Climate Action Inspired By Food Tank Musical, WeCameToDance

Danielle Nierenberg

Danielle Nierenberg

Food Tank’s interactive musical, WeCameToDance, which focuses on the climate crisis in the lead-up to the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), has officially passed the halfway point of its debut run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland! 

We are beyond thrilled by the reaction from festival-goers. All 25 performances so far are completely packed with a 100% positive audience review rating—seriously! Critics also are unanimous in praising the production, including these reviews in The Scotsman and the New York Times. Plus, WeCameToDance is garnering extensive television coverage from Al Jazeera, ITV, and Good Morning Britain. Tomorrow, the cast will perform live on the BBC in front of a studio audience!

Those who participate are more than just audience members—they’re fully immersed in song, dance, and the show’s powerful storytelling around the climate crisis and building resilience. We are also so grateful for the international team of creative folks who put together the show. WeCameToDance would not be possible without the support of the International Fund for Agricultural Development and the World Food Program-USA, as well as Scotland based partners Nourish Scotland, House of Jack, and the Scottish Business Network.

WeCameToDance, although it highlights some sobering truths about human impacts on the climate, is all about hope and joy. The show helps motivate us to find the ways we can all be part of solving the climate crisis. So whether you’re local to Scotland, a visitor to the Fringe Festival, or an advocate for climate action around the globe, we’ve put together a list of ways to start making a difference—and to urge your local businesses and governments to join the push for a more climate-friendly future, too.

WeCameToDance will be traveling to the U.S. as part of Food Tank’s upcoming 50-state tour—we’re excited that many of you will get the chance to participate. And, of course, we’ll continue to make sure the show is safe by following COVID-19 protocols. Until then, here’s how you can help us: We want to create local climate action guides like this one for other cities around the U.S. and the world. Please email me at danielle@foodtank.com to share organizations, petitions to businesses and governments, sustainability campaigns, meaningful action items, and more that your neighbors can get involved in to make a better food future a reality. 

With WeCameToDance at Edinburgh’s Festival Fringe, we’re excited to help turn your food and climate passions into action.

As a research and advocacy nonprofit, Food Tank knows just how intertwined food and agriculture systems change is with the climate crisis. A study from the European Union Joint Research Centre and the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) finds that food systems are responsible for a third of all human-made greenhouse gas emissions.

It can feel overwhelming to take the first step towards a more climate-friendly life — and to demand the same from your local businesses and governments. That’s why Food Tank has put together a list of local and global actions that you can take to help create a better food future. Whether you are local to Scotland, someone who traveled abroad to the Fringe Festival, or a longtime fan of Food Tank, we have ways that everyone can get involved!

Scotland Actions

1. Sign the petition to urge Scottish policymakers to support the Good Food Nation Bill.

This prospective law will help Scotland transition to a fair, healthy, and sustainable food system. The Scottish Food Coalition is campaigning for the Good Food Nation Bill to create a coherent and connected approach to food policy that is committed to each and every person’s right to food.

2. Become a Good Food Nation ambassador.

Ambassadors amplify the voices in their communities, helping to ensure the Scottish Government understands what is happening at a grassroots level and informing policies that support positive change. Ambassadors meet with Members of the Scottish Parliament, organize petitions and social media campaigns, and much more.

3. Encourage the Government of the United Kingdom to pledge to the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD).

IFAD is dedicated to eradicating rural poverty and hunger in the world’s poorest countries by investing in small-scale farmers. Encourage Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the British Government to champion small-scale farmers at this year’s UN Climate Change Conference by announcing an ambitious pledge to IFAD. These farmers —many of them women, youth, and Indigenous Peoples⁠—produce about a third of the world’s food, yet they are disproportionally affected by climate change. Global hunger will continue to grow if rural small-scale farmers cannot adapt their farming to unpredictable weather.

4. Add your voice to the Climate Scotland campaign.

The campaign aims to collect 10,000 signatures to show Scotland’s leaders just how much its people care about the climate crisis. The campaign will present the petition in November at the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow.

5. Get your hands dirty and plant a fruit tree, with help from Social Farms and Gardens.

Community orchards are a great way to provide fruit for the whole community, eat nutritiously, and reduce your carbon footprint by eating locally. Orchards can also become habitat for wildlife and a vital site for beehives, improving local biodiversity and climate resiliency.

Global Actions

1. Learn how to reduce your food waste.

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) estimates that about one-third of the food produced around the world is lost or wasted, amounting to a financial loss of about US$1 trillion annually. To do your part in combatting food waste, the agency recommends planning your meals in advance, buying only what you need, creatively repurpose leftovers and being aware of use-by dates. Eliminating food waste could reduce global carbon emissions by eight to 10 percent. Through WFP, supporters can efficiently fight hunger by wasting less food and turning their savings from that positive practice into lifesaving food for those who need it most.

2. Buy more local and seasonal food to eat sustainably.

By purchasing food that’s grown locally, you’re cutting back on carbon emissions from transportation. Plus, you’re supporting your local economy!

3. Start swapping animal proteins for plant-based proteins to reduce your meat consumption.

Meat and dairy accounts for about 14.5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organization. Changing your diet to be more veggie-forward is good for your health and for the environment.

4. Ask your Local government to sign the Glasgow Food and Climate Declaration before COP26

The Glasgow Food and Climate Declaration is a commitment by sub-national and local governments around the world to tackle the climate emergency through a food systems approach and a call on national governments to act!

5. Download the United Nations #ActNow app to learn more about sustainable habits and start tracking your impact.

The International Energy Agency estimates that consumer choices are linked to more than 50 percent of the energy-related emissions reductions needed to get to net zero. The #ActNow app offers 10 easy habits you can adopt to reduce carbon emissions and save more water and electricity.

6. Attend educational food systems opportunities, like the United Nations Food Systems Summit in September.

The United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) is convening to launch bold new actions to achieve healthier, more sustainable, and more equitable food systems around the world. The UNFSS will bring together key players from the worlds of science, business, policy, healthcare and academia, as well as farmers, Indigenous people, youth organizations, consumer groups, environmental activists, and other key rural stakeholders.

7. Submit your food system story to the FoodXFilm Festival: Food Future Reimagined.

Are you a young filmmaker that wants to tell the world stories that will inspire behavioral change and play an essential role in transforming our agri-food systems? The World Food Forum is accepting film submissions that trigger positive changes in food security, nutrition, or agri-food systems transformation. The six winning films will be featured at the FoodXFilm Festival, which is being organized in collaboration with the Rockefeller Foundation and the Guild of Future Architects.

Thank you to the following WeCameToDance friends who helped contribute these action items: United Nations Environment Programme; International Fund for Agricultural Development; World Food ProgramUSA; the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – North America; World Food Forum; Nourish Scotland; and Empty Kitchens, Full Hearts.

Danielle Nierenberg is President, Food Tank and can be reached at danielle@foodtank.com