History

LDEI members have contributed to their individual communities through education, advocacy and philanthropy since forming in 1973. Each chapter’s activities are as diverse as the cities in which they reside. In 2004, Dame Doris Koplin suggested that LDEI create an umbrella program for all chapters to unite around, believing Dames could concurrently serve our individual communities and work together on a broader, national issue.

Around the same time, a growing number of parents, students and school administrators were working to bring farm fresh, local food back to the cafeteria. The number of farmers markets in the U.S. was growing exponentially (in 1994 there were 1,755 farmers markets and by 2005, the number of farmers markets had increased to 3,706 – a 111 percent increase). The number of farms managed by women climbed 13 percent between 1997 and 2002. Clearly a movement was a foot, and LDEI recognized that it was the perfect organization to rally behind the local food movement and bring it to the forefront of national recognition. We are 1,350 women culinary leaders who are passionate about making a difference in our communities.

In 2005, LDEI launched Green Tables: a Civic Agriculture & Garden Initiative. The first steering committee (2005-2006, chaired by Dame Lynn Fredericks) laid the ground work for the chapter-wide initiative, including developing goals, creating programs, and forming partnerships that included The National Garden Association and Chipotle Mexican Grill. Green Tables consisted of six programs that chapters could choose to participate in: grow-cook-share; adopt a school garden; rehabilitative gardening; farm-to-restaurant; garden/farm-to-market; and school wellness.

Chapters rallied behind the new initiative and immediately began creating customized programs to meet the specific needs of their communities, reaching out to other local organizations who shared the same goals of promoting community health and well being through gardening and agriculture efforts, care of the environment and educating children and parents about where their food comes from and why it is key to our future.

Today, the original six programs have been streamlined into three main areas of focus: education, advocacy and philanthropy. The name has been simplified, too: Green Tables: a Farm & Garden Initiative. Dames are updated on all chapter Green Tables activities through a quarterly newsletter, the GT Almanac, and chapter activities are celebrated on the LDEI website. The steering committee participates in the LDEI annual conferences with programs to share learning and inspire others to join the effort.

The result is a dynamic, synergistic program that empowers our members to sow the seeds of Green Tables in their communities. Our Dames forge new relationships, community by community, with local schools, Whole Foods Markets, governmental agriculture agencies, local farmers markets and with a myriad of other organizations and individuals who share our passion for nurturing our communities’ local food sources. Our members are instrumental in leading their communities to support and grow the connection between farms and gardens to tables – school tables, restaurant tables and kitchen tables. We are still growing and nurturing our Green Tables Initiative, and we welcome you to come to the table.