Youth A.C.T.

Health is a complicated topic. Many factors contribute to being overweight and obese. Sugar, however, is one of the worst substances for your body. Robert H. Lustin, MD, UCSF Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology, explores the damage the sugary foods cause. He argues that too much fructose and not enough fiber are large cornerstones of the obesity epidemic.

Hyperlocavore is a free yard sharing community website for people who love locally grown food and want to make arrangements with other to share resources — time, space, tools, or skills. The website is a resource for anyone who wants to reach out to their community and connect locally to create local sustainable foods for each other.

Neighborhood Fruit is a service for people to find and share fruit online. Developed out of a final project at Presidio School of Management, the site was created to make local, urban crops available and shared with the community and neighbors. If you are interested, go and sign up for an account on their site.

If you live in Massachusetts, the Department of Agricultural Resources has a list of all farmers’ markets in Massachusetts. They are listed by county, and contains hours of operation and locations. Check your own state website to see if this information is available.

Hungry For Change is a film by Robert Kenner who exposes how the food industry is controlled by a handful of corporations to bring us genetically modified produce, processed foods dervied from corn, and bigger cuts of meat. How much do you really know about the food you buy at the supermarket? Check the website for more for showtimes at your local theater, and get involved with the initiative.

Will Allen in an agriculturalist from Milwaukee, WI and was named a MacArthur Fellow in 2008 for his approach to urban gardening. He is the CEO of Growing Power, an organization dedicated to providing local, affordable communities and building relationships in the community through local urban farming.

Join the organic revolution with this amusing short from FreeRange Studios.

Ann Cooper is a “renegade lunch lady” whose goal is to revolutionize the way kids are eating in our schools by promoting healthy eating and serving fresh, regional, organic sources for meals. Her website, Lunch Lessons, is her mission to change the way our kids eat.