Documentary filmmaker Casey Beck chronicles a full year — four seasons — in the life of an organic farmer in Sonoma, California and the financial insecurity, physical hardship, and rise of corporate agriculture that threaten the sustainability of small-scale, localized organic farming.
The Organic Life aims to move audiences to better understand the rigors involved as well as the delicious gratification, while also reducing our carbon footprint and mitigating individual impacts on the environment. The filmmaker is partnering with two local fresh food mobile apps on the market, “Locavore” from LocalDirt and “Dirty Dozen” from the Environmental Working Group. There are plans to develop a “living classroom” curriculum to go with the movie for local school children and adults.
Sowing Seeds in New Media
I had
the pleasure of stopping by a fresh made-to-order pop-up juice bar in San Francisco this weekend. Luisa and Derek - the faces behind Sow - were happy to share the fruits of their fresh idea, as Derek (master Juice-ologist) whipped up delectable juice cocktails at Pause Wine Bar on Market Street. I was sitting at the juice bar, enjoying a freshly made "Conjecture," with hints of ginger and tamarind intensified by its pear base, when another customer walked in.
She mentioned she lived just around the corner and had heard about the pop-up from her friend, and "Oh yeah, from Twitter."
While many of us know the importance of social media platforms, never before had I seen in person such a direct and positive result of social media action. Here was a local business reaping the benefit of a global media platform, and the result of their online action was playing out before my very eyes: the girl purchased an $8 Red Juice (a mixture of beets and mint, among other delicious, seasonal ingredients).
Like the founders of Sow, as modern activists, we are continually sharing our time between being out in the field and being home on our computers. And while the time spent answering emails, updating blogs and sharing pictures on Facebook and Twitter may seem tedious at times, we all know this is a necessary step to our action. At times, our less than positive attitudes toward splitting our time with our computer is complicated by the low numbers that accompany our posts. Unless you are fortunate enough to have been picked up by a well-read blog or have landed on the ridiculous genius that is "Charlie Bit My Finger" or something like it, chances are views of your posts and pages might number in the low thousands or, perhaps more likely, even hundreds.
As a result, we spend countless hours scheming up ways to "go viral" or at least to piggy-back on an already viral meme. At the most recent Bioneers conference, I attended a panel with media makers like Annie Leonard of the Story of Stuff and the editors of Mother Jones Magazine, who were divulging the secret of making a viral video (spoiler alert: there is no secret. Work hard at what you love, network, and hope for the best). And while all this provides for an interesting thought process, it is actually a big cover up for a very important fact: it doesn't matter if you go viral.
@SowSF has 220 followers, truthfully a number that isn't much to write home about. However, what matters is that these 220 followers care about them enough to walk to a new pop-up juice bar and support a fresh and local idea. If you had a local event and 200 people showed up, you would probably consider it a success. Just because this number is online doesn't mean it is worth less.
This past week I've realized that I shouldn't feel intimidated by big blogs and viral videos. They're not trying to intimidate me; if it happens, I'm doing it myself. There is a saying among yoga teachers, "If one person comes to a class, it is a class." Likewise, if one person reads your blog, it is a blog. As activists, educators, and storytellers, we need to view even small numbers as the big successes they are. If we are encouraging other people to go local, why not start there ourselves?
My Saturday morning treat at SowSF.
the pleasure of stopping by a fresh made-to-order pop-up juice bar in San Francisco this weekend. Luisa and Derek - the faces behind Sow - were happy to share the fruits of their fresh idea, as Derek (master Juice-ologist) whipped up delectable juice cocktails at Pause Wine Bar on Market Street. I was sitting at the juice bar, enjoying a freshly made "Conjecture," with hints of ginger and tamarind intensified by its pear base, when another customer walked in. She mentioned she lived just around the corner and had heard about the pop-up from her friend, and "Oh yeah, from Twitter."
While many of us know the importance of social media platforms, never before had I seen in person such a direct and positive result of social media action. Here was a local business reaping the benefit of a global media platform, and the result of their online action was playing out before my very eyes: the girl purchased an $8 Red Juice (a mixture of beets and mint, among other delicious, seasonal ingredients).
Like the founders of Sow, as modern activists, we are continually sharing our time between being out in the field and being home on our computers. And while the time spent answering emails, updating blogs and sharing pictures on Facebook and Twitter may seem tedious at times, we all know this is a necessary step to our action. At times, our less than positive attitudes toward splitting our time with our computer is complicated by the low numbers that accompany our posts. Unless you are fortunate enough to have been picked up by a well-read blog or have landed on the ridiculous genius that is "Charlie Bit My Finger" or something like it, chances are views of your posts and pages might number in the low thousands or, perhaps more likely, even hundreds.
As a result, we spend countless hours scheming up ways to "go viral" or at least to piggy-back on an already viral meme. At the most recent Bioneers conference, I attended a panel with media makers like Annie Leonard of the Story of Stuff and the editors of Mother Jones Magazine, who were divulging the secret of making a viral video (spoiler alert: there is no secret. Work hard at what you love, network, and hope for the best). And while all this provides for an interesting thought process, it is actually a big cover up for a very important fact: it doesn't matter if you go viral.
@SowSF has 220 followers, truthfully a number that isn't much to write home about. However, what matters is that these 220 followers care about them enough to walk to a new pop-up juice bar and support a fresh and local idea. If you had a local event and 200 people showed up, you would probably consider it a success. Just because this number is online doesn't mean it is worth less.
This past week I've realized that I shouldn't feel intimidated by big blogs and viral videos. They're not trying to intimidate me; if it happens, I'm doing it myself. There is a saying among yoga teachers, "If one person comes to a class, it is a class." Likewise, if one person reads your blog, it is a blog. As activists, educators, and storytellers, we need to view even small numbers as the big successes they are. If we are encouraging other people to go local, why not start there ourselves?
My Saturday morning treat at SowSF.
