If you missed the film premiere or would like a re-run, Patagonia Nashville is hosting a special screening of the documentary How to Heal the Planet followed by a Q & A panel!
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Before the film, enjoy light bites, local beverages, and a chance to meet the people growing, composting, and fighting for a better food system in Nashville — Bells Bend Farms, Brooklyn Heights Community Garden, Compost Nashville, The Nashville Food Project, and Urban Green Lab will all be in attendance.
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How To Heal The Planet is a 25-minute documentary by Davis Watson following Jeffrey Orkin, the Mississippi-born urban farmer behind Greener Roots Farm, whose decade-long journey building a world-class hydroponic operation in Nashville intersects with the chefs and food pioneers who transformed this city's dining scene by connecting it to local farmers. Featuring Margot McCormack, Jeremy Barlow, Tyler Brown, John Dyke, and Vanderbilt professor Amanda Little, author of The Fate of Food.Â
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After the film, there will be a Q&A with the director, and the panel will join for a conversation about food, community, and what it actually takes to build a more equitable and resilient Nashville.
Seats are limited, so be sure to RSVP above!Â
Davis Watson is a writer, filmmaker, and farmer from Nashville, TN who shifted from journalism to documentary filmmaking. He has written, directed, and produced two feature documentaries- Bairds of Kentucky (USA) and Good Piping (Ireland)- currently streaming on Amazon & Tubi.Â
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Davis's other works include documentaries on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, a forgotten town in the copper basin of Appalachia, and an award-winning piece on the largest land haul in the USA.
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Over the last decade, Davis has complemented the artistic life with field work as a full time farmer in Tennessee and California, running an organic farm in Malibu, CA the last 6 years.
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He continues to work on new film/TV projects, including the new docuseries How To Heal The Planet, and has been building the documentary platform Paradocsical.Â
Brooklyn Heights Community Garden (BHCG)Â is a non-profit urban farm located on formerly vacant lots in the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood of Nashville, Tennessee, a historically Black and low-income neighborhood that experiences food apartheid.
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Founded by Nella "Ms. Pearl" Frierson over 15 years ago, the creation of this garden stemmed from a deep need for the community to get back to its roots of connection between its elders and young people, to rebuild and reconstruct selfÂ-awareness, self-pride, and self-esteem, and to remind people of all ages how to play in the dirt.Â
They provide much needed fresh, healthy fruits, vegetables, and herbs right here in our own neighborhood.
Compost Nashville began in 2014 to help Nashville and Franklin residents divert as much food waste from the landfill as possible and to turn that food waste into nutrient-rich soil with which the local community could grow more delicious food.Â
 Their carbon negative fleet is diverting millions of pounds of material from landfills, while donating compost to local farms, schools, and community gardens each year. They continue to grow their list of local commercial composting partners and are available for events and more compost for thousands of homes in Middle Tennessee.
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The Nashville Food Project embraces a vision of vibrant community and food security in which everyone in Nashville has access to the food they want and need through a just and sustainable food system.
Working toward these goals requires creative community collaboration as one in seven people in Nashville lacks access to enough food to sustain a healthy lifestyle and more than 40% of all the food in our city goes to waste. Poverty, unemployment, low wages and escalating housing costs all contribute to the challenges that the most vulnerable residents of our city face.
They believe food can be a powerful tool to foster health, belonging and justice in our community.
Urban Green Lab exists to guide communities in sustainable living. We train and educate in places where culture begins to assist Nashville in making decisions that thoughtfully meet the needs of our society today without compromising the ability of others to meet their needs in the future. We envision a Nashville where everyone has access to opportunities for learning about sustainable living.
