The Center for the Environment and Bread Riot will host a screening of "GROW!" on Thursday, March 21, at the Center facility on the Catawba College campus.
;The film focuses on the new generation of sustainable farmers. "All across the U.S. there is a growing movement of educated young people who are leaving the cities to take up an agrarian life," the "GROW!" website says. "Armed with college degrees, some are unable to find jobs in the current economic slump. Fed up with corporate America and its influence on a broken food system, they aim to solve some of the current system's inequities by growing clean, fair food. Mostly landless, they borrow, rent or manage farmland in order to fulfill their dreams of doing something meaningful with their lives."
After the 7 p.m. screening, panelists Amie Baudoin, owner and operator of Morgan Ridge Vineyards, and Jeff Rieves, a N.C. Cooperative Extension Service agent who organized Carolina HomeGrown, will discuss the documentary.
Christine Anthony and Owen Masterson, the wife-husband filmmaking and photography team, filmed an entire growing season on 12 farms in Georgia. Noting that the average age of a U.S. farmer today is 57, they say their hope, through the film "is to shine a light on this next generation of farmers and, by their example, encourage more young people across the United States to consider farming as a viable career option," they said.
"One of the biggest challenges to young people who want to take up farming is access to land, Anthony and Masterson say. "We hope that after seeing 'GROW!' people who have land and resources will be inspired to offer opportunities to new growers.
"Lastly, we hope that it will inspire others to make changes in their lives; the way they eat, shop and cook and think about where their food comes from and who grows it."
Bread Riot, a non-profit food advocacy organization dedicated to "facilitating a supply of locally produced food, utilizing sustainable farming practices," will offer a tasting of local foods at 6 p.m. before the movie begins.
The event is free and open to the public. However, registration is required. To register, visit www.CenterForTheEnvironment.org.
The Center for the Environment at Catawba College was founded in 1996 to provide education and outreach centered on prevalent environmental challenges and to foster community-oriented sustainable solutions that can serve as a model for programs throughout the country. For more information, visit www.CenterForTheEnvironment.org or www.CampaignForCleanAir.org.
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