Happy 2006!

Here’s a simple Action Plan for the new year. We betcha that at least a few of these will strike your fancy. Why work when you can think about food? No, really…

Fun things to watch on your trusty computer....

• Channel 5's "What Is Organic?" -- The whole segment from KPIX's 30 Minutes Bay Area show right here, right now.
• The Meatrix -- Everyone’s favorite educational cartoon with Leo (the pig) and Moopheus.
• The Meatrix II: Revolting -- Check out the preview for the sequel coming out in March!
• The True Cost of Food -- Hard to beat The Meatrix animation, but this Sierra Club mini-film covers why agribusiness food is so dang cheap.
• Store Wars -- From the creators of The Meatrix, watch Obe 1 Cannolli teach Cuke Skywalker about the Way of the Farm and the Organic Rebellion.
• Real farm coverage -- Check out these short ads about factory farming. So sad...

Interesting things to listen to...

NPR Your Call Radio 91.7
Miss their shows covering organics recently? Ain't no thang:

• Click here for the archived Future of Food show with Michael Pollan (Botany of Desire) and Fergus Clydesdale (Institute for Food Technology).
  
• Click here for the archived Organic Consumers Association (OCA) vs Organic Trade Association (OTA) debate from the ongoing organic standards controversy.

Beyond Organic
Interesting online radio show covering organic food & farming issues and social & environmental sustainability. Listen 3 ways:

• Radio player
• Podcast*
• Live: Wed 10-11am

The Food Chain
Named the Ag/News Show of the Year by California's legislature, and hosted by Michael Olson, author of the Ben Franklin Book of the Year award-winning MetroFarm, a 576-page guide to metropolitan agriculture.

• Listen Live: Sat 9am

* What are Podcasts?? If you're like us, maybe you think you need an iPod to listen to them. Uh, no. Actually, Podcasting simply means listening to or watching content on mobile devices and personal computers. The content is placed on the Internet for anyone to subscribe to. Podcasters' websites also may offer direct download of their files, but the subscription feed of automatically delivered new content is what distinguishes a podcast from a simple download or real-time streaming. That's your tech lesson for this issue!

Get out there and eat!

• SF's Dine About Town -- Make your reservations now! Our finest organically-inclined restaurants are offering $21.95 lunches and $31.95 dinners until January 31st.
• Home delivery -- Don't want to brave the hail, sleet & snow to go to the farmers' market, or even grocery store? Sign up for home delivery of awesome, organic produce.
• Seasonal cooking info -- Check out our "What's in Season" section to see what's available in the Bay Area, how to shop for prime produce specimens, and ideas to transform them into a delicious meal.
• Find more organics -- Peruse our "Find Organics" section for more info on farmers' markets, CSA's, restaurants and retail stores that all offer fresh, locally grown foods.

Once you're done eating, go talk about what you ate or what you think... Don't forget to note which places use organics and why you love them so.

• Yelp.com -- Our favorite new(ish) site where you can yelp about tasty, organic restaurants and your favorite local businesses. We like the Yelp local community. Yelp is cool. (It's kind of like a glorified Zagat, only free!)
• Citysearch.com -- The comprehensive directory for everything in the city. You can post your thoughts and reviews here too.
• Zagat.com -- "The gastronomic bible" where (for an annual fee) you can post your reviews and read ratings compiled from other diners like you.
• OCA blog -- Read and chat about anything organically- or environmentally-related on the Organic Consumers Association blog.

Check our organically-inclined Events page for more happenins as they are announced.

San Francisco - Dine About Town
1/1/06-1/31/06
San Francisco restaurants in SF; Lunch: $21.95, Dinner: $31.95

Free Film Screening: The Real Dirt on Farmer John
Thu, 1/19/06, 7:00pm
Presidio Theatre, 2340 Chestnut St. in SF; Free - $5 donation suggested to sponsors (CAFF and Happy Farms)

Mini-Farmers at Tilden Park
Sat, 1/21/06, 10:00am-11:30am
Tilden Nature Area, in Tilden Park in Berkeley; $6 ($8 if not a resident of Alameda or Contra Costa County)

Class: "Growing Roses Organically"
Sat, 1/21/06, 10:00am-1:00pm
Garden for the Environment, 780 Frederick Street in SF; Free

Hawthorne Lane Cooking Class: New Year's Resolutions
Sat, 1/21/06, 10:30am-2:00pm
Hawthorne Lane, 22 Hawthorne/Howard St. in SF; $100.00 per person

Annual Slow Food San Francisco Gathering: Limon Restaurant
Sun, 1/22/06, 5:30pm-7:30pm (reception), 8:00pm-10:00pm (dinner)
Limón Restaurant–524 Valencia St/16th in the Mission in SF; $20 (wine and hors d'ouevres reception), $45 (dinner & wine)

3rd Annual Farmers' Appreciation Dinner at Incanto Restaurant
Mon, 1/23/06
Incanto Restaurant, 1550 Church Street in Noe Valley in SF; $50 per person excluding beverages, service and tax.

"Taste the Difference" Benefit Dinner
Mon, 1/23/06, 6:30pm-8:30pm
1 Fort Mason in SF; Will be posted soon, still finalizing the menu

Sustainable Agriculture Education Conference
Mon-Tue, 1/24/06-1/25/06
Asilomar Conference Center in Pacific Grove (near Monterey); $90 + lodging. $50 late fee after 11/15.

Ecological Farming Conference
Wed-Fri, 1/25/06-1/28/06
Asilomar Conference Center in Pacific Grove

Commonwealth Club | Bay Gourmet Panel: Running A Restaurant
Wed, 1/25/06, 6:00pm check-in; 6:30pm program
Ferry Building, second floor, Port Commission Hearing Room in SF; $12 for Commonwealth Members, $18 for Non-members

Films: "California Egg Industry Documentary" and "Wegman's Cruelty"
Wed, 1/25/06, 7:00pm
umanist Hall, 390 27th St., between Broadway and Telegraph in Oakland; Free ($5 donation welcome)

A Meeting of the Minds: Farm Bill 2007
Wed, 1/25/06, 9:30am-4:30pm
Asilomar Conference Center in Pacific Grove; $50, includes lunch

Raw Foods! -- Lecture & Book Signing with Paul Nison
Thu, 1/26/06, 7:00pm-8:30pm
Whole Foods, Franklin/California in SF; Free

California Food and Farming NGO Mixer at the Ecological Farming Conference
Fri, 1/27/06, 5:00am-6:30pm
Asilomar Conference Center in Pacific Grove; Free

Millennium Cooking Class Series '06, Vol 1: Chinese New Year
Sun, 1/29/06, 10:00am-3:00pm
Millennium Restaurant, 580 Geary St./Jones in SF; $125/person

Iron Chef Night at Frugal Foodies
Tue, 1/31/06, Early evening
Private home in Berkeley; $7/person

Even a little snack! If you use these newsletters, use our website, or simply enjoy having delicious, organic food in the Bay Area, please support our programs that serve local, organic farms and the community. Om Organics is a project of the San Francisco Foundation - Community Initiative Funds, and can only continue with the help of contributions from conscientious people like you!

Any amount is appreciated!
You can make a donation:

• via Paypal.com: to donate@omorganics.org
• by credit card: via the SFF CIF donation page
• by check: "Om Organics: Project of SFF CIF", 225 Bush St. #500, SF, CA 94104

THANK YOU!