Triplex Cinema to Screen Documentary on Sustainable Diets, Host Panel Discussion

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GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — The Triplex Cinema will host a screening of the documentary film "Eating Our Way to Extinction" on April 22, followed by a panel discussion featuring author Ginny Messina, environmental activist Brittany Ebling, and Susan Purser.
 
Narrated by Academy Award-winner Kate Winslet, the film explores the environmental impact of meat production, advocating for the avoidance of animal products as a means toward a sustainable future. The documentary reportedly presents issues such as deforestation, air and water pollution, and resource depletion through a combination of journalism, scientific data, interviews, and investigative reporting.
 
This event marks the beginning of the Triplex 2025 Environmental Series, sponsored by the Dr. Robert C. and Tina Sohn Foundation and the Lenox-based Roaring Brook Foundation.
 
A reception with food samples from the Berkshire Food Co-op will follow the screening and panel discussion in the Triplex Lobby. Tickets for the event are available for purchase at www.thetriplex.org.
 
"Eating Our Way to Extinction," directed by Otto Brockway and Ludovic Brockway, with Kate Winslet as an executive producer, was released in 2021 and received the Best Documentary award at the 2022 Environmental Media Awards.
 
Ginny Messina, a Berkshire County resident and registered dietician known for her work in plant-based nutrition, will participate in the panel and sign copies of her book, "Vegan for Life: Everything You Need to Know to Be Healthy on a Plant-based Diet," co-authored with Jack Norris. Related materials will be displayed in the Triplex lobby.
 
Gail Lansky, President of the Triplex Board, expressed gratitude to the Robert C. and Tina Sohn Foundation and the Roaring Brook Foundation for their support of the environmental series. She noted the success of the previous year's screenings in bringing the community together and anticipates a similar outcome this year. Lansky also acknowledged Stephanie Blumenthal for her efforts in organizing the event.
 
The Dr. Robert C. and Tina Sohn Foundation supports initiatives in environmental awareness, alternative health care, and the arts, with a focus on educational projects for underserved populations, particularly young people. The Roaring Brook Foundation supports nonprofits in the areas of climate resilience and environmental stewardship, local food systems and nutrition security, and youth leadership, outdoor education, and liberal arts.
 
Triplex Cinema, Inc., a nonprofit organization, offers a variety of films, including first-run, independent, foreign language, classic, children’s, and documentary features, as well as locally produced films and thematic programming. The Triplex also collaborates with schools and local nonprofits on community-focused programming.
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Pryor & Peacock's Whimsical Furniture Environmentally Friendly

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
 

The company uses digital printing to create the upholstery fabric, saving water and saving vintage furniture from ending up in landfills.

STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. — A unique furniture store has popped up on Elm Street this month.

Mom-and-daughter store Pryor & Peacock is hosting the pop-up storefront from Aug. 13 to Aug. 25 at 6 Elm. The New Marlborough business is co-founded by Rosalina Wright and Luca Shapiro, who is also the creative director. 

Their online shop was created in 2024 but they wanted people to see the pieces in person, so they're renting the space for a limited time before a long-term tenant moves in.

The store sources prints to create unique fabrics and reimagines vintage and antique furniture acquired at auctions, local shops, and online.

"We source prints from all over the world that date from the late 1600s up through mid-20th century, and Luca turns those prints into fabric by manipulating them, scanning them, oftentimes has to add or subtract things, and then we manufacture the fabric using only digital printing, which is very environmentally friendly, unlike traditional textile printing," Wright said.

Upholstering the furniture can take weeks of work. Shapiro looks for the perfect design for each piece and, if need be, uses Adobe Photoshop to extend the art work to fit or enhance the print.

"One of the most difficult parts comes in marrying the fabric to a piece of furniture because we only use antique and vintage frames also to be earth friendly, and they're also more beautiful and durable than new furniture," Wright said. "So the image has to go with the furniture, so that takes a lot of work."

One of Pryor & Peacock's missions is to be environmentally friendly. Digital printing doesn't use the same amount of water as traditional textile productions do nor does it contaminate water with ink according to their website.

Not only are they saving water, but they are saving furniture from going into the landfill while also using more durable furniture that doesn't break as easily as current pieces. They started their business to create something unique and to help the environment together.

"It's creating something nobody else is doing. People can't continue to buy throwaway furniture. Six percent of American landfills is furniture, and digital printing not only opens up the possibility of being able to put unique images on a piece of furniture, but it also is, as I said, environmentally friendly. So, for us, the excitement is to take an old East Lake settee that somebody's going to store in their barn and forget about, and make it something completely new and surprising," Wright said.

They hope their furniture helps bring a pop of fun to someone's home.

"We think our furniture is very whimsical and surprising, and most furniture today is oatmeal colored couches and gray neutral chairs, and it's boring," she said.

The two named their business after their mothers' maiden names to honor them and believe the name reflects their pieces.

Shapiro works in interior design outside of the business and the two liked working together and thought it would be great to start a business together. Shapiro says they can work well together and that her and her mother, Wright, has flipped houses before and have the same eye for design.

"So it's very easy for us to work together. When we see something, generally we agree on whether it works or doesn't work on a piece. We agree on the color schemes and that sort of thing. So it's very fun and fulfilling to work together," Shapiro said. 

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