“The act of putting into your mouth what the earth has grown is perhaps your most direct interaction with the earth.”
- Frances Moore Lappe

Taking Root

Earth Day, traditionally celebrated by the United Nations on the spring equinox, became a U.S. national holiday proclaimed by Senators Gaylord Nelson and John McConnell on April 22, 1970. It is a time to celebrate our planet, and all the life giving natural resources and beauty that the Earth provides and which we too often take for granted.

That first Earth Day saw Republicans and Democrats, rich and poor, urbanites and farmers unite under a common banner, and this is where The Earth Dinner found its roots – in the desire for a healthy, sustainable environment.

Sprouting an Idea

What do Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, Independence Day, even St. Patty’s Day all have in common? They all have traditions involving family, friends, and of course, food. In developing the Earth Dinner idea, we wondered, “Why doesn’t Earth Day have a tradition?” The Earth deserves a celebration too, and it made sense that an Earth Day tradition should revolve around local, sustainable and organic cuisine, and especially meaningful discussion about the impact farming has on the environment.

• Buying foods grown and distributed locally supports the local farmers, allowing them and their families to stay on the land.
• Buying foods that were grown using sustainable agricultural practices protects the soil and environment in countless ways.
• Going organic ensures that you are feeding your loved ones foods that are free from pesticides, hormones and antibiotics, as well as the added knowledge that the animals were treated with respect and care throughout their lives.

We believe incorporating the philosophies of supporting local, sustainable and organic foods will help keep our planet’s land, air, water and inhabitants healthy for generations to come.

Growing a Tradition

Your Earth Dinner is an opportunity for you to explore – at least for one night each year – where each ingredient on your table comes from. Who grew the food? How was it grown? What is the geographic origin of the food?

Those seem like some pretty serious questions, so to lighten the mood, we developed fun tools to inspire dinner guests to tell their own food stories, to remember the farmers who lovingly care for the land and grow the food, and of course, to be a little silly with friends and family and have a lot of fun in the process. The Earth Dinner is a joyful, animated, and inspiring theme dinner party held at least once every year, connecting people to the earth, their food, and each other. It can be as planned or as spontaneous as you like.

Back to the Land

The Earth Dinner started in 2003 with only a handful of events but has since grown to include thousands of participants at events nationwide, public and private, large and small. The success of the Earth Dinner concept shows how the seed of an idea can create awareness, awareness creates desire, desire inspires action, and, with time, action can change the world.

You can be a part of this change! Click here to see how you can plan your own Earth Dinner!

Read what participants have to say about their Earth Dinner experiences.

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