On March 13 you can have a chance to directly influence the legislative process at the state capitol in Springfield in the form of Local Food Awareness Day, a lobbying push for small farm-friendly legislation all across the state. The Illinois Stewardship Alliance asks you to join them for this fourth annual event, which aims to encourage legislators to pass legislations and regulations that promote healthy, local food.
The event, which runs from 10:30am – 4:00pm at the Illinois State Library Room 403/404 and the State Capitol Complex, will be visited by Lieutenant Governor Sheila Simon and other government officials. Here’s a layout for the rest of the day:
Training: On the morning of March 13th following the Lt. Governor’s Welcome Address at 10:30 a.m. in the State Library Room 403/404 (check-in starts at 10 a.m.) we will review recent legislative activity on local food related legislation, go over what we will be doing to raise awareness about local food issues, discuss local food legislation that we will be lobbying for and teach you how to navigate the Capitol complex, and train you how to lobby and interact with your legislators.
Lunch: After the legislation overview, training, and orientation we will have a short working lunch from 11:30a.m. to about 12 noon. Following lunch we will walk to the Capitol to begin advocating for local food and sustainable agriculture.
Lobbying: After lunch we will begin our visits at the Capitol Complex to ask legislators for their support of local food and farm issues. We will lobby until around 3:00 p.m. To help promote the importance of local food and farms, we will have wildflower seeds donated by Afterthought Farms (Owneco, IL) for attendees to deliver to all members of the General Assembly.
The cost is free for members of the Illinois Stewardship Alliance, and only $10 for non-members. The deadline for registration is March 11, and you can register here.