I got sent this e:mail today and thought it would be of interest to some of you , hope the links copy and paste ok .
The Pasture Post
Hello and Welcome to the inaugural issue of Sustainable Table’s new newsletter, the Pasture Post. Previously the Eat Well Guide’s newsletter, it has expanded to include information about all of Sustainable Table’s projects.
In this issue:
News
Actions
Special Features
Coming Soon
After receiving feedback from our visitor poll on Sustainable Table.org, we realized that you want to hear from us! So we’re making that possible, by providing a bi-monthly newsletter that will include news about all of Sustainable Table’s projects, including The Meatrix and the Eat Well Guide. We’ll also include news and stories from the sustainable frontier, book reviews, how-to guides, and updates on what’s happening in the world of sustainable food.
Many people out surfing the web for information on sustainability may visit one of our sites (The Meatrix, Sustainable Table, or the Eat Well Guide) individually and not realize that they have access to all three sites – and to key components of sustainable eating – right at their fingertips. We are trying to change that, with our newsletter, blog and forum, to let people know that they can take three important steps to sustainability, EDUCATE, ASK, and ACT – and that each of these sites can help.
Sustainability is all about staying connected – to the farms, workers and communities that provide our food, and to our family, neighbors and friends with whom we share meals and our lives. Sustainable Table wants to stay connected to you, and help you stay connected to the food you eat. Let us know what you think, and help us make this newsletter – and all our projects – helpful to you.
NEWS
What’s New?
This season has brought many new additions and features to The Meatrix site, the main event being, of course, the launch of The Meatrix II: Revolting, and the interactive, animated dairy farm learning tool that accompanies the film, the Meatrix 360 Interactive. With over 30 click-through pages on dairy production, this feature is a one-stop shop for everything dairy.
Since launch, we’ve already had hundreds of thousands of new visitors and new members have joined the Meatrix forum, (a.k.a. The Parlour) by the hundreds. Here, grass farmers, meat lovers, vegetarians, parents, students, teachers, and many more have come to hash out the issues. The resulting conversations have been exciting and challenging, and exactly what we’d hoped for – a place where the sustainable community can get together online, share tips and ideas, and encourage new members to get sustainable.
Browse the forum or become a member at themeatrix.com/forum.
Meatrix International
Soon after the launch of The Meatrix II, the requests for more languages and offers to translate came pouring in. So far, we have French and Spanish dubbed versions of the film, plus Chinese,Esperanto,German,Italian,Polish, andPortuguese scripts online, soon to be subtitled. The original Meatrix has close to 25 translations, (most recently, Swahili) and all of these are accessible at The Meatrix International. We are looking forward to enhancing the International site, with more links to like-minded organizations throughout the world in the coming months.
The Meatrix goes to Bonnaroo!
This summer, the Eat Well Guide will hit the road as we travel from our New York office down to Tennessee for a three-day music festival, stopping at Eat Well Guide-listed farms and bed & breakfasts along the way. Once we get to Manchester, TN, we will be unloading our caravan of fun and pitching our tent at the Bonnaroo festival to show The Meatrix films and teach festival-goers about factory farming and how to shop sustainably. Follow our journey on Sustainable Table’s blog, as we send video clips (hopefully!), pictures, and our two cents through cyberspace. Again this year, we will be featuring THE BUBBLE at Bonnaroo.
Eat Well Guide’s Sustainable Bed and Breakfasts
In case you were wondering, we didn’t have much trouble finding sustainable spots to stay between New York and Bonnaroo. Sure, it’s easy enough to book a room at any one of the ubiquitous chain hotels alongside the interstate, but we didn’t want to settle for that. We wanted to get off the beaten path; some place cozy where we could wake up with the rooster (and then go back to sleep), enjoy farm-fresh fare and a view of the countryside from the front porch rocking chair. In short, we wanted a farmstay and that’s what we got—one in Virginia and one in North Carolina.
How did we do it? How else - The Eat Well Guide. We’ve been working hard to build up our list of bed & breakfasts and farmstays, and there are now over 100 places of lodging listed in the guide. If you’re in the midst of planning a summer or fall getaway, drop by the guide and check out what we have to offer.
As a side note, traditional foliage hotspots (i.e. New England and Appalachia) get booked up fast. The bulk of the Eat Well Guide’s inns and hotels are not only located in these areas, but they’re tucked away in the quiet back country amongst the farmland, trees, and mountains, so start planning your getaway now before the fall frenzy!
Chew On This, Fast Food Nation!
You might have heard about Eric Schlosser’s new book Chew On This, the product of exhaustive research from his prior bestseller, Fast Food Nation, reconfigured for a younger audience. What you might not have heard is that Fast Food Nation has been made into a dramatic film of the same title, based on Schlosser’s book, and is coming to theaters this summer. Find out more about the movie from Participant Productions.
