LUNAFEST Raises Awareness

By Broadside Staff Reporter Ethan Vaughn

LUNAFEST, a nationwide program bringing awareness to women’s issues, was created in 2001 by Clif Bar, the company that produces the LUNA brand, in an effort to “[support] the artistic development of women, while providing dedicated community volunteers with an opportunity to raise money for local organizations.”

George Mason University will host a LUNAFEST event beginning at 5 p.m. tomorrow in the Johnson Center Cinema.

Clif Bar itself was founded in 1992 by Gary Erickson, a former bicyclist who wanted to market products that would appeal to fellow athletes.

The LUNA Bar was created in 1999 by the same company, which had seen success with its male-oriented power bar of the same name, but wished to cater to a female market as well.

According to Marissa Herrmann, a senior communication major and LUNA Bar intern, which was termed a LUNALEADER by Clif Bar’s Women’s Division, the snack is appealing to women, not only due to its low calorie count, but also because it provides ample iron and calcium, two ingredients that adult females are more likely to have a deficiency of than adult males.

“It’s easy to get something unhealthy when you’re studying,” Herrmann said.

LUNA Bars, she believes, offer a more nutritional and beneficial alternative to the junk foods so readily available to college students.

Herrmann calls LUNA Bars an “entirely-natural, whole-nutritious” option, saying that they differ from other energy foods in specific ways.

“A lot of products are made and they form a need,” Herrmann said. “LUNA was made to meet a need.”

She adds that her primary role as a LUNA intern is to “get [LUNA Bars] out into the community,” often distributing them for free at events whose organizers would not otherwise be able to provide food for lack of funds.

Campus reaction has been mainly positive, Herrmann asserts, and in general, women respond well to LUNA Bars both because of their taste and because of their message.

The festival, “a national fundraising [effort] that showcases short films by, for and about women,” will donate 100 percent of its proceeds to the Breast Cancer Fund.

The event is open to anyone who wishes to attend, with a general admission price of $10 to the public and $6 to Mason students.

According to a press release, LUNA says that the Breast Cancer Fund “identifies– and advocates for elimination of–the environmental causes of [breast cancer] and is the only national breast cancer organization focused solely on prevention.

“Through public education, policy initiatives, outdoor challenges and innovative campaigns, the Breast Cancer Fund mobilizes the public, lawmakers and corporations nationwide to secure the changes needed to stop this devastating disease.”

This year’s LUNAFEST will feature nine short films from locations as diverse as New York, South Africa, France, Columbia, Montana and California.

LUNAFEST is sponsored in conjunction with the Feminist Ninjas and the Women’s Coalition.