THE MEATRIX WINS AWARD FOR INNOVATIVE COMMUNICATIONS
Special Glynwood Harvest Award Created to Honor the Internet’s Most Popular Advocacy Film
New York, NY - The Meatrix (www.TheMeatrix.com), the most popular internet advocacy film in history, today was presented with a special award for innovative communications at the Second Annual Glynwood Harvest Awards in New York City. In the past year, over 5 million people have  viewed the humorous flash animation spoof and learned about the detrimental effects of factory farming from a trench coat-clad cow named Moopheus.
The Glywood Center, a non-profit organization working to encourage conservation of cultural and natural resources in New York’s agriculturally rich Hudson Valley, felt The Meatrix was so deserving of recognition that the group created the "Special Glynwood Harvest Innovative Communications Award" to honor the film. Representatives from The Meatrix accepted the award at a special ceremony held at the historic Carriage House in New York City.
"We are thrilled that the Glynwood Center has recognized how The Meatrix has helped reconnect communities to the traditional family farmers in their areas," said Diane Hatz, Marketing Director at GRACE and an Executive Producer of The Meatrix. "We have been contacted by folks all over the country who have stopped eating industrial, factory-farmed meat after seeing this film. In New York State, as well as across America’s agricultural heartland, more and more families are returning to their local family farmers for sustainable sources of meat," said Hatz.
"Humor crosses age, gender and class boundaries," noted Karen Hudson, a farmer and educator from Elmwood, Illinois. "The Meatrix uses humor as a message of mass instruction, sparking renewed interest in the serious crisis facing our food system in America."
Helen Reddout, a Washington state family farmer who attended the award ceremony, agreed. "I am so pleased that GRACE could produce a film like The Meatrix that helps explain the problems we face as family farmers," said Reddout. "When more people realize that big industry is stamping out America’s traditional family farmers, the more they demand a return to the fresh, sustainable, locally-produced foods that are healthier for their families and support their rural communities."
The Meatrix is a project of Sustainable Table (www.SustainableTable.org), a consumer campaign that educates families about sustainable methods of food production and offers viable solutions to factory farms. At the Sustainable Table website, consumers can access the Eat Well Guide, a free online directory of meat, poultry, dairy and eggs produced by family farmers using sustainable methods. Consumers simply enter their zip code and the Guide will direct them to farms, stores and restaurants close to home that sell sustainable foods.
In the year since its debut, The Meatrix has been featured in numerous national and international film festivals, including the Annecy Film Festival in France, New York City’s "Media that Matters" Film Festival, and the prestigious Woodstock Film Festival. The film also was shown during the webcast of the 2004 Farm Aid Concert in Seattle. It has been used as a instructional tool for employees of Whole Foods and as a teaching aid in grade schools and colleges.
Founded in 1995, the Glynwood Center works with communities to conserve local culture and natural resources in ways that strengthen local economies. Through its agricultural initiative, Glynwood has worked with hundreds of rural communities to expand public understanding of regional agriculture and to encourage individuals and organizations to take action at the community level to support America’s traditional family farmers.
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GRACE is a nonprofit organization that works with research, policy and grassroots communities to raise awareness and promote solutions to preserve the planet for future generations. Visit us at www.gracelinks.org. | 
