Eco Film Showing at Chapman

Here are some films that were at the Eco Film showing at Chapman on Sunday, October 14th.

Here is the link for the event: http://www.una-oc.org/. Although I didn't get to watch all of the films I think you should definitely look into watching them on your own time and we can even talk with Environmental Department (ED) about showing one or two of them during our monthly eco film screenings. 

1.  Mother: Caring for 7 Billion: http://www.motherthefilm.com/  This is a feature length film that explores the issues of carrying capacity, explosive population growth, increasing consumption and how women are at the heart of the population issue. This is more than just another population explosion film because it combines science with humanity. Unfortunately this film is not online for free so we could possibly approach the library about buying it for $250...
2.  Kilowattours: http://www.kilowattours.org/ This is a short documentary that follows the filmmakers family as they explore "how can I make a difference" which shows him how electricity demand relates to mountain top removal, health issues like asthma and on the larger scale global warming. This is a positive ending film because they come up with solutions and highlight people who are working towards energy conservation. A lot like the film Bag It (also great, we showed it last year in the eco film series;) info http://www.bagitmovie.com/ Unfortunately this film is not online for free so we could possibly approach the library about buying it for $50... I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that people do this pledge and start saving energy so that other places are not destroyed in order for us to get electricity and other energy sources which we use superfluously. 
3. Shadows in the Forest: http://vimeo.com/12298792. I missed watching this film but basically it is about how the Pygmies culture in Cameroon are struggling to preserve their culture as their government refuses to acknowledge their presence and protests over their forest land being seized and  destroyed in order to be replaced with uninhabitable but profitable palm oil plantations.  The link above shows the short film for free online. 
4. The Mono Lake Story: http://www.monolake.org/about/film This is a short film that is really inspiring how people can form coalitions of other interested people and work to save the environment. This is a series of interviews about people who come together to protect and restore the delicate ecosystem around Mono Lake. Since I visit Mono Lake once or twice a year when I go visit my cousins in Lake Tahoe, this film was really powerful and I think that anyone interested in grassroots environmental protection should watch it. We can get it for a small donation $5-10 so I'm thinking of buying it and starting a possible eco-wing environmental/sustainability library. Anyone else like the idea? Have anything to contribute? :) I'll keep you updated.
5. Ocean Expedition, Boat to Belly: http://www.oneworldoneocean.com/video/entry/boat-to-belly-sneak-peek. This is a great  little documentary about one restaurant's decision to switch from over fished Chilean Sea Bass to locally caught Black Cod and how this switch to sustainable seafood has helped the planet and local people. They haven't released this film in any format but the trailer in the link presents some interesting things to think about. 

• I also want to let everyone know that palm oil is also causing similar highly violent and terrible forest destruction in the Sumatran rain forests in Indonesia (where dwindling populations of orangutans are being pushed towards extinction due to habitat loss) and that although this issue seems removed from our decisions, the U.S. food market and beauty market are big demanders of palm oil. Which is why we should chose other options that don't use palm oil. For example, I chose to use an air pop machine to make popcorn and to add organic, local olive oil instead of buying microwave popcorn because the oils in the bag have palm oil. My choice of soap also reflects my efforts to boycott palm oil because Dove's parent company Unilever destroys a lot of rain forest when harvesting their palm oil. Here is a GREAT RESOURCE all about which products have palm oil in them:  http://www.angelfire.com/planet/palmoilproducts/ . For more information on Dove and Palm Oil go to:http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/forests/asia-pacific/dove-palmoil-action/unilever-campaign-info/. For a quick video (less than 1 minute) go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odI7pQFyjso. 

Let me know if you watch any of the films, what you thought or anything else interesting. Hope you enjoyed reading! 

:) Chelsea