True Cost of Food Campaign - Local Restaurant Outings

The True Cost of Food: A campaign to promote sustainable food choices. We, the consumers, through our food choices, can stop the practices that harm our health, our planet, and our quality of life. The True Cost of Food (TCOF) Campaign is sponsored by the Sierra Club National Sustainable Consumption Committee.
More about TCOF | Why it's important

Join us! Every month, Washington DC-area Sierra Club members and friends visit local restaurants, farmers markets, family farms, and each others’ homes to learn about ways we can make a difference in our local community while enjoying delicious new foods. Be sure to join us this year at the variety of events we will be hosting!

2008 Calendar:

January 17 (Thurs.) 6:30 p.m.
Mei’s Asian Bistro
3434 Washington Blvd, Arlington VA
behind Arlington GMU campus and within walking distance of the Virginia Square Metro (orange line)
703-516-0123 www.MeisAsianBistro.com
You won’t want to miss this one for ambiance and elegantly-prepared, delicious food! Japanese and Chinese offerings include over 30 vegetarian dishes such as vegan chicken, beef, pork and duck. We will ask the restaurant owner to prepare us a selection of vegan entrees that we will share family-style. Please RSVP to Grace Holden by January 15th at: gmh829@aol.com.

February 9th (Sat.) 11:00 a.m.
”Come Shop with Us” at the new Roots store in Olney (Maryland)
16800 Georgia Avenue, Olney, MD 20832
301-774-1344 http://rootsmkt.com/vis_location.htm
Join us on the Saturday before Valentine’s Day to pick out some special treats for the special someone in your life, or to enjoy with family and friends. Meet at the new Roots store in Olney for a guided tour of their healthful, organic produce and a demo of easy-to-prepare recipes. Please RSVP to BJ Altshul by February 7 at: bjsearth@hotmail.com or call 240-603-8454.

March 20 (Thurs.) 6:30 p.m.
The Reef Restaurant
2446 18th St NW, Washington DC
http://www.thereefdc.com
Free-range - Organic - Sustainable. Those are the principles of The Reef - a local, neighborhood haunt in Adams Morgan. The kitchen features dishes prepared with only the highest quality, organically grown, and seasonal produce and free-range meats provided by local farmers. The menu includes vegan and vegetarian items. One of the managers will sit down with us for a part of the dinner. If we're lucky, we might be able to dine on the roof! Please RSVP to Bowen Cho by March 19th at: bowencho@gmail.com

April 21 (Mon.) 7:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Sustainable Agriculture: What is it?
Lake Anne Community Center
1609 Washington Plaza, North Reston, Virginia
Are you interested in learning more about local farming practices that enable us to eat healthier foods without destroying the earth? Join the Sierra Club Great Falls Group for a True Cost of Food (TCOF) Program night featuring the Sustainable Consumption Committee's TCOF video, followed by a presentation by M.H. Newcomb of the Potomac Vegetable Farm in Fairfax and Cliff Miller of Mt. Vernon Farm, in Sperryville that raises free range grass fed animals as an alternative to environmentally destructive factory farm "meat." Q&A will follow each speaker's presentation. Watch a clip of the TCOF video at:
www.truecostoffood.org/truecostoffood/movie.asp.

For information about the Great Falls Group, please visit:
http://virginia.sierraclub.org/greatfalls/

May 7 (Wed.) 7:30 p.m.
George Washington University, Pandemic Prevention
Who: Dr. Michael Greger, Director of Public Health and Animal Agriculture for The Humane Society for the United States
What: Dr. Greger's talk, Pandemic Prevention, will be filmed before a live audience for a documentary film. The format will be similar to Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth. Pandemic Prevention explores the role that factory farming plays in the emergence and spread of infectious disease.
Where: Jack Morton Auditorium, George Washington University (off the Foggy Bottom-GWU metro stop. Click here for directions.
How: You are invited to be part of the audience! Admission is free, but seating is limited, so please RSVP by April 30th at: https://community.hsus.org/humane/events/talk_Dr_Greger_May7/details.tcl

