Today, I volunteered at the Environmental Film Festival through the Sierra Club for two hours. Over the course of the two hours, I handed out programs to people passing by, and watched a few minutes of two environmental films, Ingredients and Green Fire. The most interesting part of the experience came from chatting with other volunteers and patrons of the film festival. Whether it was the woman who worked in healthcare or the tech assistant who was the “voice of the event,” there seemed to be people from all over coming together to not only educate people on why there was a film festival, but also to learn more themselves so that they could become better advocates. Because it was such a beautiful day, we were able to stand outside and chat with those who were interested in why we were there. It turned out to be an overall positive experience that gave me the opportunity to learn about environmental issues and concerns ranging from fracking to sustainable farming.
The first film I was able to watch a few minutes of was Ingredients. This 2009 documentary observed the shortcomings of the U.S. food system against the rising local food movement. This was achieved by looking closely at how the industrialized system worked and compared the differences between that and local, organic farming. The viewers were able to learn more about local farms through a series of interviews with leading organic farmers across the nation.
The second film was called Green Fire. This film was the first full length documentary to examine one of the most famous environmentalists of the century, Aldo Leopald’s, way of thinking as well as how he approached many ecological challenges throughout the late 20th and early 21st century.