MEDIA ADVISORY
ATTENTION: Political, food, science and international affairs writers and editors

WHAT
"Slow Food Nation Considered," a panel discussion at the University of California, Berkeley, about the impacts on the global food crisis of the Slow Food Nation conference in San Francisco over the Labor Day weekend.

At a time when World Bank President Robert Zoellick estimates that 33 nations are at risk of social unrest due to food prices that have been rising steadily over the past two years, the Slow Food Nation organization is working to promote sustainable and equitable food systems.

This forum is the first in a series that will explore causes of the global food crisis and potential solutions. The series is sponsored by Agriculture in Metropolitan Regions, an interdisciplinary project of UC Berkeley's Center for Global Metropolitan Studies.

WHEN
7-9 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 3

WHERE
Wheeler Hall Auditorium, near the center of campus. For more information, see the UC Berkeley Campus map.

WHO
Panelists will include:

• Michael Pollan, Knight Professor of Science and Environmental Journalism at UC Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism and author of "In Defense of Food."
• Raj Patel, visiting scholar at UC Berkeley's Center for African Studies and author of "Stuffed and Starved."
• Vandana Shiva, physicist, activist and vice president of Slow Food International.
• Fred Kirschenmann, organic farmer and Distinguished Fellow of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University.
• Richard Walker, UC Berkeley geography professor and author of "The Country in the City: The Greening of the San Francisco Bay Area," will moderate the discussion.

DETAILS
The event is free to UC Berkeley students with valid identification. Members of the public can purchase tickets for $10 at (510) 642-9988, online at the ticket office Web site and at the ticket office in the Wheeler Hall lobby. Will call and other tickets will be available at the box office starting at 6 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 3. Doors to the auditorium will open at 6:30 p.m.

For more information about "Slow Food Nation Considered" or Agriculture in Metropolitan Regions, contact Sibella Kraus at (510) 642-5541 or sibellakraus@berkeley.edu.

Note: To read more about this and other UC Berkeley news, visit the Berkeley News Center at: http://newscenter.berkeley.edu.