Films and support for your environmental passions

Lately I’ve noticed more people interested in global warming, sustainability issues and environmental issues. Numerous churches, including my own, showed the movie “An Inconvenient Truth.” Without any prompting on my part, the Christian education director asked for advice on environmental films that could be shared with students. Then I ran into someone who was concerned about the number of people driving single occupancy vehicles into our city to work. “What could be done about it?” she wondered aloud. Yet another friend told me of the heroic efforts he had been making to bicycle to work. These are all anecdotes, yet they give me the feeling that something is stirring in this land.

I think a lot of us have had the illusion for a long time that we are the only ones who care about the environment. If you go to any earth day celebration, you’ll clear up that misconception. But I think the sense of isolation speaks to the absence of any sane or supportive rhetoric coming out of our state, regional and local political leaders for a long time.

Four years ago I told a candidate for the Minnesota House that I hoped he would speak out about environmental issues. In the course of the campaign, he did not do so. (He lost, probably for different reasons). All the stinking consultants were advising candidates to lay low on environmental issues. No one wanted to sound like an extremist. The right wing noise machine did a great job of marrying the word environmental to extremist. As a result, those of us who cared about the environment did our bit, got our recycling together, engaged in small-scale guerrilla warfare whenever a particularly noxious proposal gathered steam. But we felt we were alone. And now, in 2007, the times have changed, and we realize we aren’t alone. There probably was a huge silent majority who was similarly cowed.

It is impossible to underestimate the contribution Al Gore has made with his advocacy and especially An Inconvenient Truth. He is giving cover to people who care about the environment. It’s not an interest that is reserved for the paid environmentalists. A great number of people, artists, Sunday school teachers, farmers, hunters and business people care deeply about the environment.

For all who hope to educate themselves and others, a couple of films are highly recommended and can be affordably viewed by individuals and groups:

An Inconvenient Truth (2006). Available from any DVD store

The True Cost of Food. A 15 minute funny and educational film prepared by the Sierra Club. Available free or as a download.

Thirst. A documentary about the rush to privatize water around the world. 62 minutes. Can be purchased by an individual for $37.

Who Killed the Electric Car? (2006) A documentary about a futuristic car that threatened the business model of those who created it. Available at any DVD outlet. 91 minutes.

End of Suburbia (2005). Introduces the topic of peak oil, and how oil depletion will cause the collapse of the American Dream. 77 minutes. Available from its producer for $26.

The Great Warming. A Canadian documentary on global warming. Premiered on PBS. Check out availability on their website. 90 minutes.

Further film viewing ideas can be explored at the Grinning Planet website. Or, if you are going to be near southeastern Minnesota, check out the multiple movie and speaker opportunities at the Frozen River Film Festival, January 25-28.