Environmental Youth Forum 2/10 & 2/11 @ Rafael Center

*** FREE ***
 To all school groups
 

 2014  

 6th Annual
 ENVIRONMENTAL
YOUTH
FORUM

 @ the 3 screen
 SMITH RAFAEL FILM CENTER  

 San Rafael 

 

February 10th (Grades 1-8)

 Films and speakers
*** Choose a film or 2 ***
 

February 11th (Grades 9-12)

 Films, speakers, panels, workshops

"active cinema" room to meet local and  

national environmental organizations 

*** This a full day event ***

 

          We are looking forward to welcoming back         schools that have participated previously

    AND meeting new schools!

Limited number of buses available by request
 

Sign up to bring your students 

education@cafilm.org
 

Questions?

(415) 526-5813

*****

FILMS:

2/10/14

RIDDLE IN A BOTTLE

Directed by: Laura Sams and Robert Sams

30 m + 30 m performance with Laura and Robert Sams

CLICK TO VIEW TRAILER

 RIDDLE IN A BOTTLE shares how life on earth is connected through moving water. Laura and Robert, a.k.a. "The Riddle Solvers," are two siblings who run a riddle-solving stand, where they solve riddles for 5¢ a piece.  We follow them as they solve a mysterious riddle from the ocean that reaches them on an inland lake... in a message in a magic bottle.  

Laura Sams and Robert Sams are a  sister/brother creative team, who  create science-based films, books, music, educational media and curriculum that help people discover the natural world.  Their work has been honored with over 50 international awards, including a Wildscreen Panda Award (which is often called the "Green Oscars"), a KIDS FIRST! Best of the Year Award, a National Parenting Publications (NAPPA) Gold Award, Parents' Choice GOLD and many more. 

 
2/10/14

OCEAN FRONTIERS: THE DAWN OF A NEW ERA IN OCEAN STEWARDSHIP

Directed by: Karen Anspacher-Meyer

80 m + 20 m discussion with Chris Pincetich, Turtle Island Restoration Network

 Click to view trailer

Tainted waters, dying reefs, and failing fisheries-the myth of the boundless ocean is no more. But from the troubled waters now rises a new wave of hope, of prosperity through preservation, playing out in communities across the country and intimately captured in OCEAN FRONTIERS.

The film takes us on an inspiring voyage to seaports and watersheds across the country-from the busy shipping lanes of Boston Harbor to an obscure little fishing community in the Pacific Northwest; from America's coral reef playground in the Florida Keys to the nation's premier seafood nursery in the Mississippi Delta. Here we meet an intermingling of unlikely allies, of industrial shippers and whale biologists, pig farmers and wetland ecologists, sport fishers and reef snorkelers and many more, all of them embarking on a new course of cooperation, in defense of the seas that sustain them. 

Dr. Chris Pincetich,  Sea Turtle Restoration Project at Turtle Island Restoration Network campaigns to save sea turtles and protect healthy ocean habitats. Chris' sea turtle conservation work extends from the Gulf of Mexico, where he fought for increased wildlife rescue efforts during the BP oil spill, to nesting beach patrolling on the Pacific shores of Costa Rica. Chris has a doctorate in Environmental Toxicology from the University of California, Davis, and a B.S. in Marine Biology from University of California, Santa Cruz. Studying plastic pollution on our shorelines and in marine endangered species habitat is the focus of Chris's current work in marine environmental toxicology.

 2/10/14

BAT CITY, U.S.A.

Directed by: Laura Brooks  

36 m + 30 m discussion with Corky Quirk, NorCal Bats, rescue and education 

Click to view trailer

Bat City USA delves into Austin's complicated relationship with a colony of Mexican free-tailed bats under the downtown Congress Avenue Bridge. Each year, thousands of people get a fascinating, close-up glimpse of the world's largest urban bat colony amid the colorful downtown Austin, Texas setting. The film reveals how the bats moved into the bridge and survived eradication plans by hostile residents. Viewers discover how the bats eventually became a beloved part of what makes Austin unique and weird, mainly through the efforts of Merlin Tuttle, founder of Bat Conservation International, who convinced residents of the benefits of the bats.

Corky Quirk is the founder of NorCal Bats, an organization that provides care for injured bats and educational programs for libraries, school, nature programs, fairs and other events throughout the region. Corky has been working intensely with native bats since 2005 and has educated thousands of people. She works with injured and orphaned bats, returning them to the wild and keeps a captive colony of non-releasable bats for use in education.

