Pressing questions about the relationship between health, food security and sustainable food production for people and planet will be addressed in a coordinated campaign of education events by the local organizations, the GMO Free Project of Tucson, Native Seeds/SEARCH, Baja Arizona Sustainable Agriculture, the Envision Tucson Sustainable Festival and Tucson Food Day during the month of October. Local businesses, including WellnessFirst, New Life Health Centers and Native Seeds/SEARCH are sponsors.

A free public screening of Genetic Roulette: The Gamble of Our Lives will be shown at 7 p.m., October 11, at Crossroads Theater, 4811 East Grant Road. The film presents the case that genetically modified foods are profitable for the companies that make and sell them, but are leading contributors to our deteriorating health, as well as that of our animals, our crops and our soil.

The Tucson film premiere of the new short documentary, Seeds of Freedom, about the importance of seed saving and the current threats to that practice, will be shown at 7 p.m., October 16, followed by a discussion, at Native Seeds/SEARCH, 3584 East River Road. Admission is $5. Community mesquite milling events will be held in Sierra Vista and Bisbee by Baja Arizona Sustainable Agriculture on October 18 and 27.

The Envision Tucson Sustainable Festival, a celebration of all things sustainable, with a particular focus on sustainable food production, will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., October 21, at Reid Park (TucsonSustainable.org/Festival). On Tucson Food Day, October 24, a special food-oriented presentation will take place at the Loft Theater, 3233 East Speedway Boulevard. Genetic Roulette will be screened at 7 p.m., followed by discussion with Bill McDorman, executive director of Native Seeds/SEARCH, and Melissa Diane Smith, director of education
for the GMO Free Project of Tucson. Admission is $5.

Additional events include a Santa Cruz Harvest Dinner on October 21 and the University of Arizona Food Day Fair on October 24 (TucsonFoodDay.com).

For more information, visit NativeSeeds.org and GMOFreeTucson.org.