Events
LeafyReads CBAN Online Book Club
Our next book club discussion is on Sunday September 29 at 11:00 am PT/2:00 pm ET.. We will discuss Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Register to get the link to participate.
We will start our book club event by discussing the scientific mindset behind genetic engineering with Dr. Ricarda Steinbrecher, a biologist and molecular geneticist based in the UK who has been examining the risks and impacts of GMOs on agriculture, the environment, and health since 1995. Ricarda recently returned from the Indigenous Environmental Network “Protecting Mother Earth” gathering in South Carolina, USA, followed by a global Tree Biotech scientific conference in Maryland, USA. Ricarda is a founding board member of the European Network of Scientists for Social and Environmental Responsibility (ENSSER) and brings together her expertise and scientific curiosity with a deep love for nature and profound scientific concern about genetically engineering organisms and its consequences.
Proposals to release genetically engineered (GE or genetically modified) trees and other organisms into the wild challenge us to think about our relationship with nature and how it may be impacted by new GE technology in the years to come.
What motivates us to protect nature?- What does it mean for forests if trees are genetically engineered? What does it mean for us?
- Can GE trees be used for species restoration, or is this species replacement?
- Why are some conservation approaches valued more than others?
- What are our responsibilities to future generations?
Join CBAN for our 2024 LeafyReads book club to reflect on these big questions with other thoughtful tree-lovers from coast to coast to coast. Register here – Participation is free!
Register here to get information about session dates and zoom links. Participation is free!
Into the Weeds – Film Screenings
- Watch the trailer.
- Watch the shorter version on CBC Gem.
- Click here to find out about screenings in your area.
INTO THE WEEDS follows groundskeeper Dewayne “Lee” Johnson and his fight for justice against Monsanto (now Bayer). Johnson’s case was the first to go to trial in a series of lawsuits involving tens of thousands of plaintiffs claiming Monsanto’s weed killer Roundup, or its industrial counterpart Ranger Pro, contributed to their cancer. The film follows this groundbreaking trial, while also stepping back to consider the systemic effects of the world’s most widely used herbicide.
As we toggle back and forth between the detail and scale of this ubiquitous product’s impact, it becomes clear that the Johnson verdict will have global repercussions. Our anchor is always Lee: his philosophy, his struggle, and his fight for justice in the face of debilitating and terminal illness. Will Monsanto (Bayer) be forced to change Roundup’s label? To compensate the myriad victims? To address the wide-ranging ecological effects? We consider the limitations of mass torts and using the courts as a tool for social good, and the likelihood of money damages affecting the practice of a company worth billions. By telling Johnson’s story, INTO THE WEEDS ultimately considers whether this kind of David vs. Goliath fight is capable of instigating lasting and substantial change.
Modified – Film Screenings
- Watch the shorter version of the documentary on CBC online!
- Buy the DVD for your own use
- Check listings for a list of screenings in your area.
Modified is a first-person feature documentary that questions why genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are not labeled in Canada and the US, despite being labeled in 64 countries around the world. Shot over a span of ten years, the film follows the fight to label GMOs while debunking the myth that we need GMOs to “feed the world”. The film’s story is anchored in the relationship between the filmmaker and her mother, a passionate organic gardener and food activist who died of cancer during the film’s production. The film is directed and produced by award-winning producer of “Kitchen Vignettes on PBS” and food writer Aube Giroux, executive produced by acclaimed producer Camelia Frieberg, and edited by Mike Munn, editor of the Oscar-nominated “Stories We Tell”. Modified is distributed by Blue Ice Docs and will be released in September 2017. Watch the trailer.
