Film Screening: Shall We Gather at the River & Harvest
Potluck
WHEN: Sunday, November 23, 2008 (5:00 PM)
WHERE: 626 Cypress Ave, Pasadena CA (school across from
the urban homestead)
COST: $10 donation (children under 12 are free) Space is
limited, please RSVP
EVENT SCHEDULE
5:00 pm So Cal Freedom Garden Meetup (members can swap crops, seeds, etc)
5:30 pm - 6:30 pm Harvest Potluck (no alcohol allowed on school campus)
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm Film Screening ‘Shall We Gather at the River’ (90
min)
8:30 pm - 9:00 pm - Join in discussion
FILM DETAILS
A hundred years ago one man wrote a book that changed America. The man was
Upton Sinclair. The book was “The Jungle.” It exposed the
scandalous rancid health conditions inside the country’s meat processing
plants and led to the passage of landmark federal legislation that regulated
health and sanitation in meat processing for the first time in our history. A
heart stopping new documentary, “Shall We Gather at the River” has
just been released which exposes a huge health and environmental scandal in our
modern industrial system of meat and poultry production.
The health and environmental damage documented in today’s factory farms
far exceeds the damage that Sinclair could have imagined a century ago. Some
scientists have condemned current factory farm practices, calling them
“mini Chernobyls.” The European Union stands virtually alone in
establishing strong health and environmental standards for the industry. In the
U.S and elsewhere the meat and poultry industry is dominated by dangerous use
of arsenic, antibiotics, growth hormones and by the dumping of massive amounts
of sewage in fragile waterways and environments.
The film documents the vast catastrophic impact on the environment and
public health. It focuses on individual lives damaged and destroyed. As one
observer noted, if terrorists did this, we would be up in arms, but when it is
a fortune 500 company, it is just “business as usual.” The film
follows the work of a handful of courageous activists and leaders who have
faced intimidation and death threats and witnessed the profound impact of
political abuse and corruption. In 1906, public outrage at the scandal exposed
by Sinclair led to major reforms that cleaned up a corrupt and dangerous
system. It is the hope of the filmmakers of “Shall we gather at the
River” that their film will mobilize a similar public outcry for reform.
POTLUCK DETAILS
Bring something (preferably vegetarian) to contribute to the potluck - bring
enough food for yourself/family and a bit to share. The primary focus of the
‘Locavore’ potluck is to promote eating whole foods, in their
nature-made state, focusing on fresh food from local sources (or as local as
possible) Los Angeles Farmers Markets can be found here
If not FROM BACKYARD then locally produced.
If not LOCALLY PRODUCED, then Organic.
If not ORGANIC, then Family farm.
If not FAMILY FARM, then Local business.
If not a LOCAL BUSINESS, then Fair Trade.
Freedom Gardens Meetup & Swap Information
If you are coming to this event and are a So Cal Freedom Gardener (www.FreedomGardens.org), let us know
since we will be setting a special table(s)! We are encouraging fellow Freedom
Gardeners to use this community opportunity to meet up, swap crops, seeds and
experiences (or lack thereof!)
Growing for 21st century food security, FreedomGardens.org is
a free interactive, online social community of gardening enthusiasts who are
fed up with foreign oil, frequent food miles and high food prices. Let’s
make this a truly homegrown event
To reserve space for this event
fill out this easy registration form or contact 626.844.4586