Vandana Shiva to Headline Ojai’s Earth Day
Categories: Event Info
Dr. Vandana Shiva will headline Ojai’s annual Earth Day Festival on Saturday April 23, to take place at Oak Grove School from 11-4pm.
Dr. Shiva will speak at 2:30 p.m. and will be introduced by Rick Ridgeway. There will be a book signing after Dr. Shiva’s appearance.
A Ph.D. in the Philosophy of Quantum Theory, Dr. Shiva is the founder and director of Navdanya, a network of seed keepers and organic food producers in 18 Indian states. Navdanya serves more than 500,000 farmers and the organization’s efforts have resulted in the conservation of more than 3000 rice varieties and the establishment of more than 60 seed banks in India.
Often described as Monsanto’s worst nightmare, Dr. Shiva is a vocal opponent of chemically dependent industrial agriculture and one of the world’s leading voices in defense of organic and regenerative food systems.
She is the director of the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology in India, chair of the Commission on the Future of Food, board member of the International Forum on Globalization, co-founder of Regeneration International, and an inspiration to multitudes of eco-activist organizations around the world. She also advises governments worldwide and presents at the U.N.
Her numerous awards include the Right Livelihood Award, the Lennon ONO Grant for Peace Award, and the Earth Day International Award.
Time Magazine has identified Vandana Shiva as an “Environmental Hero,” Asia Week describes her as one of Asia’s five most powerful communicators, and Forbes Magazine has identified her as one of the “Seven Most Powerful Feminists on the Globe.”
Shiva is the author and editor of more than twenty books including, most recently, Seed Sovereignty, Food Security.
Her life story is also the subject of a documentary film, The Seeds of Vandana Shiva, in post-production with Ojai based film company Becket Films, scheduled for release in October 2016.
Award-winning writer and filmmaker, Rick Ridgeway, will appear with Dr. Shiva. Ridgeway oversees Patagonia clothing company’s environmental and sustainability initiatives and he is also the founder of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition that represents over 30% of global clothing production. Mr. Ridgeway is a legendary mountaineer and adventurer, and the first American to ascend K2. National Geographic has honored him with its “Lifetime Achievement in Adventure” award.
This event was made possible with the support of Oak Grove School, Becket Films, Patagonia, Navdanya, Ojai Green Coalition, Center for Regenerative Agriculture, Food for Thought Ojai, Ojai Valley Land Conservancy, The Farmer and the Cook, and North Atlantic Books.
Tags: Sustainability & Conservation Vandana Shiva Food Policy & Sustainability
About the Author
Doug Reil
Douglas Reil is a publishing industry veteran with more than twenty-five years served in various roles. Formerly the Publisher and Executive Director at the nonprofit trade publisher North Atlantic Books, he began his career with a six-year stint at Inland Book Company followed by a decade at Publishers Group West. Prior to joining North Atlantic, he built a web-based CRM system at Interschola, a B-Corp that assists schools in distributing surplus assets. In 2011 he founded Bay Food Shed, a community-based organization that creates initiatives at the intersection of local food and the gift economy.
