Thanks to everyone who came to hear the Alliance Hollywood panel — “Peeling Back the Label: Shedding Light on the Food Industry, Misleading Consumer Information and the Impact on Human Health”– at Multeepurpose Café in downtown L.A. As promised, here are the  12 signs of a sustainable food revolution in Los Angeles — so you can become part of the revolution!

1.  We suddenly have an abundance of Community Supported Agriculture programs to pick from.

2. The Farmers Kitchen, a brand new restaurant with food made from fresh, local, farmers’ market produce, will have its official grand opening on Thurs., Oct. 8, 12 pm – 2pm at the Sunset + Vine Building, Ste. 119, Hollywood.

The main purpose of the Farmer’s Kitchen is to link California small farmers with the urban population by extending the presence of the Hollywood Farmers’ Market through the entire week. The Farmer’s Kitchen will offer urban residents a convenient source of fresh produce and healthy meals made through the joint effort of local farmers and urban chefs and apprentices.

3. L.A. urban homesteaders all over the city are sharing their knowledge and passions:

>> Path to Freedom. The Dervaes Family in Pasadena live off their small urban farm!

>>Homegrown Evolution. A blog written by Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen, authors of The Urban Homestead.

>> Los Angeles Eco-Village. The people living in this communal living space “demonstrate processes for lower environmental impact and higher quality of living patterns in an urban environment.” LAEV has a gardeners’ blog too!

4. All sorts of of organic gardening classes — taught by companies like  Gardenerd and Heart Beet Gardening, permaculture groups like Earthflow Design Works, or even at Santa Monica College — want to help help gardening newbies start growing their own food.

5. Projects like the 100 Gardens Challenge by the Westside Permaculture Group and the Mar Vista Green Garden Showcase by the Mar Vista Green Committee are giving Angelenos hands-on resources to turn front lawn or balconies into edible paradises. Get involved with the Permies or the Green Committee if you’re in those neighborhoods — and help plan the next event!

6. Grassroots groups like FoodFoward and Hillside Produce Cooperative allow Angelenos with an overabundance of home-grown, local produce to share the bounty with their neighbors and fight urban hunger.

7. Yard-sharing programs like the Santa Monica Garden Sharing Registry let those with extra yard space link up with would-be gardeners in need of plots. The result: More urban farming and local produce!

8. The Los Angeles Community Garden Counci’s planning a local community gardening conference and showcase dubbed Gathering of Community Gardens. Sign up now for this event, which happens Oct. 24 – 25. According to the website, “Scheduled topics include beekeeping, vegetable gardening, composting and native plants, led by LA Common Ground (the LA County Master Gardeners) and other garden experts. Three workshops will be conducted entirely in Spanish.”

9. Fruit Jams by the Fallen Fruit collective let Angelenos know where to forage for free urban fruit — and how to turn that fruity bounty into jams and preserves.

10. Slow Food Los Angeles lets local foodies share food traditions and knowledge with cookie swaps — while also advocating for healthy, sustainable food with eat-ins and other activities.

11. L.A.’s getting a Food Policy Task Force, announced Mayor Villaraigosa at the Farmers’ Market celebration last month! In addition, a bunch of L.A. restaurants, mostly already known to serve dishes with local ingredients, pledged to buy and serve locally grown food as much as possible.

12. Even the local  mainstream media‘s full of news about sustainable food in L.A. Check out Los Angeles magazine’s latest feature on edible gardens, and L.A. Times’ article on backyard food-sharing groups.

See other signs of the sustainable revolutions in your neighborhood? Add them to the list via the comments!

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