May 15 (Thurs.) 6:30 p.m.
Busboys and Poets Book Discussion & Dinner
4251 S. Campbell Ave, Arlington VA
703-379-9756 http://www.busboysandpoets.com/about/
Located in the Village at Shirlington, the Busboys and Poets Arlington location is easily accessible by car - just follow the 395 exit marked "Shirlington" and follow the sign to "The Village at Shirlington." It is located across the street from Harris Teeter, The Arlington Public Library and the new Signature Theater. Garage parking is free. The menu features over a dozen vegan dishes including vegan calzones and soy cheese pizza. After dinner, the manager will discuss the latest in his collection of books about food and organic gardening which you can browse and purchase. Please RSVP to Diana Artemis by May 13 at: artemdi@yahoo.com

July 12 (Saturday) from 3:00 - 6:00 p.m.
3rd Annual Indian Cooking Demo at Home of Aashish Bhimani
6910 Courageous Circle, Burke, VA 22015
Want to know more about savory Indian cooking? Learn how to select produce, herbs and spices from our local organic markets and combine them into mouth-watering dishes. We thank Aashish and his family for offering this popular cooking class as an annual event!Because we are again expecting a large turnout for this event, we ask everyone to contribute to the food being served by bringing a vegan (without animal products) side dish to serve six people. See recipe ideas at: www.vegcooking.com/veganMenus.asp and www.sierraclub.org/sustainable_consumption/recipes/
Please RSVP to Diana Artemis by email at: artemdi@yahoo.com by Wednesday, June 11th.

August 21 (Thurs.) 7:00 p.m.
Soul Vegetarian Restaurant
2606 Georgia Ave NW, Washington DC
202-EAT-SOUL www.kingdomofyah.com/sv-menu.pdf
Soul Vegetarian's menu is a blend of international cuisines, integrating organic, kosher, and vegan fare for a delicious, earth-friendly, and healthy experience. Menu includes sandwiches, pizza, tofu, and so much more! Please RSVP to Bowen Cho by August 19th at: bowencho@gmail.com

September 18 (Thurs.) 6:30 p.m.
P.F. Chang’s
901 North Glebe Rd., Arlington VA
703-527-0955 www.pfchangs.com/location/loc_code.aspx?state=va
This wonderful restaurant in North Arlington features delicious Asian cuisine with a separate vegetarian menu that’s all vegan. We will ask the restaurant owner to prepare us a selection of vegan entrees that we will share family-style. Please RSVP to Grace Holden by September 16 at: gmh829@aol.com

October 18 (Sat.), meet at farm at noon
Red Wiggler Community Farm
23400 Ridge Rd, Germantown MD 20876
301-916-2216 www.redwiggler.org
Red Wiggler is a 501(c)3 non-profit founded in 1996 to create meaningful, fully included jobs for adults with developmental disabilities through the business of growing and selling high quality vegetables here in Montgomery County MD. The backbone of our farm is our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program which, by its nature, creates and nurtures a healthy and inclusive community. We also work to provide opportunities for area youth to participate in small scale farming. Finally, all our activities occur in cooperation with nature and through the lens of environmental stewardship.

More Information:

What: The TCOF campaign explores how agribusiness--and the everyday food choices we make--have environmental impact. The national campaign, which has local "legs" in our area, teaches about "eco-friendly" cuisine and how, as consumers, we can have a positive impact on the planet even through everyday acts like grocery shopping.

Why Important? The average meal travels 2,000 miles from farm to table. All the energy expended in harvesting, processing, packaging, storing, refrigerating, and transporting our food is a major contributor to carbon dioxide emissions and global warming. Buying food that is produced locally not only reduces greenhouse gas emissions, but has many additional benefits. Shopping at farmers' markets, roadside stands, pick-your-own operations, and joining CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture programs) helps keep dollars in the local economy, allows you to learn more about where your food comes from and how it is produced, keeps small family farms in business, and provides a regular opportunity for a community gathering (in the case of farmers' markets). For more information, including a downloadable discussion guide and short animated film, visit the TCOF home page at: www.truecostoffood.org/truecostoffood/

Sierra Club's True Cost of Food Outings are organized by leaders of the Washington D.C. Chapter, Mount Vernon Group (Virginia Chapter) and Montgomery Group (Maryland Chapter) of the Sierra Club. To start up a True Cost of Food group in your area, contact Diana Artemis at: artemdi@yahoo.com

Related Information:

Building Environmental Community in the Nation's Capital