Green Fix
Four Healthy Shorts and ‘Cowspiracy’
Let’s face it, eating meat is bad for the planet. It’s not an easy reality for meat lovers to face, but since the animal agriculture industry is responsible for 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, more than combined exhaust from all transportation, we’ve got to start paying attention. This January, the Westside New Leaf Community Market will show several acclaimed documentaries that cover critical issues in nutrition, diet, the impact of animal agriculture on global warming, and how the US. food system has led to epidemic levels of preventable diseases. Four thought-provoking short films will be screened on Tuesday, Jan. 10, the groundbreaking documentary Cowspiracy on Wednesday, Jan. 11, and Forks Over Knives on Wednesday, Jan. 18.
Info: 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 10, Wednesday, Jan. 11 and Wednesday, Jan. 18. Westside New Leaf, 1101 Fair Ave., Santa Cruz. newleaf.com/events. Free.
Art Seen
‘Sold’ Movie Screening
Based on the international bestselling novel by Patricia McCormick, Sold stars Gillian Anderson, David Arquette and Priyanka Bose. The story of Lakshmi, trafficked from her rural Nepalese village to work in a brothel called Happiness House in Kolkata, India, at age 13, reflects the horrible reality of human trafficking in Southeast Asia, and offers a small window into the plight of millions of children who disappear every year. On a global scale, the average age of someone trafficked is 13 and it’s estimated that 35.8 million people are forced into labor at any given time due to human trafficking.
Info: 6:30-8:30 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 11. The Del Mar, 1124 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. january11-sold-film-delmar.weebly.com. $13.
Friday 1/6 – Sunday 2/5
8 Tens @ Eight
It’s that time of year again, when the number eight reigns supreme, with eight 10-minute plays shown at 8 p.m. from Jan. 6 to Feb. 5. This year’s lineup has 16 award-winning plays from a national playwriting contest that will be shown throughout the five-week festival. “Over the years we have received plays from writers all over the world. The 8 Tens @ Eight has become known as the premiere 10-minute play festival on the West Coast. We have proudly kept in touch with many of our winning playwrights, and have seen them go on to have plays produced in larger venues, knowing it all started for them here in Santa Cruz,” says artistic director and festival founder Wilma Marcus Chandler.
Info: 8 p.m. Center Stage Theater, 1001 Center St., Santa Cruz. brownpapertickets.com. $22-$25.
Monday 1/9
Erik Vance at Bookshop Santa Cruz
If you’ve ever watched Law and Order, you know that witness testimony is unreliable because six people who see the same thing will all describe it differently. So how do placebos, hypnosis, and false memories work? Journalist Erik Vance’s Suggestible You: The Curious Science of Your Brain’s Ability to Deceive, Transform and Heal, postulates that the answers lie within our own brains. In the narrative, Vance explores the surprising ways expectations and beliefs influence our bodily responses to pain, disease and everyday events.
Info: 7 p.m. Bookshop Santa Cruz, 1520 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. bookshopsantacruz.com. Free.
Wednesday 1/11
‘Leadership in Times of Change’ Workshop
Renowned leadership coach and workshop facilitator Dave Ellis has gifted the Diversity Center with a full day of training on Wednesday, Jan. 11. To spark a bigger conversation about what’s next in 2017 for our community and the Center, Ellis will present several practical and useful success strategies. During the workshop participants will be encouraged to ask life-changing questions while being supported to fully engage and enhance creativity, identity deep truths, and work toward accomplishing goals. Registration on website.
Info: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Peace United Church of Christ, 900 High St., Santa Cruz. squadup.com/events/dellis. $25.
