Thoughts on Fresh

So as I mentioned, Aaron and I went to DC a few weeks ago to see a screening of the movie Fresh and also to hear from a former farmer from Polyface Farms, Matt Rales. Polyface is a farm featured in Food, Inc, Fresh, and also in the Omnivore's Dilemma. After our stop at Busboys and Poets, we headed over to the Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist Church for the screening. I found out about the screening online and the website said to RSVP to be sure that there was room because space was limited. I RSVPed the night before and there was still room. We arrived about 10 minutes until 7 and there were only about 5 other people there. I was shocked! To me, this was a big deal. How could people not be at this screening?  Aaron and I couldn't help but laugh about the whole thing; we'd traveled the furthest, yet we were among the first people there.

Anyways, the movie didn't end up starting until about 7:45 and by then there were about 15 people there. The movie did a very good job of explaining our food system without leaving you feeling depressed like after watching Food, Inc. (If anyone does go to a screening of this, I would highly recommend seeing Food, Inc first). Fresh is about examining what is wrong with out current, "conventional" food system and showing the different ways that people across the nation are combating that system.

The movie began by stating this: "Americans only fear one thing...inconvenience." Obviously, this isn't entirely true, but our food system is built around the fast food, or the convenience chain. Our system has adjusted to make those businesses the most profitable. Conventional Farming is no longer a small to medium sized local operation; it has become an industrial monster that focuses on quantity rather quality and exactness and similarity rather than diversity.  I was impressed when someone in the movie stated that we are "stewards of the earth." It is our job to take care of the earth and respect and protect the design of nature. I guess I never thought of myself as an environmentalist as well until recently. The way conventional farming is designed is not only sustainable in terms of health and safety to us, but also to the environment. By moving away from this conventional system, we can create not only a healthier population, but also a healthier earth. Additionally, "cheap food" is an illusion: while we pay less for the food itself, the costs to our health and our environment are just as great. We need to choose to make it a priority to not only eat healthy, but to support sustainable, local and organic agriculture.

We also got to hear from Matt Rales. He used to work for Polyface but now he operates his own farm in Potomac, MD. (Turns out he graduated from Middlebury College and knows my cousin...small world!) He mainly talked about how medium-sized organic farming is more sustainable than conventional farming. These operations make use of the land in a more natural way by avoiding heavy pesticide use and other methods like crop rotation. We can still "feed the world" without the conventional methods of farming. I don't remember everything he said (I waited too long to blog and accidentally left my notes in Richmond), but I was impressed with his knowledge. 

Overall, I left the movie feeling uplifted and positive, yet very ready to change. I'm so glad Aaron went with me because I feel like I've got him on board with how we want to start changing some of the foods we eat to more local and organic options. It's important to both of us now. I highly recommend Fresh; it not only shows you what's wrong but it also shows you how to change and how you can support change in your area.