Wednesday To-Do: UCA Local Foods Challenge Week Presents Marion Nestle

The University of Central Arkansas Honors College continues its Local Foods Challenge Week with a lecture by Marion Nestle, a Paulette Goddard professor in the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University and author of Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health, tonight at 7 p.m. at the UCA Ida Waldran Auditorium. Nestle will discuss food revolution.

Fore more information, visit http://honors.uca.edu/ChallengeWeek/index.html.

Wednesday To-Do: Creation Care Series Coal Country

Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church will host a free screening of Coal Country, tonight at 5:30 p.m. in Room D366 at the Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church (4823 Woodlawn) in Little Rock.

Coal Country is a stunning new documentary that reveals the devastation of mountaintop-removal coal mining to the forests, streams, and communities of Appalachia. Produced by Mari-Lynn Evans and Phylis Geller, Coal Country brings us inside the lives of Appalachian residents who are directly threatened by mountaintop-removal, a destructive mining practice where mountaintops are blasted away to expose the coal; the waste is then dumped in the waterways of nearby communities. As it takes us through each stage of coal mining and processing, Coal Country reveals the shocking true cost of America’s over-reliance on coal.

Discussion will follow the movie. Bring friends and popcorn. Please park in the upper deck off Woodlawn.

For more information, contact Scharmel Roussel at sroussel@phumc.com.

Tuesday To-Do: UCA Local Foods Challenge Week Presents Woody Tasch

The University of Central Arkansas Honors College continues its Local Foods Challenge Week with a lecture by Woody Tasch, author of Inquiries into the Nature of Slow Money: Investing as if Food, Farms, and Fertility Mattered, tonight at 7 p.m. at the UCA McCastlain Ballroom. A former venture capitalist, Tasch will speak about community investment.

For more information, visit http://honors.uca.edu/ChallengeWeek/index.html.

Tuesday To-Do: Free Screening of Coal Country @ Second Presbyterian

Second Presbyterian Church Environmental Task Force will host a free screening of Coal Country, tonight at 7:30 p.m. in the Bible Village Theatre at the Second Presbyterian Church (600 Pleasant Valley) in Little Rock.

Coal Country is a stunning new documentary that reveals the devastation of mountaintop-removal coal mining to the forests, streams, and communities of Appalachia. Produced by Mari-Lynn Evans and Phylis Geller, Coal Country brings us inside the lives of Appalachian residents who are directly threatened by mountaintop-removal, a destructive mining practice where mountaintops are blasted away to expose the coal; the waste is then dumped in the waterways of nearby communities. As it takes us through each stage of coal mining and processing, Coal Country reveals the shocking true cost of America’s over-reliance on coal.

Second Presbyterian’s screening is one of hundreds of Coal Country screenings (http://www.sierraclub.org/coalcountry) held nationwide by Sierra Club supporters the week of November 10 through 14.

Can’t make it tonight? Six other screenings will be held in Arkansas, so catch one of them by visiting: http://action.sierraclub.org/site/GetTogether?gettogether=event_list&page=event_list&cal_activity_id=1300&cal_campaign_id=.

Coal has an impact on every single community — one way or another. Join this national movement by attending Coal Country screening!

Tuesday To-Do: Little Rock Green Drinks

Happy hour with a “green” twist! Little Rock Green Drinks meets once a month to discuss earth-friendly ideas and goals. The event is held 2nd Tuesday of every month from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Village Commons (1423 C South Main Street, 72202) in Little Rock. Come out and socialize with others iterested in sustainability and the environment! For more information, contact Pam Choate at pam.choate@gmail.com.

Monday To-Do: UCA Local Foods Challenge Week Presents Free Screening of Food Fight

The University of Central Arkansas Honors College continues its Local Foods Challenge Week with a free screening of Food Fight, tonight at 7 p.m. at the UCA McCastlain Ballroom. Chris Taylor, creator of the film, will discuss his work, which tells the story of 20th century agribusiness and American food culture.

