2012–13 LECTURES

ERIKA ALLEN, Growing Power

Tuesday, Oct 25, 2011 6pm

Access Living: 115 W. Chicago Ave.

Closing the Loop: Planning and Implementation of Community Food Systems

Ms. Allen will present a series of projects exploring the intersection of community food systems and design. Her talk with center on new multidisciplinary strategies for implementing good food production, in Chicago and nationally, and incorporating social justice and economic development into urban agriculture frameworks.

Erika Allen is Projects Manager at Growing Power Chicago. Her specialties include project planning; community food systems design; direct marketing training; advising limited resource producers on farm business development,; and working in partnerships to create healthy and diverse food options in inner city and rural communities. Her recent work includes launching the Chicago Food Policy Council, where she serves as co-chair. Erika also serves as civic co-chair for The City of Chicago's Chicago Organic Initiative's Education, Training and Schools subcommittee.

The daughter of Growing Power founder Will Allen, Erika spent her formative years involved in all aspects of farm management. Years of experience working in urban communities with art education and social service have brought her full circle back to her farming roots. Integrating creative and therapeutic techniques with food security and community development have led her to establish four urban agriculture and food system projects in Chicago. Erika received a Bachelor's of Fine Arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a Master's in art therapy from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Erika was an awardee for the Chicago Tribune's Good Eating Award in 2006 and was honored by Family Focus in 2007 for her work in community food systems. In 2009, Women's Environmental Institute (WEI) honored Erika as a Mother of the Environment for Minneapolis/St. Paul. She is also a Post Carbon Institute Fellow. Erika currently serves on the Illinois Food, Farms and Jobs Act Council appointed by Illinois Governor Quinn and most recently served on Mayor Rahm Emmanuel's transition team on Energy, Environment and Public Space.

Space is limited: Please RSVP Online

$5 suggested donation at the door.

For more information on our Sustainable Food and Design lecture series click HERE.