High school students determined to make a difference in the dialogue about sustainable food and environmental health had a chance to learn about the mission and vision of the Eastern Shore Food Lab during a special program at the Smithsonian. 

While Dr. Bill Schindler gave a presentation on food innovation, ESFL Intern Alaina Perdon ’22 and permaculturist Shane Brill ’03 M’11 answered questions on topics ranging from nutrition and economics to human evolution and soil health. 

Attendees learned about the difference between sourdough bread and supermarket bread, industrial butter and cultured butter, the transmission of culture and tradition across time, and how the human brain and morphology evolved in tandem with food technology.