This week we decided to give one percent of all of FRESH revenue of 2010 to one of the incredible non-profits out there that are making a difference in the sustainable food movement. Although now doing so seems obvious, the decision did not come easy.  Making FRESH was a labor of love, but the stress of unpaid debts and the responsibility to keep our office started to weigh me down.  Soon I found, passion and faith were slowly replaced by an attitude of scarcity – a protectively closed heart and mind.  My financial insecurity made it hard for me to truly appreciate what came out of what seemed to be a wild and out-of-reach dream 6 years ago.

For years, while making FRESH, I would wonder how my movie would ever get seen (the majority of independent productions never find their audience) and I would daydream of ways for my movie to contribute to the movement I was recording.  And now, it’s happened.  FRESH was released in May 2009, a little over a year ago, and against all odds — no money, no distribution company, no festival wins — it took off.  FRESH has now been screened thousands of times around the country in people’s living-room, churches, libraries, school and universities, and, in independent theaters and art houses. And most importantly, FRESH has been used as a platform to raise awareness and transform inspiration into action. With our growing visibility (and mailing list) we decided to start our own activist campaigns, raising awareness and calling to action our supporters on a variety of issues around our food system.

With so much positive going on, I decided that I couldn’t wait for some secure financial future to start giving back.  Hence came the idea to give 1% of our revenue to a non-profit that embodies the passion and hope that we believe will change the face of the sustainable food movement.  We will accept entries for this grant through August 6th, choose 12 and then open up a voting process to our supporters (there are 50,000 of you!). The voting will remain open through August 27th, when we announce the winner!

If you know of (or work for!) an incredible organization that is making an impact, please send forward this message, and encourage them to fill out the short application.

http://action.freshthemovie.com/questionnaire.jsp?questionnaire_KEY=411

Thank you,

Ana Joanes
Director, FRESH

photo from flickr user micah.e

Genetic food giant Monsanto is at it again. Its next target: a new product that could eliminate all organic alfalfa, a key food for raising organic-fed cows and pigs without any genetic engineering.

The USDA is well on its way to approving Monsanto’s genetically modified alfalfa. In its own report, the USDA says that not enough consumers care enough about organic foods for the USDA to block Monsanto’s modified alfalfa seeds. [1]  This is absurd since one of the main reasons people buy organic food is to avoid genetically engineered crops.

The USDA is only accepting public comments for the next two weeks. We need you to write to the USDA right now and tell them they must not approve Monsanto’s mutant alfalfa. We’ll deliver your comments before the deadline. [2]

Click here: http://action.freshthemovie.com/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=1753

Alfafa is one of the major food sources for certified organic animals, not only because of its quality as forage, but because Monsanto’s patented genes are already found in 95% of soybeans and 80% of corn. If the USDA lets Monsanto sell its new alfalfa, it will inevitably overtake organic alfalfa crops through the natural pollination process. [3] As a result organic farmers may be feeding their cows genetically modified food.

Just like its corn and soy, Monsanto’s alfalfa is designed to tolerate its leading herbicide: Roundup. We can’t allow Monsanto’s greed to take-over one more crop. The consequences to our choice as consumer, to biological diversity, to the survival of our small and organic farmers depends are too dire.

Monsanto’s domination of our food must stop. For the USDA to shrug it off like nobody cares is to add insult to injury. We only have two weeks to submit our comments.The fight for FRESH food will continue, and with your help we’ll make it clear that people care about the food they eat.

Let’s show the USDA and Monsanto that people want food free from Monsanto’s modifications. Write your comments to the USDA now and say no to genetically modified alfalfa.

The fight for FRESH food will continue, and with your help we’ll make it clear that people care about the food they eat.

Thanks for all you do.

ana Sofia joanes

FRESH the Movie

———

SOURCES:

1. United States Department of Agriculture. Glyphosate-Tolerant Alfalfa Events J101 and J163: Request for Nonregulated Status. Draft Environmental Impact Statement-November 2009. P.T-2.
2. Docket: APHIS-2007-0044: USDA Seeks Public Comment on Genetically Engineered Alfalfa
3. United States Department of Agriculture. Glyphosate-Tolerant Alfalfa Events J101 and J163: Request for Nonregulated Status. Draft Environmental Impact Statement-November 2009. P.95.

