Congrats to Cat, Sadie, Safiyah and your crew on the innovative and fun film!!! Keba and I really enjoyed it and I learned a lot. In fact i came home with a craving for carrots and today I read all the labels on my food. I was very impressed with the confidence of the girls in front of the camera and meeting all those "important" people. Wow! I loved the map with the food pics at the beginning- that made it very clear and easy to understand the concepts. I was very excited to see the Angel Family Farm and hear the Spanish!! It was also a very positive portrayal of an immigrant family- a change from what we see in the news- like in Arizona where it will be illegal to talk to an illegal immigrant. I liked the part at the beginning where Safiyah's brother is talking about where the food is from and he says 'from a suburb or something like that." It was cool to see Sadie fencing and I loved the boy she fences with who named his father's stomach Edward. I think Keba's stomach needs a name too. So many humorous and adorable moments throughout! It was also fun to see Tenzin when he was smaller and Kofi and Rio eating things from your window garden. Some parts of the film were also so touching and sad, like the interview with the couple with diabetes. Keba's close friend Pat, his version of an American Mom in Cleveland suffers from diabetes. Her brother lost 2 legs before he died. It's a rough disease and so common. I am so glad Sadie's cholesterol has gone down so much- I didn't know she had that. She is certainly lucky to be in a family that eats so healthy. I hope your film will one day be accessible for schools to show since it is perfect to educate kids and help them make healthier choices that will also be better for the community.

hi, catherine this is little ernie christine's step son. i just wanted to tell you that i think this was one hell of a film. when i talked to pat about the screening and she told me about it, i sort of laughed because i had already seen the film twice on planet green. for the past 5 years i have turned into some what of a tree hugger. here in oxnard there's not many of us, i have been growing a lot of vegetables,recycling, and i am the only one in my neighborhood with a composter...they all thought i was nuts. now 5 years later its now trendy to have a vegetable garden. this whole revolution has inspired me to go to culinary school and pursue a career in the food business. this is a really eye opening film and you and sadie did a great job. it took a lot of courage for sadie to challenge these big wigs that only care about the dollar signs. maybe one day we will see veggie and real juice vending machines instead of soda and chip machines. this goes to show you its a small world and if we all do a little now it can make a big difference later.

Hi Catherine, Sadie, Safiyah, and everybody else! I'm Jakori from Connecticut. I was so impressed by "What's on Your Plate?" because it reminded of me when I was 12 years old. That's when I decided to become a vegetarian. It's so nice to see young people interested in what goes into their bodies for food. If you guys ever need help with anything from editing, to desktop publishing, to promotion, and education spreading the word, you can get in touch with me, I'd love to volunteer my services. I work with the local cable station in in my county plus fairfield county in CT so I have alot of great connections. I also have a tv show that broadcasts on public television. Alright, you guys be good! See ya in the future

GREAT job. the kids learned a lot and it was a real conversation starter for us. we were talking throughout the whole movie and for once - talking during a movie was a good thing!

I’m the Program Coordinator for an Environmental Center in Miami, FL. This Saturday we’re having a “You Are What You Eat,” theme at our Center to teach families around the community about eating sustainably. I am creating an exhibit using a large globe that will show families where the ingredients from popular foods that they consume come from. Families will find where the ingredients from their pizza, for instance, come from and how far those foods travel to make it to Miami, FL. This information will translate into energy consumption and how many homes, schools, TVs (or whatever) could be powered if those ingredients were purchased locally. Problem is, I can’t find these statics anywhere! Can anyone point me in the right direction? I really think concrete numbers will drive this point home, and I’m hoping an organization such as yours has the answers. Please help! Thanks so much!

I think fruits and vegetables are good my favorite fruit is probably apples and strawberries. My favorite vegetables are carrots and broccoli. Even though sometimes I don't like to eat fruits and vegetables there good for you.

Fran and I thoroughly enjoyed What's on your Plate. The two girls were fabulous: funny, smart, earnest. The animations in between scenes were charming and informative at the same time. The folks the girls interviewed were diverse and interesting and represented many different elements of this topic. And the important messages were on the right level for kids but for adults, too. We spoke to the mother of two kids who were there and she reported that they loved the movies, as did she.

We took our kids to see the film in Northampton, MA along with a whole crowd from Jackson Street School and were really inspired. It renewed our commitment to eating locally grown food and supporting area farmers. Thanks for the inspiration and great job making the whole topic so interesting for adults and kids alike! The 4th graders in Susan Ebitz's class had a great time selling eggs in the lobby of the theatre, that came from chickens that hatched after being incubated in a 2nd grade classroom and had grown up on her farm.

McDonald’s Is...

by Rio Hope-Gund

McDonald’s is your

house catching fire on

Christmas Eve. McDonald’s is

a volcano erupting when you

are near. McDonald’s is

falling off of a really

tall horse. McDonald’s is

a scary clown that makes

you fat. McDonald’s is getting brainwashed.

McDonald’s is getting icicles sticking out

your nose. McDonald’s is just McDonald’s.

Farmers Market Shopping Cart

by Nellie Engle

Basil

a petunia and

a dozen eggs

Swiss chard

mint and

lemon balm

Pansies

radishes

tomato plants

Ronnybrook Farm milkshake

(yuck), asparagus, and our shopping

cart’s…

FULL!