'American Meat' filmmaker coming to Western

Graham Meriwether, director of the documentary “American Meat,” will discuss the film as part of Western Washington University’s Huxley College of the Environment Speaker Series at 3 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 16, in Communications Facility Room 125 on Western’s campus.

The presentation is free and open to the public.

There's a new movement of farmers who are "grass farmers" – farming with rotations on pasture. Such methods of production maximize the efficiency of energy flows on the farm. Concurrently, with the advent of the internet, and the numerous tools that allow farmers to more easily market and sell directly to their customers, it is now possible for farmers to make a reasonable living raising and selling animals through self-marketing. There's more than enough land, and productivity in these alternative methods.

Meriwether has spent the last five years directing and producing his documentary, “American Meat,” which documents these methods. Meriwether has previously directed, produced, shot and edited video for Al Jazeera English, PBS, A&E, and the New York Times. He is also the founder of the Leave It Better Foundation (leaveitbetter.com) a nonprofit which has brought gardens to 10 New York City public schools.

The remaining fall quarter speakers in the Huxley College of the Environment Speaker Series are:

• Nov. 30: The Future of Land, Land Trusts, and Food. Panelists: Laura Ridenour (Sustainable Connections Food and Farming Manager), Steve Hollenhorst (dean of the Huxley College of the Environment), Eric Carabba (Huxley Grad, Whatcom Land Trust Development Director), Samya Lutz (Fairhaven grad, Whatcom County Planning and Development Services).
• Dec. 7: Scott Miles and Rebekah Green of Western’s Resilience Institute will speak on Japan's recovery in housing and critical infrastructure following its devastating earthquake and tsunami.

Anyone interested in these topics is encouraged to come and participate; the presentation will include a question-and-answer period. The speaker series is held by Western's Huxley College of the Environment to bring together the environmentally minded community and other interested members of the WWU and Bellingham communities. Speakers address topics of contemporary environmental concern in the region and the world.

For more information, please contact the main office of Huxley College of the Environment, at (360) 650-3520.

Western’s Huxley College of the Environment is one of the oldest environmental colleges in the nation and a recognized national leader in producing the next generation of environmental stewards. The College’s academic programs reflect a broad view of the physical, biological, social and cultural world. This innovative and interdisciplinary approach makes Huxley unique. The College has earned international recognition for the quality of its programs.