Heroic Organizations
CORNUCOPIA INSTITUTE
The Cornucopia Institute engages in educational activities supporting the ecological principles and economic wisdom underlying sustainable and organic agriculture. Through research and investigations on agriculture and food issues, The Cornucopia Institute provides needed information to family farmers, consumers, and other stakeholders in the good food movement – by creating scorecard ratings for products.
BILLION OYSTER PROJECT
Billion Oyster Project (BOP) is restoring oyster reefs to New York Harbor in collaboration with New York City communities. Oyster reefs provide habitat for hundreds of species, and can protect our city from storm damage — softening the blow of large waves, reducing flooding, and preventing erosion along the shorelines. We also run four oyster nurseries where we grow oysters for future reef installations and conduct scientific experiments.
ORGANIC CONSUMERS ASSOCIATION
Organic Consumers Association (OCA) educates and advocates on behalf of organic consumers, engages consumers in marketplace pressure campaigns, and works to advance sound food and farming policy through grassroots lobbying. We address crucial issues around food safety, industrial agriculture, genetic engineering, children’s health, corporate accountability, Fair Trade, environmental sustainability, including pesticide use, and other food- and agriculture-related topics.
MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM
The world’s seafood supply is at risk. For over 20 years, the Aquarium has been working to change that by shaping the seafood industry from the ground up. Their Seafood Watch program rates seafood caught or farmed around the globe based on scientific criteria of environmental sustainability. Consumers and business owners can use our recommendations to find seafood that is sustainably produced.
MAINE GRAIN ALLIANCE
Beginning with the first Kneading Conference in 2007, the Maine Grain Alliance has provided opportunities to learn and share how best to grow and use grains to thousands of individuals across the world. The Maine Grain Alliance promotes beneficial uses of grain for good health, food independence, and purposeful jobs within viable communities.
FOOD TANK
Food Tank is building a global community for safe, healthy, nourished eaters. They spotlight and support environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable ways of alleviating hunger, obesity, and poverty and create networks of people, organizations, and content to push for food system change.
PLANT BASED ASSOCIATION
Founded in 2016, the Plant Based Foods Association is the first and only trade association in the U.S. representing over 200 of the nation’s leading plant-based food companies. PBFA’s mission is to build a strong foundation for the industry to scale and thrive. PBFA works to remove obstacles to a fair and competitive marketplace for plant-based foods. PBFA empowers the industry by advocating for government policies that allow fair competition, while expanding market opportunities for retail, distribution, and foodservice to support the continued growth of the plant-based foods industry
CHESAPEAKE BAY FOUNDATION OYSTER RESTORATION
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation recognizes that saving the Bay is uniquely tied to restoring the native oyster, Crassostrea virginica. They turn 2,000 bushels of recycled oyster shells each year into habitat for millions of oysters planted in the Bay and its rivers. Once the recycled shells are cleaned and cured, CBF places them in huge water tanks containing millions of microscopic oyster larvae, which then attach to the shells. On average, each recycled shell can become home to dozens of those baby oysters, called spat. CBF provides the spat-on-shell to its oyster gardeners and plants them in rivers and the Bay to grow and expand oyster reefs.
EDIBLE SCHOOLYARD PROJECT
The Edible Schoolyard Project is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the transformation of public education by using organic school gardens, kitchens, and cafeterias to teach both academic subjects and the values of nourishment, stewardship, and community. Edible education provides hands-on experiences that connect students to food, nature, and each other; and it systematically addresses the crises of climate change, public health, and social inequality. At its heart is a dynamic and joyful learning experience for every child.
THE SHELLFISH GROWERS CLIMATE COALITION
The Shellfish Growers Climate Coalition is a partnership, initiated by seven East and West Coast shellfish farms, and The Nature Conservancy. The founding farms recognize that climate change poses a threat to business and food production for a rapidly growing human population. The Coalition is open to members representing all food sectors who wish to engage with consumers and policy makers to help chart America’s course towards a low carbon future. Shellfish growers are seeing a range of impacts on their businesses and their bottom lines. Some are experiencing the impact of ocean acidification, which is influenced by increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, on larval oysters that are unable to grow shell properly. Others are seeing the impacts of sea level rise on their coastal businesses. And, increased frequency and intensity of storms impacts shellfish growers’ ability to get their products to market reliably.
STONE BARNS CENTER
Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture is the product of a collaborative agricultural and gastronomic experiment. Its seeds were planted in the 1990s by the Rockefeller family, together with conservation planners, organic farmers, chefs and many others who came together to set a common vision and purpose for the land.
Their goal was to make the beauty and agricultural heritage of the property accessible to the public in hopes of establishing a dynamic campus of farmers, chefs and educators working together to inspire and reconnect the local community to food and farming.
YOUNG FARMERS
The National Young Farmers Coalition is a national advocacy network of young farmers fighting for the future of agriculture. They change policy, build networks, and provide business services to ensure all young farmers have the chance to succeed.
UPCYCLED FOOD ASSOCIATION
Upcycled Food Association is leveraging market forces to prevent food waste by coordinating hundreds of companies around the world and empowering millions of consumers to prevent climate change with the products they buy.
NY/NJ BAYKEEPER
Since 1989, NY/NJ Baykeeper serves as the citizen advocate for the harbors, bays, streams and shores of the NY-NJ Harbor Estuary by preserving and restoring habitat, influencing land use decisions, stopping polluters, championing public access and educating the public. We work with federal and state regulators and citizen groups as partners in planning for a sustainable future for the NY-NJ Harbor Estuary.
JAMES BEARD FOUNDATION
The James Beard Foundation is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to celebrate, support, and elevate the people behind America’s food culture and champion a standard of good food anchored in talent, equity, and sustainability. The Foundation is working to create a more equitable and sustainable future.
AMERICAN CHEESE SOCIETY
American Cheese Society (ACS) provides the cheese industry with educational resources and networking opportunities, while encouraging the highest standards of cheesemaking focused on safety and sustainability.
NOFA
The Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA) is a coalition of seven NOFA state chapters. Our purpose is to advocate for and educate on organic and sustainable agriculture, family-scale farming and homesteading in rural, suburban and urban areas, agricultural justice and other related policy issues. The NOFA Interstate Council serves as the Board of the NOFA chapters’ coalition