Food is very much on my mind this week…whether it’s the too-slow and too-small flow of food aid into Gaza, the new “graphic novel” style book, Feeding Dangerously, by chef and humanitarian José Andrés, Eisner-Award nominated co-writer Steve Orlando, and artist Alberto Ponticelli with stories of the people feeding communities dealing with disasters and humanitarian emergencies, or the report that nearly 40% of conventional baby food contains toxic pesticides.
I was reminded by an email I received of a project I wrote about nine years ago—at that time, the project was called Project Localize. It was an initiative of an organization called the Lexicon of Sustainability, now simply called The Lexicon.
This video from that time period features students at Ames High School in Ames, Iowa engaged in mapping their local food systems and sharing what they learn with their communities.
I find the Lexicon’s information art very inspiring.
Here’s how they describe their approach:
“We use evidence-based storytelling to help people pay closer attention to how they eat, what they buy, and where their responsibility begins for creating a healthier, safer food system.”
Information artist Douglas Gayeton explains how he works and shares the power of a word in this short film. It’s a great antidote to misinformation today. You’ll see why I am a fan of The Lexicon’s information art approach, and their unique model that empowers people to put it to work in their own local communities.
If you learn one word, you can actually shift people’s consciousness.
You can actually change an entire industry.
Douglas Gayeton, The Lexicon
In the past nine years, the organization has evolved and expanded what they do. Explore examples of information artworks here, award-winning short films such as On the Crow about the Crow River in Minnesota, and Lex Icons, a universal language to describe our agri-food systems.
I encourage you to explore. There’s a lot there.
Note: I’ve written the Lexicon team to find out more about current resources for K-12 including their “decision-making platform” Change the Game, Change the Future. From their website, It looks like it may be launching in 2024. Stay tuned for a follow up.
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Take good care. Be well.