Greetings,It's great to have an opportunity to discuss the diminishing quality of our food sources and a chef's integral role in supporting sustainable foodways. As well-informed spokespeople about the crucial issues impacting our safe food sources, chefs can and should play an important role in conveying the problems to the local and global community and devise ways to collaborate on solutions.I began working Greece 11 years ago on educational programs that linked visitors with traditional chefs, bakers, fishers, shepherds-cheesemakers, organic farmers, olive oil and wine producers. They share their invaluable knowledge about centuries-old sustainable living practices, their culture and excellent cuisine. In return, we pay our teachers well for their time and expertise. We benefit from a great learning experience and our teachers benefit from our support to carry on their traditional trades that are fast disappearing. Back in 1998, we did not call our work *green* but considered it to...

Note from Nikki: This brief report below makes the concept of culinary heritage preservation seem extreme. At this point in time, it needs to be extreme in many regions of the world. More comments to follow. Tuscan Town Accused of ‘Culinary Racism’ for 'Ethnic' Food BanBy Flavia Krause-JacksonJan. 27 (Bloomberg) -- The Tuscan town of Lucca is being accused of “culinary racism” after banishing from its historic center restaurants that serve different “ethnic” foods.Lucca’s municipal council ruled yesterday that “with a view to safeguarding culinary traditions and the authenticity of structure, architecture, culture and history, establishments whose activities can be tracked to different ethnicities won’t be allowed to operate.”The architects of the ban say it applies to fast-food outlets, which includes not just kebab stalls, but also takeaway pizza stands, and the aim is to highlight the local cuisine that boasts dishes based on beans, rabbit and salt cod. A spokeswoman...

From the Rodale Institute:"Global Warming is an issue that impacts everyone, yet it is also is an issue where everyone can make an impact. Simple everyday tasks, such as what food you buy, can either contribute to—or reduce—global warming. Rodale Institute research shows that organically managed soils can store (sequester) more than 1,000 pounds of carbon per acre, while non-organic systems can cause carbon loss. For consumers, this means that the simple act of buying organic products can help to reduce global climate change. “In this age of carbon awareness, we think farmers should be well rewarded for innovative stewardship that builds soil for future generations,” says Tim LaSalle, the Institute’s CEO"Full story: http://www.rodaleinstitute.org/global_warming

From Bill Moyers *Truthout"National Food Fight? Airdate: Friday, November 28, 2008, at 9:00 p.m. EST on PBS"As Americans gather to give thanks this week, food - quality, quantity, cost - remains a national issue. Bill Moyers Journal takes a hard look at how America's food policies - trade rules, farm subsidies and regulation - affect larger issues, including global warming, healthcare and even homeland security. Bill Moyers sits down with Michael Pollan, Knight Professor of Journalism at UC Berkeley, to discuss what direction the US should pursue in the often-overlooked question of food policy. Pollan is the author of "In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto."More info: http://www.truthout.org/112508U

Recent articles in the New York Times that are interrelated (but some people might not yet see the correlation). The first is about preservation of culinary heritage in France (implementation plan not yet clear). The second is about disappearing culinary heritage in one region of Crete and the health consequences of adopting western eating habits (and the influence-power of western junk food PR). This is all the more reason find concrete ways to preserve disappearing traditions that are healthier for people and the planet, beginning with the obvious -- tangible support for current educational-preservation programs and acknowledgment of the benefits of such programs for residents and visitors.French Cuisine, Exalted by Chefs as a World Heritage TreasureBy ELAINE SCIOLINOPublished: September 23, 2008, The New York Timeshttp://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/24/dining/2...per&oref=sloginFast Food Hits Mediterranean; a Diet SuccumbsBy ELISABETH ROSENTHALPublished: September 23, 2008, The New York Timeshttp://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/24/world/eu.../24diet.html?em

Greetings,Crete's Culinary Sanctuaries August Newsletter is up.It's officially hot and sunny until further notice. If we don't have to cook, we won't.http://www.cookingincrete.com/CCS-Newslett...ummer-2008.htmlAll the best,Nik

Greetings,Scholarships are available for Crete's Culinary Sanctuaries Seminar Series: Cuisine from the Ground Up, focus on traditional, sustainable foodwaysOctober 12 - 18, 2008, Crete, Greece. An accredited program for professionals from the agriculture, culinary arts and sustainable development fields. Presentations by sustainable organic farmers, chefs, vintners, botanists, nature conservationists and historians. Limited to 12 participants. 35 CE hours (CDR and ACF). Coordinated with Field to Plate USA. Details are on our website www.cookingincrete.com.All the best,Nikki and the CCS NetworkCCS is an acclaimed program for best practices in responsible travel

Greetings,Crete's Culinary Sanctuaries is a finalist in National Geographic's Geotourism Challenge. The competition aims to identify innovations in tourism that sustain, enhance and preserve local culture and place. Competition winners are decided by public votes. So please vote for CCS and tell 2000 friends. Voting concludes on June 11. Voters are required to register first and select 3 favorite entries. Just make sure one of them is CCS.Here's the link: http://www.changemakers.net/node/2104/voteThis is a very important outlet to create awareness of the importance of community-based programs that help to protect Crete's significant cultural and natural heritage. Support of the practitioners is crucial. Please vote by June 11.All the best,Nikki

Sharing a message received from: Jennifer Moody and Oliver Rackham authors of "The making of the Cretan landscape", 1996 / "I Dimiourghia tou Kritikou Topiou", 2004Synopsis: Detailed information about the Cavo Sidero golf resort plans for Eastern Crete and petitions to block the project:http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/Save-the-Cretan-landscapeThe court case is set for May 9th. Time is short.There is also a protest group in Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=24105721480Links to articles in The Guardian and NY Times.http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/08/19/travel/19heads.html?http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008...dangeredspecieshttp://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/05/greece.pollutionhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008...06/conservation

FYI,Crete's Culinary Sanctuaries entered National Geographic and Ashoka’s Changemakers Geotourism Challenge: Join the global search for innovations in tourism that sustain, enhance and preserve local culture and place.http://www.changemakers.net/en-us/node/5643You'll find that project managers also face the challenge of defining why their programs are distinctive and mandatory in their communities, when there is nothing to compare their work to...as in...standard travel practices that generally take what they can from local communities rather than help to preserve them.All the best,Nikki