Reviews Supplemental documents here: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/biotechnology/alfalfa_documents.shtml
10 Things you should know about GE Alfalfa
Photo courtesy of OceanFlynn on Flickr

Photo by: Peter Blanchard via Flickr

When it comes to the Big Bad Wolf of our food system, look no further than Monsanto.

Monsanto squeezes out farmers, seed growers, and practically everyone else in the business of growing food. Monsanto has its patented genes inserted into 95% of soybeans and 80% of all the corn grown in the United States. Their monopoly is so insidious that the Department of Justice is looking into whether Monsanto’s business practices are illegal.
Vu Manh Thang – I Am Superman

And now, Forbes Magazine named Monsanto the #1 company of the year for 2009.

Whatever the selection criteria at Forbes, I don’t support them or the values they embody.

In order to regain control of our agriculture, we MUST raise awareness and inspire MORE people to vote with their dollars. This is our mission at FRESH and we need your support. 2010 can be a huge year for the future of food, but FRESH needs your help to do it.

Can you please donate $5, $10, $25, or more to help us spread the word about fresh food?

Click here to donate: https://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5958/shop/custom.jsp?donate_page_KEY=1689

What Monsanto fears is the public knowing there’s a new way forward for our food, free from genetic engineering and harmful pesticides. That’s why, when Michelle Obama created an organic garden at the White House, Monsanto had the nerve to protest the garden, urging Michelle Obama to use pesticides on her food!

Monsanto is the prime example of everything that’s wrong with our food. They’re a huge corporation that plows down everything in its path in pursuit of cheaper food for bigger profits. And now that Forbes named Monsanto company of the year, it’s clear that fresh, organic food advocates are the David to Monstanto’s Goliath.

Monsanto would like nothing more than to see the sustainable food movement fail. But with your help,we’re building a grassroots movement to fight back and free our food from Monsanto’s grasp.

We’ve got a mountain to climb in 2010, and we’re convinced we can do it with your help. Please donate today to help us spread FRESH across America. Help us raise our voice and raise the voices of all of the farmers and food producers who we fight for.

Click here to donate $5, $10, $25 or more to FRESH the help us fight back against Monsanto.

Thanks so much for your help in making 2009 a great year for FRESH, and for your support in making 2010 even better.

Take care,

ana Sofia joanes
FRESH the Movie

Climbing poeTree from ana joanes on Vimeo.

FRESH has launched a blog! We’ll be sharing everything from FRESH Recipes to News From The Field which highlights the incredible experiences that we hear from our supporters when they bring FRESH to their communities.

In this blog we will highlight FRESH Heroes, the people who we encounter in our journey toward a more sustainable food system. I was inspired to share these stories after hearing a speech by Julia Butterfly Hill. Julia is best known for living in a 180-foot-tall, roughly 1500-year-old California Redwood tree for two years to prevent loggers of the Pacific Lumber Company from cutting it down. Talk about commitment! I felt very small.

Julia, as if reading my mind, told the audience that we shouldn’t look at the speakers and think “I couldn’t be up there speaking, I’m not as smart, I can’t do what they’re doing.” She reminded us that each of us need to find our place, our role in the world and this was the most meaningful contribution we could offer. I felt tremendously inspired to acknowledge my qualities and strengths and to find ways to use them to participate in creating change. This feeling sustained me throughout the making of FRESH.

FRESH has now been screened to thousands of people through our activist-supported distribution model and I continue to meet many more amazing people who inspire and motivate me. These people should be celebrated!  I decided to share all these great encounters so you too can learn about all the amazing work that’s being done around the country. You can view my first FRESH Hero video here.

Please share your OWN local heroes with me and the FRESH community. Send us your videos! Here are the rules:

1. Make a video. Keep it short (no longer than 3min)
2. Ask three questions: What’s your name and project?  What brings you to this work or what motivates you? and What makes your work so gratifying? Feel free to improvise!
3. Upload to Vimeo or YouTube
4. Send Lisa@freshthemovie.com the link and a one paragraph description with the link to your hero’s website if there’s on
5. You’ll get a message from us if your video is posted on the FRESH website so you can share with everyone!

Best,

ana
Director, FRESH
www.FRESHthemovie.com

PS: Host a screening! It’s the best way to start the conversation about sustainable food in your community and you can gather all your FRESH Heroes in one place!