Photos from the Buy Local Bash!

Food For Thought: An Evening of Socially Relevant Cinema

Our upcoming film for our monthly film series Food For Thought is: What Would Jesus Buy?

December 17th Doors open at 6:30, film @ 7pm

Food For Thought is a monthly evening of food, film and discussion with a focus on films of social, political, environmental and community interest. Held at The Linda Preforming Art Center, the third Thursday of each month, the night will feature food samples, a feature film screening and a panel discussion.

About the film: What Would Jesus Buy? - The film focuses on the issues of the commercialization of Christmas, materialism, the over-consumption in American culture, globalization, and the business practices of large corporations, as well as their economic and cultural effects on American society, as seen through the prism of activist/performance artist Bill Talen, who goes by the alias of "Reverend Billy," and his troupe of activists, whose street theater performances take the form of a church choir called "The Church of Stop Shopping," that sings anti-shopping and anti-corporate songs. The film follows Billy and his choir as they take a cross-country trip in the month prior to Christmas 2005, and spread their message against what they perceive as the evils of patronizing the retail outlets of several different large corporate chains.

About Reverend Billy - Reverend Billy and the Life After Shopping Gospel Choir believe that Consumerism is overwhelming our lives. The corporations want us to have experiences only through their products. Our neighborhoods, "commons" places like stoops and parks and streets and libraries, are disappearing into the corporatized world of big boxes and chain stores. But if we "back away from the product" – even a little bit, well then we Put The Odd Back In God!

The Church of Life After Shopping is project of The Immediate Life, a New York based arts organization using theater, humor, and grassroots organizing to advance individuals and communities towards a more equitable future - starting today. We partner with citizens, grassroots organizations and progressive visionaries to produce dynamic, informed public campaigns that enact our core values - participatory democracy, ecological sustainability, and the preservation of vibrant communities and local economies.

Hope to see you there! For more information and ticket sales visit: http://www.wamcarts.org

Buy Local Bash Success!

Last weekend the Honest Weight food Co-op participated in Capital District Local First's third annual Buy Local Bash.

“It’s incredibly important for the public understand the power that spending some of their holiday dollars at local independent businesses can have in the regional economy,” said Susan Taylor, Chair of Capital District Local First. “By supporting locally-owned independent businesses, more money stays in the region.”

The event was a huge success! If you are interested in learning more about Capital District Local First, you can find more information at www.capitaldistrictlocalfirst.org