to their everyday lives.”

Event partners represent every stage of food, from “dirt” — whether it’s growing food sustainably or composting — to “dinner,” including nutrition education and healthy recipe demonstrations.

Dirt to Dinner also underscores a major health issue facing today’s families: childhood obesity. Portland is famous for being home to many innovators in the world of food and health. A potent example is the End Childhood Obesity Project, a program from Portland’s National College of Natural Medicine that is funded by Bob and Charlee Moore, the founders of event partner Bob’s Red Mill. ECO is designed to reach out to communities that have recognized a need to improve their relationship with food and their understanding of nutrition, and help them to achieve and sustain healthy behavioral change.

“At OMSI we believe we can help be part of that change,” said Katie Forbes, health and wellness spokesperson for OMSI. “This entire event is designed to bring the community together around the concept of healthful eating.”

The health and sustainability aspects of this event directly address two of OMSI’s core initiatives: health and wellness and energy and the environment.

“Science is increasingly showing us that food healthy for our bodies is also food healthy for the environment,” said Chris Stockner, energy and the environment spokesperson for OMSI. “We can’t wait to share these concepts with the community in a fun weekend filled with demonstrations and hands-on activities.”

Presented by a grant from the National Science Foundation, Dirt to Dinner is sponsored by the Portland Tribune and Community Newspapers.