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Examining food justice in the Rocky Mountains

19.07.2016

This summer the University of Denver - Western Colorado Master Social Work (DU MSW) is focusing on sustainable food systems in the Western Slope and Central Rocky Mountain Region in rural Colorado, United States. The concept of food justice is being explored through a community dialogue and panel presentation this week.

The panelists include local mountain farmer Brook LeVan, co-founder of Sustainable Settings Ranch in Carbondale, Colorado, and Eric Kornacki, CEO of ReVision co-op in Denver, Colorado. Both panelists focus their work on sustainable food systems where local mountain community members are empowered to grow their own food and decrease their vulnerability to insecure food access.

Partners for this initiative also include The State of Colorado Hunger Through My Lens photo-voice project and Pitkin County Health and Human Services. Pictures from the photo-voice project are being showcased throughout the event. The pictures were taken by community members in the mountains who are food insecure. Each photo illustrates what hunger looks like in the Rocky Mountains.

The DU MSW helps to bridge the gap in higher education in rural mountain areas, bringing the DU MSW program to those who need workforce development the most. They focus on the sustainability of the communities in the mountains from a social justice and human rights lens in social work with an emphasis on environmental justice.

The event is free and open to the public and will take place on 22 July in Glenwood Springs, Colorado.

Photo: University of Denver Western Colorado MSW Program

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