Environmental media association, Clover Sonoma take stand against GMOs
“Well it’s kind of scary,” Benedetti responded when asked what it means to be a traiblazer in the dairy industry. “If it’s not scary, you’re probably not a trailblazer.”
By: Paige Donnelly
Source: LA Times: High School Edition
Imagine you’re at the dinner table, reunited with your family after a long semester of classes. It’s finally the summer vacation, and you’re ready to stuff your face with your mom’s homemade cooking. You start to talk about the typical topics you’d discuss around the dinner table: how school is going, what activities you’re involved with, and the dangers of genetically modified food into the food you consume every day.
Wait, what?
If the last item seemed a bit off to you, you’re not alone. Dissecting issues related to food justice can be intimidating conversations to have with your loved ones, given the amount of jargon and context that is required to explain these issues. It’s not the most glamorous conversation to have, and it is an issue that doesn’t always get the press it deserves.
In an effort to open the conversations within small-scale communities about food justice, specifically the dangers of GMOs in food production, the Environmental Media Association (EMA) partnered with Clover Sonoma, a Bay-area based dairy company dedicated to providing milk produced from cows that were not given artificial hormones. With their collaboration, a PSA titled “It’s Up To Us” was launched starring Jordana Brewster, Carter Oosterhouse, Amy Smart and Baron Davis.
The joint organizations celebrated the campaign’s official launch on June 13 at Au Fudge, in the heart of Melrose Avenue. During the evening, guests were given opportunities to network with Debbie Levin, the President/CEO of Environmental Media Association and Marcus Benedetti, the President/CEO of Clover Sonoma, taste scrumptious appetizers, and witness the premiere of the PSA airing for the first time.
“Well it’s kind of scary,” Benedetti responded when asked what it means to be a traiblazer in the dairy industry. “If it’s not scary, you’re probably not a trailblazer.”
From its very beginning, media and art have proven to be indicators of social progress, and utilized as a tool to bring awareness towards causes that matter. Although the mere mention of science can be off-putting to many, the Environmental Media Association exists to link the entertainment industry and environmental activism together, in hopes of making cooperative, collaborative change.
Although it’s easy to feel pessimistic when looking at the national headlines regarding climate change and environmentalism, PSAs like “It’s Up To Us” remind us that we have the power and potential to use our skills to ignite conversations within our community and move forward together.