Film Festivals
The Meatrix II: Revolting is heading to Salt Lake City, Utah, where it will be screened as one of 9 animated films selected for competition in the Gloria Film Festival. The festival’s schedule is yet to be released, so check in with us later for more information.
The Meatrix has also been selected to be screened as part of the non-competitive “Politically Incorrect” program at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival, June 5-10, 2006 in Annecy, France.
Visit the Meatrix Film Festivals page to see where else to find The Meatrix on the film festival circuit.
ACTIONS
The Meatrix Starbucks Campaign
Thanks to the Meatrix II, in the past month over 2,200 people have written to Starbucks, asking them to stop using milk made with artificial hormones. Many people are shocked to find out that Starbucks would use milk from cows injected with recombinant bovine growth hormone. Email Starbucks (rBGH), as this practice harms cows and may pose harm to humans. In fact, a number of devoted Starbucks customers have told the company that they are not purchasing anymore of its coffee drinks until Starbucks buys better milk. Help us reach our goal of sending 5,000 letters to Starbucks! and make sure your friends and family email the Company too.
Starbucks Week of Action
Food & Water Watch, with the help of the Organic Consumers Association and others, is excited to announce the upcoming Starbucks Week of Action: June 19th-25th. The plan is simple. Sign up to either coordinate or participate in leafleting a local Starbucks store during that week at the Food and Water Watch website. Then, show up and hand out flyers urging Starbucks to buy better milk. By participating, you let Starbucks employees AND their customers know about the problems with artificial growth hormones in milk. The ripple effect of a Starbucks switch to rBGH-free milk will impact the entire dairy industry. Please help us bring the message to Starbucks’ doorsteps!
Tell the USDA: Organic Milk Must Not Come From Factory Farms
The USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP) is currently reviewing guidelines and amendments to its regulations requiring organic dairy cows to have access to pasture. Under the existing USDA enforcement policy, producers of organic milk are not clearly required to raise their organic cows on pasture. The lack of a stringent enforcement standard has placed the organic dairy industry under scrutiny and led to complaints that industrial-style, confined dairy feedlots are selling milk under the organic label. A 60-day public comment period is open - make your voice heard today!
SPECIAL FEATURES
Book Reviews
This month, you’ll find two new book reviews in Sustainable Table’s Sustainable Kitchen section:
GRUB: ideas for an urban organic kitchen
Besides being a noun, a verb, and a way of life, Grub is the title of a new book by food activists Anna Lappe and Bryant Terry, who bring their own unique perspectives on sustainable food as a social movement to this collection of delicious recipes and dinner party ideas. Meet up with Anna and Bryant on their next stop on the Grub book tour, or read more…
The Niman Ranch Cookbook
These days, the Niman Ranch brand has become synonymous with sustainability, and is a household name for meat lovers. Served from coast to coast in restaurants and stores committed to sustainability, and even in conventional grocery stores, Niman Ranch has played a large part in putting sustainable meat production on the map. Read more…
How to Host a Sustainable Festival
Check out our latest feature, a step-by-step guide to hosting a sustainable festival in your community. Visit Sustainable Table’s Get Involved section to download and print this and other helpful handouts.
Sustainable Table Feature Article
For those of you who may have missed it in the last edition of the Eat Well Guide’s Pasture Post, the article on Biodynamics is now available on Sustainable Table’s Special Features section. Learn all about Preparation 500 and how it helps Biodynamic farmers get in tune with cosmic energy!
COMING SOON
Harvest Eating Collaboration
Sustainable Table will be working with Chef Keith Snow and Harvest Eating to help spread the sustainable food message even further. We will be featuring Chef Snow’s video clip of the week, where he provides a recipe and shows us how to cook it. Other exciting projects are underway, so stay tuned!
Sustainable Table Redesign
Look for our updated, redesigned website, coming late summer/early fall 2006. We’re currently going through the hundreds and hundreds of survey results we received in order to bring you the best news and information on sustainable food.
Educational Kits
The Meatrix will soon offer downloadable kits for viewers who want to show the film, give a presentation, or educate their friends and neighbors about sustainability. We will be working to make these kits as helpful and specific as possible, so please email us with any suggestions.
More translations!
We will soon offer dubbed versions of The Meatrix I in Swahili, Mandarin, Cantonese, and hopefully Italian.
Subtitled versions of The Meatrix II are coming soon – stay tuned to the Meatrix International page!
Hollywood
We’re talking with some Hollywood producers about an extremely exciting project which we hope to announce soon! We’ll keep you posted on the Sustainable Table site and through the blog.
Don’t forget to spread the word! Tell your friends and family they can sign up to receive the Sustainable Table newsletter on our home page. See you in two months with more updates, special features, and news from the Pasture Post!
Bookmarks