Will Work For Food Policy NEWSLETTER ISSUE NO. 8 Wayne’s Weekly Hacks: Mainstream is the Message Thanks for opening Number 8 of my skills-building newsletter. My Snappy Hacks will reveal the skills you need to succeed as a farmer, landscaper, chef, line cook, dietitian, maitre d’, server, researcher, campaigner, policy wonk, activist, social worker, barista, actionist, animator, teacher, coach, blogger, promoter, speaker,…
Author: Wayne Roberts
Wayne Roberts is a Canadian food policy analyst and writer, widely respected for his role as the manager of the Toronto Food Policy Council, a citizen body of 30 food activists and experts that is widely recognized for its innovative approach to food security, from 2000-2010.
As a leading member of the City of Toronto’s Environmental Task Force, he helped develop a number of official plans for the city, including the Environmental Plan and Food Charter, adopted by Toronto City Council in 2000 and 2001 respectively. Many ideas and projects of the TFPC are featured in Roberts’ book The No-Nonsense Guide to World Food (2008).
Since 1989, Roberts has written a weekly column for Toronto’s NOW Magazine, generally on themes that link social justice, public health and green economics.
In 2002, he received the Canadian Environment Award for his contributions to sustainable living. NOW Magazine named Roberts one of Toronto’s leading visionaries of the past 20 years. In 2008, he received the Canadian Eco-Hero Award presented by Planet in Focus. In 2011, he received the University of Toronto Arbor Award for his role in establishing food studies as a field of study at University of Toronto.
Roberts earned a Ph.D. in social and economic history from the University of Toronto in 1978, and has written seven books, including Get A Life! (1995), a manual on green economics, and Real Food For A Change (1999), which promotes a food system based on the four ingredients of health, joy, justice and nature.
Roberts chaired the influential and Toronto-based Coalition for a Green Economy for 15 years. He has also served on the Board of the U.S.-based Community Food Security Coalition and Food Secure Canada. He is on the board of Green Enterprise Toronto, an organization of local eco-businesses that’s associated with the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies across North America. He has been invited to speak around the world on strategies that combine food security, community empowerment, environmental improvement, social equity and job creation.
Prior to his involvement with environmental issues, Roberts worked for two decades in the fields of community organizing, university teaching, media, labour education, industrial relations and union administration.
Wayne’s Weekly Hacks: Plan to Eat? Plan for Food!
Will Work For Food Policy NEWSLETTER ISSUE NO. 7 Wayne’s Weekly Hacks: Plan to Eat? Plan for Food! Thanks for opening Number 7 of my skills-building newsletter. My Snappy Hacks will help you succeed as a farmer, landscaper, chef, dietitian, server, researcher, activist, policy wonk, activist, social worker, barista, actionist, teacher, blogger, promoter, speaker, artisan, cooperator, retailer, entrepreneur, intrapreneur, direct…
Wayne’s Weekly Hacks: Tomorrow’s Food Skills
Will Work For Food Policy NEWSLETTER ISSUE NO. 6 Wayne’s Weekly Hacks: Tomorrow’s Food Skills Thanks for opening Number 6 of my skills-building newsletter. My Snappy Hacks will help you become a more effective and successful volunteer, farmer, gardener, landscaper, dietitian, researcher, activist, actionist, educator, blogger, promoter, artisan, cooperator, entrepreneur, chef, networker, influencer, event manager, intrapreneur, side hustler, and all-round food dude…
Wayne’s Weekly Hacks: Policy on Policy
Will Work For Food Policy NEWSLETTER ISSUE NO. 5 Wayne’s weekly hacks: Policy on Policy Thanks for opening Number 5 of my skills-building newsletter. It features Snappy Hacks to help readers become better volunteers, workers, farmers, home cooks, gardeners, landscapers, dietitians, researchers, activists, actionists, educators, bloggers, promoters, artisans, cooperators, entrepreneurs, chefs, intrapreneurs and food dudes for the real food revolution. Things are…
Wayne’s Weekly Hacks: An Eventful Event
Will Work For Food Policy NEWSLETTER ISSUE NO. 4 Wayne’s weekly hacks: An Eventful Event Thanks for opening Number 4 of my newsletter. It features Snappy Hacks to help readers become more effective, successful, and fulfilled as volunteers, workers, farmers, home cooks, gardeners, landscapers, dietitians, researchers, activists, actionists, educators, bloggers, promoters, artisans, cooperators, entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs and food dudes for the real food…
Wayne’s Weekly Hacks: The Write Stuff
Will Work For Food Policy NEWSLETTER ISSUE NO. 3 Wayne’s weekly hacks: The Write Stuff Thanks for opening Number 3 of my newsletter featuring Snappy Hacks that help readers become more effective, successful, and fulfilled as volunteers, workers, farmers, home cooks, gardeners, landscapers, dietitians, researchers, activists, actionists, educators, bloggers, promoters, artisans, cooperators, entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs and food dudes for the real food revolution. There…
Wayne’s Weekly Hacks: Making A Federal Case For Food
Will Work For Food Policy NEWSLETTER ISSUE NO. 2 Wayne’s weekly hacks: Making a Federal Case for Food Thanks for giving this a try. This is Number 2 of my renovated newsletter featuring Snappy Hacks that help readers become more effective, successful, and fulfilled as volunteers, workers, farmers, home cooks, gardeners, landscapers, dietitians, researchers, activists, actionists, educators, bloggers, promoters, artisans,…
Wayne’s Weekly Hacks: Skill Up To Scale Up
Will Work For Food Policy NEWSLETTER ISSUE NO. 1 Wayne’s weekly hacks: Scaling up your influence and impact “Thanks for hanging in as a newsletter subscriber while I went AWOL for nine months. I now have a new approach. I will do a regular set of Snappy Hacks that help readers become more effective, successful and fulfilled as volunteers, workers, professionals, activists,…
Connected Critics: Branding for A People-Centered Food System
“Humans evolved physically to depend on food as the only way to acquire all the nutrients our complex bodies need. Likewise, we evolved socially to live in mutual benefit relationships that meet those needs for the greatest benefit to all. At this time, only food movements have the commitment to unlock these skills and allow these traditions to flourish, especially…
How to brand the food movement
Negative branding is the major factor holding back the food movement’s ability to move beyond the marginal “early adopters,” and keeping it from becoming the “early majority” that can carry through on good food transformations. This negative branding comes in large part from the triumph of fake news in misshaping public opinion. But if negative branding is the Achilles’ heel…