Today is my 7th wedding anniversary. We decided to go to a movie. In the close to 4 years since our son was born we have now been to the theater three times to see movies. We picked a documentary each time. The first year we saw Broken Limbs. The movie detailed the downfall of the apple industry in Washington, but we left the theater on a hopeful note. Broken Limbs did highlight multiple organic farmers who use creativity and innovation to take care of their land and attain financially sustainable. One of our favorite parts featured Grant Gibbs of Gibbs’ Organic Produce near Leavenworth, WA. He developed a “fully cycling farm” on which hay feeds the cows, the cows produce manure and the manure is used to fertilize the orchard. We bought the Broken Limbs DVD at the screening we attended in Spokane, WA and have watched it many times since.
Last year we were in Milwaukee, WI, which turns out to have historic and contemporary ties to Dr. Bronner’s Soap. We attended the premier of the movie Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soapbox. Dr. Bronner’s son, Ralph, mingled with the moviegoers waiting in line to get into the theater. This documentary was about the life and soap making legacy of Dr Emmanuel Bronner. To say that he was not really a doctor is just one part of the uniqueness of the man behind the soap. The movie was very informative and was packed with laughs. Dr. Bronner’s soap has amassed an amazingly loyal following. It was great to learn more about the person behind all the words on the Dr. Bronner’s soap labels. We use the castile soap (lavender) in a plunger at our bathroom and sink sinks (60% soap/40% water) and the bar and liquid soaps in the shower. The soaps are organic, certified Fair Trade and are packaged with recycled plastics and paper. I really like using Dr. Bronner’s soaps, the company strives to be green and they are committed to contributing to social and environmental causes and charities.
Today, for our third documentary, we went to see Food, Inc. I have read The Omnivore’s Dilemma and my husband shared a lot of Fast Food Nation as he read it. I feel that I am very knowledgeable on the subject of food issues. But, reading a book and seeing the images are very different. We eat very low on the food chain. We participate in a local (Eugene, OR) CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) from Groundwork Organics. We shop weekly at our neighborhood farmer’s market. And, this year, we have been enjoying food out of our very first garden. Today’s lunch included sautéed zucchini, tomatoes and basil from our garden, garlic from our CSA and local pasta from Pastaworks. We are still digesting the images, and all of the information, from the movie—very, very powerful. The end of the movie included a list of lifestyle changes that everyone can strive toward that will benefit people and our environment. I scribbled in the dark to try to get it word for word. It read “buy food from companies that treat workers, animals and the environment with respect”. These are the filters I already use when making food buying choices and I hope this call to action will resonate with others who walk out of Food, Inc. and into the grocery store.