By Briana Garrett
Medill Reports

The Hyde Park temple KAM Isaiah Israel has hosted the MLK Food Justice and Sustainability weekend to honor the achievements of the late Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., for the last 11 years. The event focuses on environmental and food security issues and brings together environmentalists, food experts, scientists and activists.

Volunteers and experts work together to facilitate discussions surrounding environmental health. During the Saturday night session, experts and participants devise ways to solve some of the environmental issues presented at the local level. The Sunday session of the MLK weekend is packed with workshops that span topics from soil, to water and urban farming, to waste and pollution in the city.

Many in the audience include concerned community members from the temple’s congregation, from elsewhere in the city, and from the  Chicago regional area. More than 150 people joined this year’s program, surpassing the participation of previous years. The MLK Food Justice and Sustainability weekend founder Robert Nevel said he  hopes that this weekend will give citizens, politicians, and investors the tools to advocate for the environment.