Earthsave Whistler and Whistler Public Library have partnered once again to bring Whistler a free movie screening. On Thursday, May 30th they will be showing Genetic Roulette, a film by bestselling author Jeffrey M. Smith. Smith is the author of the world’s bestselling book on GMOs, Seeds of Deception, and a leading consumer advocate promoting healthier non-GMO choices.

Never before seen evidence points to genetically engineered foods as a major contributor to rising disease rates in the US population, especially among children. Gastrointestinal disorders, allergies, inflammatory diseases, and infertility are just some of the problems implicated in humans, pets, livestock, and lab animals that eat genetically modified soybeans and corn.

Monsanto’s strong arm tactics, the FDA’s fraudulent policies, and how the USDA ignores a growing health emergency are also laid bare. This sometimes shocking film may change your diet, protect you and your family, and accelerate the consumer tipping point against genetically modified organisms (GMOs) already underway. Don’t miss this film!

Genetic Roulette has won the 2012 Movie of the Year by the Solari Report and the Top Transformational Film of 2012 by AwareGuide.

The guest speaker at the movie screening is Jackie Deverall from Ahimsa Nutrition & Consulting. Jackie is a Certified Holistic Nutritionist and Whistler local, dedicated to helping people meet their health & wellness goals.

Jackie strongly believes that most illness is a result of nutritional deficiencies, free radical damage and inflammation in the body due to diet and pH imbalance. The Standard North American Diet (SAD) is low in many essential vitamins and minerals, full of processed and refined foods, high in saturated fats, cholesterol, sodium and sugar. On top of that our modern environment is full of many contaminants including pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, carcinogenic chemicals and electrical pollutants. She is on a crusade to educate people about the health dangers of the SAD and processed foods. She is passionate about disease prevention through nutrition and treatment through nutritional and herbal therapies. She believes the human body has an innate powerful healing ability when it is in good nutritional standing. http://www.ahimsanutrition.com

Event details

• 7pm, Thursday, May 30th at Whistler Public Library

• Admission is by donation

• Trailer -http://youtu.be/Vv96D_ZURzs

• Website – http://geneticroulettemovie.com/

• Event co-sponsored by Earthsave Whistler and Whistler Public Library

You can also check out all the events on our events page.

We decided to give Araxi a try during their fall special.  Araxi was more than happy to cater for 9 vegans and welcomed us with open arms.  We didn’t even feel that we needed to apologise for being that awkward group with ‘a special request’.   And although we had made our request in advance, it was a delight to see that they now have a separate menu for those who are veggie, vegan or gluten free.  As anyone who eats a ‘special diet’ will tell you, being included on the menu is a real treat and scores a restaurant many extra brownie points.

Araxi impressed our group right from the start with their impeccable service.  When each course was brought out the servers literally swirled up to our table to deliver nine beautifully presented servings of each dish.  Cameras at the ready, we all had to take several moments before enjoying the food to capture photos of the dishes from all angles.

First up was smoked tomato soup, accompanied by ‘oh that was sooo good’ and ‘the flavours…wow!’.  If we were at home rather than at a fancy restaurant, I’m pretty certain some of those cups would have been licked clean.

P: Garry Choo

Second course was a beet salad.  I’m not sure how they prepared those beets but they were oozing with flavour and deliciousness.  Would love to be able to get the recipe!

P: Garry Choo

Sushi was next and this was my personal favourite.  I loved the creativity and delighted in how they had made one of them look so much like ‘the real thing’ – we ALL asked if it was fish!  The flavours were divine; in particular the leaf shaped mushroom sushi, for which I will definitely be going back for more.

P: Garry Choo

We were more than thrilled at this point and would have left happy if we had just stopped there, but there was more to come.  Next up was a roasted vegetable and lentil entrée, with two sauces that I don’t remember the names of but can assure you they were incredible. This dish won ‘favourite dish of the evening’ for many of the group.

P: Garry Choo

Just when we thought we couldn’t fit any more in, we were presented (by the wonderful, swirling servers) with pears and sorbet, garnished with an apple slice.  This was easily the best sorbet I have ever had and it has to be said, the caramelized, paper-thin, crisp apple slice effortlessly took top spot from the ‘icing on the cake’, even if such a phrase would not roll off the tongue quite so easily.

P: Garry Choo

We were thrilled with our Araxi experience and can’t thank them enough for their warm welcome and service, and incredible food.  If we could have gone into the kitchen and hugged the chef, we would have.  Maybe we’ll do that next time…

P: Garry Choo

-Hayley, November 2012

Thanks Nagomi!

Peaceable Kingdom: The Journey Home has won many awards, including the Grand Jury Prize at the Canada International Film Festival in Vancouver in 2010, Best Feature Documentary at the Moondance International Film Festival and Best of Fest Audience Award at the Berkshire International Film Festival.

