• Danielle Todd - Director, Make Food Not Waste

• Renee V. Wallace - Executive Director, FoodPLUS Detroit

• Darraugh Collins - Site Director (Detroit), Food Rescue US

Food loss and waste occurs across the food system, resulting in roughly 40% of our food ending up in landfills. Landfilling food leads to such drastic changes in our atmosphere that “food waste reduction” is considered to be the number one solution to climate change by leading climate research group, Project Drawdown. In this panel conversation, you’ll learn how groups across Michigan and the U.S. are creating innovative ways to prevent, recover and recycle food in order to keep it out of landfills and where the opportunities remain. You will also come away with a greater understanding of how you can personally and easily make a positive impact on wasted food. 

• Carolyn Koch - Community Engagement Coordinator - Health Educator, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services

• Jeremy Waechter - Detroit Community Outreach Coordinator, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services

Fishing provides a local low-cost to free source of lean protein for many anglers and their families. However, environmental contamination has long been a problem in our local lakes and river that support this resource on which communities depend. Some types of locally caught fish have higher levels of harmful chemicals such as mercury, PCBs, PFOS, and dioxins that have been linked to chronic diseases. Staff from the Eat Safe Fish at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services will share results of a biomonitoring study that measured levels of chemicals found in area anglers who eat fish from the Detroit River. The program evaluates levels of chemicals in Michigan caught fish, issues the Michigan Fish Consumption Guidelines, and provides education and information about chemicals in locally caught and store-bought fish. The program works to expand community partnerships and collaborations to reduce exposure and risks of developing adverse health effects from eating fish