Today was a better day. As Kamala and Joe finished their speeches, I had the privilege to lead a Zoom conversation with my brother, force of nature and changemaker inspiration Chef José Andrés about food, food policy, food security, food relief, food sourcing and food justice — with special guest and beautiful soul Chef Alice Waters — at our Turning Green Harvest Benefit, where 100+ guests enjoyed a fresh local organic dinner delivered to their homes, masterfully prepared by Chef Alice Waters of Chez Panisse, Tanya Holland of Brown Sugar Kitchen, Daniel Tellez of Copita Tequileria y Comida, Dolores Coleman of DeeOrganics, Guillaume Pfahl of Conscious Kitchen, Ashley Ugarte of Dandelion Chocolate, and Omar Huerta with bounties of seasonal ingredients from Tomatero Organic Farms, Frog Hollow Farm, Earl's Organic Produce, Good Earth Natural Foods, Miyoko's and many more esteemed local purveyors who steward our soils with purpose and passion. Our phenomenal student leaders of past and present spoke eloquently about the power and impact of our organization; thank you Madeleine Welsch, Aradhya Seth, and Dahlia Zail for speaking from the heart and representing our values in your everyday. We never could have foreseen our annual Turning Green event would need to be virtual due to Covid, nor that the election would be called today or victory speeches given at almost that precise hour, but the universe works in mysterious ways.
So no, today was not an easy day in the midst of a worsening pandemic and climate crisis, amid deep division and systemic racism, but there is hope yet — for justice, for our people, for our planet, for our children, for our lands. The President-Elect and VP-Elect underscore a clear and urgent focus on the environment, facts and science, on education, democracy and health, on goodness, truth and unity — in the campaign, policy platform and even tonight’s speeches. To quote our future POTUS: "The unrelenting impact of climate change affects every single one of us. It doesn’t avoid ‘red states’ or ‘blue states.’ It doesn’t stop because someone voted a certain way. How many more communities need to be destroyed until we listen to scientists? How many more lives need to be lost until we do something?” And it requires immediate action, not denial, on the pressing issues that matter to us, our country, world, livelihoods, ecosystems, and next generation. As individuals and an organization, we will continue to use our voices, votes and actions to hold elected leaders at all levels accountable, advocate for legislative change, collaborate with partners, and drive critical grassroots work to educate, organize and mobilize through our Turning Green programs online and on the ground, as we hope you will too!