‘Got the facts on Milk?’ movie screening and dairy-free food samples, July 10th

Residents and visitors of Whistler are invited to spend an evening at the library watching an entertaining movie and sampling delicious food.  We have partnered with Whistler Public Library to screen the movie ‘Got the facts on Milk?’.  As the second movie in our Summer Movie Series, we wanted to show this documentary to inspire people to consider why they drink milk and whether it is the best choice for their health.

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