1. Home
2.  > 
3. Academics
4.  > 
5. Program Overview
6.  > 
7. Center for Food Studies
8.  > 
9. ThinkFOOD 2021

ThinkFOOD 2021

Field and Forest, October 1 – 2, 2021

ThinkFOOD 2021 will look to nature for sustainable ways of feeding ourselves and softening our impact on the planet. Our workshop themes include sustainable eating from home gardens, food entrepreneurship, urban gardening, ethical foraging, agroforestry, and Berkshire-local agricultural initiatives.

Choose from outdoor workshops, in-person workshops, or Zoom workshops. Consult the workshop schedule for details.

In-person events will be held at the Fisher Science Center on the Simon's Rock campus. Masks are required indoors.

The Center for Food Studies at Bard College at Simon's Rock presents our 8th annual ThinkFOOD conference with in-person and virtual workshops on Saturday, October 2, with a special preview workshop on Friday, October 1. ThinkFOOD 2021 will help you eat, garden, and think about food in a more sustainable way. We'll offer interactive sessions with practical takeaways from experts in and around the Berkshires and beyond. 

Emily M. Broad Leib, Clinical Professor of Law, Faculty Director, Food Law and Policy Clinic at Harvard Law School and author of the “Blueprint for a National Food Strategy” will give the keynote address. 

The conference is free for all students. Tickets are $25 for access to all sessions or $10 for keynote only; lunch tickets are $10. Discount tickets available; please email for details. ACE credit is available for Simon's Rock students. 

Registration now Open!

Register online by October 1; in-Person registration available October 2 or email, thinkfood@simons-rock.edu.

Register to attend the Conference

Devan Arnold from Sassafras Landcare discusses designing a pollinator garden outside the Fisher Science Center at ThinkFOOD 2019

Speakers from Soul Fire Farm and Greenagers at lunch at  the 2018 Conference

Keynote Address! 2:30 - 3:30 p.m.

By Emily M. Broad Leib, Clinical Professor of Law and Faculty Director, Food Law and Policy Clinic at Harvard Law School Author of the “Blueprint for a National Food Strategy”
in-person/Zoom event

Registration now Open!

Online registration closes October 1.

Register to attend the Conference

For more information, contact Maryann Tebben, Director of the Center for Food Studies and faculty in Languages and Literature, at mtebben@simons-rock.edu.

“We want to empower attendees to learn more about Berkshire-local and regional initiatives aimed at softening our impact on the planet in the realms of agriculture, forestry, food service, and feeding ourselves.”

-Professor Maryann Tebben,
Center for Food Studies at Simon's Rock

Interested in last year's conference? Watch the videos here:

ThinkFOOD 2020: Eating to Save the Planet

Panel 1: View Recording
"Shop and Eat Green" with Alana Chernila of Guido's Fresh Marketplace, Steve Browning and Laura Rodriguez of Prairie Whale, and Nicole Galambos of Vanguard Renewables

Panel 2: View Recording

"Rethinking the Farm" with Jennifer Phillips, Assistant Professor, Bard Center for Environmental Policy, Mo Constantine '18, Masters of Sociology at Brock University, and Will Conklin, Director of Greenagers

Panel 3: View Recording

"Food Justice" with Jess Vecchia, Co-Director, Roots Rising in Pittsfield, MA, Ibrahim Ali, Co-Executive Director, Gardening the Community, Springfield, MA, and Laurie Beyranevand, Director, Center for Agriculture & Food Systems, Vermont Law School

Keynote Address: View Recording

Brian Donahue: "A New England Food Vision: Linking Food Justice, Healthier Eating, and Sustainable Farming"

Conference Sponsors

Thank you to our sponsors, who helped make this conference possible:

Berkshire Agricultural Ventures
Great Barrington Agricultural Commission
Guido's Fresh Marketplace
Berkshire Grown
The Nutrition Center

 

Additional Resources

• Past Conferences
• Food Studies