Exploits of a Vegan Wannabe

To honor the last day of VeganMoFo, I am delighted to share this unbelievably inspiring, heart lifting and smile provoking short video. This is a phenomenal video of an eleven year old describing what he believes are the problems with the US Food System and how we can make it better. He shares that now that he knows the truth about where his food is really coming from…he can make informed decisions about the foods he chooses to consume.

His name is Birke Baehr, watch and see, it’s worth 5 minutes of viewing, I promise.

Click here to view:  Whats Wrong With Our Food System?

Birke was speaking at a TEDx conference in Asheville, NC, where he discussed marketing unhealthy foods to children, GMOs, the cruelty of CAFO’s  (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation) and industrial farming practices all in this short yet powerful message. He didn’t waste words or use theatrics to get his point across….he didn’t need to.

On the subject of paying more for higher quality and organic foods he calmly said “With all the things I’m learning about the food system, it seems to me that we can either pay the farmer or pay the hospital.”

Birke, you are so right.

Here is a tid bit more about Birke, the voice of the next compassionately consuming generation. Because he is so outrageously cool, I thought you would enjoy reading a bit more about him.

Birke Baehr, 11 years-old

While traveling with his family and being ‘roadschooled’, Birke at the age of 9 began studying sustainable and organic farming practices. Birke has visited and worked at Full Moon Farms Co-op, Athens, GA; Sequatchie Cove Farm, Sequatchie ,TN; Sapelo Farms, Brunswick, GA; and the organic gardens of The Hostel in the Forest in Brunswick, GA.

He also attended a full day seminar with renowned farmer and author, Joel Salatin (the lunatic farmer) at The Farm in Summertown, TN. Mr. Salatin has continued to mentor Birke in his pursuit of new thinking about food and agriculture. Birke has also participated in The Sequatchie Valley Institute’s annual ‘Food for Life’ gathering for the past two years. At these workshops he studied composting, vermiculture, canning and food preservation methods, sprouting and tea. This year Birke has enjoyed tending a garden with his Granddaddy, growing tomatoes, beans, okra, potatoes, cukes and more. Birke intends to continue his education in this genre and expects to be a sustainable organic agriculturist in the future. He also has a passion for educating others, especially his peers, about the destructiveness of the industrialized food system and the enlightening alternatives of sustainable and organic farming, food and practices. Birke has also volunteered at the Humane Society and loves working with animals.

12 Days of Vegan Joy Giveaway

Spread the Joy!! Today is the last day to enter to win  by commenting on any post or sending me an email saying Hey, I want to win! to: Sherry@ExploitsOfaVeganWannabe.com and you will get a chance to win amazing prizes. I will draw one a day for 12 days,  Dec 1-12.  Please tell your pals about the Exploits blog and the daily  giveaways so we can reach more Compassionate Consumers on this journey.

*Thank you to the Heaths from Living Stones Community Farm for sharing this beautiful video with us.

Have a delicious day.

Tags: Birke Baehr, compassionate consumption, compassionate eating, dairy free, going veg, MoFo, TED conference, TEDx, TEDx Asheville, TEDx Next Generation Asheville, trying vegan, trying vegetarian, vegan, vegan challenge, Vegan MoFo, vegan wannabe