Fore more information, visit http://honors.uca.edu/ChallengeWeek/index.html.

Monday To-Do: Central AR Beekeepers’ Association Monthly Meeting

Interested in keeping bees? Wanna meet fellow beekeepers? Then, come to Central Arkansas Beekeepers’ Association’s monthly meeting, 6:30 p.m., Monday, November 9th at the Levy Church of Christ (5124 Camp Robinson Road) in North Little Rock.

Monday To-Do: Conway Green Drinks

Start your month off right with a good Green Drinks! Faulkner County Supporters of Sustainable Communities presents Conway Green Drinks – A Social Mixer Where People Exchange Green Ideas.

WHAT: Conway Green Drinks

WHEN: 5:30 p.m. on Monday, November 9th

WHERE: Doe’s Eat Place (1010 Main Street, Conway 72032)

Come out and socialize with others interested in sustainability and the environment! For more information about Conway Green Drinks, contact Cecilia Patterson at cpatterson@arcf.org or Nancy Allen at nancy.allen@gmail.com.

Sunday To-Do: Free Showing of The Future of Food @ Heifer Village

Heifer Village will host a free screening of The Future of Food, Sunday, November 8 at 3 p.m. at Heifer Village (1 World Avenue) in downtown Little Rock. The film examines the complex web of market and political forces that are changing what we eat and explores alternatives to large-scale industrial agriculture, placing organic and sustainable agriculture as real solutions to the farm crisis today. Discussion will be moderated by Terry Wollen, Heifer International’s director of Livestock Advocacy.

For more information, call 501-907-COWS (2697) or visit www.heifer.org/heifervillage.

Saturday To-Do: Spa City Co-op Fall Potluck @ Art Church

Spa City Co-op will host its 3nd Annual Community Potluck of Local Foods, this Saturday, between 6-9 p.m. at Art Church (301 Whittington Avenue) in downtown Hot Springs. Bring a dish of local foods and lots of friends! FREE for everyone – kids welcome, too! Help support your community farmers while eating delectable local treats and hanging out with other locavores. For more information, contact Spa City Co-op at (501)767-0611

Saturday To-Do: Village Commons Fall Gardening Workshop

Join Village Commons for a special Saturday workshop, led by our state’s master gardener, and enjoy a delicious meal prepared by one of Little Rock’s fabulous chefs!

This week, Nancy Dockter will focus on gardening in extreme weather conditions – a very relevant topic for the coming months! Preceding the workshop will be a fantastic meal, specially prepared by Chef James Hale of Acadia Restaurant. The meal starts at noon. The workshop starts at 1:30 p.m.

The cost for the workshop is $10 for the meal only, $15 for workshop only, and $20 for both.

Space is VERY limited, so contact Kerri Sernel at (501) 765-5853 or kmsernel@comcast.net to register.

Saturday To-Do: Fungus Fair @ Pinnacle

Learn all about fungus among us at the Arkansas Mycological Society (AMS) Fungus Fair, this Saturday, November 8th at the Pinnacle Mountain State Park. The event schedule is as follows:

• 10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – Foray along Arboretum Trail
• 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. – Lunch – Two kinds of wild mushroom soup will be provided, however participants should bring a sandwich and other items to accompany the soup.
• 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. – PowerPoint Presentation: “Edible and Poisonous Mushrooms of Arkansas”
• 2:45 – 3:30 p.m. – Lecture on growing your own mushrooms at home
• 3:45 – 4:15 p.m. – Mycophagy session (cooking and tasting wild mushrooms) – Edible finds from the morning foray will be cooked for participants to sample. The session will be followed by a presentation on harvesting, storing, preserving and cooking wild mushrooms.

AMS members whose dues are current may attend the workshop free of charge, but non-members over the age of 18 are asked to pay $10 for the day’s events.

For more information, contact Jay Justice at (501) 794-2669.