The filmmakers’ first film, The Witness, received such enthusiastic reviews and such a tremendous response from people wanting to help that it inspired them to make another film, “This experience completely changed the course of our lives. We have learned that when people work together in service of something larger and more important than ourselves, making a difference is far easier, and far more rewarding, than we ever imagined possible. In the simplest terms, we have seen with our own eyes that one person’s change of heart can truly change the world.” James LaVeck and Jenny Stein, Filmmakers and Co-founders of Tribe of Heart.

We have invited Whistler local, Yoga Teacher and passionate animal lover Tina James to lead the discussion after the movie.   Tina has extensive experience in health and wellness and has been teaching yoga for many years.  Her yoga training deepened her love and respect for animals and she shares her passion in her yoga classes and beyond.

Movie synopsis:

A riveting story of transformation and healing, PEACEABLE KINGDOM: THE JOURNEY HOME explores the awakening conscience of several people who grew up in traditional farming culture and who have now come to question the basic assumptions of their way of life.

Presented through a woven tapestry of memories, music, and breathtaking accounts of life-altering moments, the film provides insight into the farmers’ sometimes amazing connections with the animals under their care, while also making clear the complex web of social, psychological and economic forces that have led them to their present dilemma.

Interwoven with the farmers’ stories is the dramatic animal rescue work of a newly-trained humane police officer whose sense of justice puts her at odds with the law she is charged to uphold.

With strikingly honest interviews and rare footage demonstrating the emotional lives and intense family bonds of animals most often viewed as living commodities, this ground breaking documentary shatters stereotypical notions of farmers, farm life, and perhaps most surprisingly, farm animals themselves.

Event details:

• Tuesday, October  16^th at 7pm
• Whistler Public Library
• Screening is free of charge (donation optional).  Seating limited to 50 people.

Sarah and Priscilla

With Burnt Stew Café potentially closing down soon this is likely to be the last raw food dinner!  If you haven’t been yet you simply must come and experience the incredible flavours and beautiful food presentation from talented raw food chefs Priscilla Levac and Sarah Uy.

The menu for the dinner is gazpacho, ceasar salad, flat bread hummus pizza and chocolate ganache slice.  We can guarantee it’s going to be absolutely delicious!

Tickets are on sale now at Burnt Stew Café in Function Junction or call (604) 938 1151.

The dinner is Tuesday, September 4th at 6:30pm.  Tickets must be purchased in advanced to reserve your spot and so that the chefs know how many people to cater for.

What is Meetup?

“Meetup is the world’s largest network of local groups. Meetup makes it easy for anyone to organize a local group or find one of the thousands already meeting up face-to-face. More than 9,000 groups get together in local communities each day, each one with the goal of improving themselves or their communities.

Meetup’s mission is to revitalize local community and help people around the world self-organize. Meetup believes that people can change their personal world, or the whole world, by organizing themselves into groups that are powerful enough to make a difference.”

Travelling across the country with the end goal of asking the USDA’s nutrition experts about cow’s milk, filmmaker Shira Lane and her team interview scientific and medical experts, farmers and members of the public, and intersperse these clips in the movie with humorous animations, and little known facts about milk.

One of the main questions they ask members of the public is why they drink cow’s milk.  Is it just because they always have, because their parents gave them milk or maybe because they’ve seen those ‘milk moustache’ ads on TV?  Humans are the only species that drinks mothers’ milk past early childhood and the only species that drinks the milk from the mother of another species. And yet milk is so prevalent in Western diets that we rarely ask ourselves why we drink milk.

Advertising has led people to believe that their bones will crumble away without the calcium provided by milk, often implying that people would have to eat huge amounts of alternative calcium rich foods in order to obtain the same quantities.  But milk has been implicated in several health issues, from acne and asthma to osteoporosis and cancer.  In addition, many people are lactose intolerant and yet continue to consume dairy even though it causes them problems, because they have been led to believe that they have no other choice.

‘Got the facts on Milk?’ takes a light-hearted look at these issues and raises the curiosity of those interviewed to learn more about whether milk really is good for them.

In addition to screening the movie, we will be offering complimentary dairy-free food samples.  Earthsave aims to educate, inspire and empower people to make better food choices and we believe that sharing delicious, nutrient-rich food is a great way to inspire people to add more healthy foods into their diets.

Event Details:
Tuesday, July 10^th at 7pm
Whistler Public Library
Admission by donation (which goes towards the cost of screening rights and food samples)
Note: the room has a 50 person capacity so please arrive early to ensure entry

Use of the community room generously donated by Whistler Public Library.

~Hayley Ingman, 07/02/12