 2/11/14

TRASHED

Directed by: Candida Brady 

98 m + 20 m discussion with Kathy Wall, Household Hazardous Waste Coordinator,Marin Sanitary Service 

Click to view trailer 

Jeremy Irons sets out to discover the extent and effects of the global waste problem, as he travels around the world to beautiful destinations tainted by pollution. This is a meticulous, brave investigative journey that takes Irons (and us) from skepticism to sorrow and from horror to hope.

Kathy Wall was born and raised in Bogota, Colombia where she earned her B.A in Environmental Engineering. She has dedicated her career to waste reduction, hazardous waste disposal and environmental safety issues. . Kathy is currently the Household Hazardous Waste Coordinator at the Marin Sanitary Service where she helps educate residents and small businesses on how to properly dispose of common household hazardous waste materials in Marin County.  

 2/11/14

MISLEAD: AMERICA'S SECRET EPIDEMIC

Directed by: Tamara Rubin

96 m 

Click to view trailer 

1 in 3 children is impacted by this environmental illness- 22,000,000 U.S. children today, but chances are they've never even tested your child. It conservatively costs the U.S. $100 billion annually, however a carefully crafted political campaign has made you think it's not your problem. Think again.

 2/11/14

TINY: a story about living small

Directed by: Merete Mueller and Christopher Smith 

60 m + 30 m discussion with Tiny House advocate

Click to view trailer

TINY, is a documentary about home, and how we find it.

The film follows one couple's attempt to build a "tiny house" from scratch, and profiles other families who have downsized their lives into homes smaller than the average parking space. Through homes stripped down to their essentials, the film raises questions about good design, the nature of home, and the changing American Dream. TINY is a coming-of-age story for a generation that is more connected, yet less tied-down than ever, and for a society redefining its priorities in the face of a changing financial and environmental climate. More than anything, TINY invites its viewers to dream big and imagine living small.

 2/11/14

MORE THAN HONEY

Directed by: Markus Imhoof 

77m + 20m discussion  with Robert MacKimmie, City Bees 

Click to view trailer 

 MORE THAN HONEY, a new documentary by the Swiss filmmaker Marcus Imhoof, is looking into the fascinating world of bees, showing small family beekeepers (including the beekeeper of ERSTE Foundation beehive, Heidrun Singer) and industrialized honey farms. MORE THAN HONEY is a film on the relationship between mankind and honeybees, about nature and about our future. Honeybees show us that stability is just as unhealthy as unlimited growth, that crises and disasters are triggering evolution and that

salvation sometimes comes from a completely unexpected direction. An in-depth look at honeybee colonies in California, Switzerland, China and Australia.  

 Robert MacKimmie started City Bees in 1996 to assist our European honeybees, which are challenged by several parasites and a host of viruses. He has been keeping bees in San Francisco and Marin County for 18 years, becoming a full time beekeeper in 2009, using all-organic methods to keep his bees alive and prosperous. He is breeding local disease-resistant queen bees, sells his microclimate honey at several farmers' markets locally, and teaches beekeeping throughout the Bay Area.

 2/11/14

THE ULTIMATE WISH: ENDING THE NUCLEAR AGE

Directed by:

40 m + 30 m discussion with Louise Dunlap,Umi Hagitani, Anti-Nuclear activists

Click to view trailer

 Moving, unforgettable stories by living, courageous, inspirational women who survived two of the world's most momentous radiation crises: 2011 Fukushima and 1945 Nagasaki. They are interlaced with nuclear experts and archival footage, some shocking, illuminating the largely unrecognized connection between nuclear weapons and nuclear power, and the growing global movements to abolish both.   The documentary focuses on women coping with  environmental catastrophes, and an alert to everyone today about the dangers of continued nuclear proliferation and nuclear power. It raises profound questions about war, technological failure, the courage to survive and the importance of taking positive actions to prevent future nuclear disasters. 

 2/11/14

BLACKFISH

Directed by: Gabriela Cowperthwaite 

83 m + 20 m discussion  with invited guests, Orca trainers

Click to view trailer

 BLACKFISH tells the story of Tilikum, a notoriously aggressive Orca that killed three people while in captivity. The three deaths prompted the ongoing court case between Sea World, and OSHA , the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Director Gabriela Cowperthwaite uses shocking  documentary footage and emotional interviews to present a convincing case against keeping these wild animals for human entertainment.

 2/11/14

GREEN STREETS - A WORK-IN-PROGRESS

Directed by: Sophie Constantinou

30 m + 30 m discussion with Sophie Constantinou and Tyrone Mullins

Click to view trailer

GREEN STREETS follows 28-year-old entrepreneur Tyrone Mullins and his friends as they turn trash into cash in the distressed San Francisco housing projects where they live. Through trial and error, they learn to haul 150,000 gallons of waste per month, creating desperately needed jobs and establishing recycling where all previous efforts had failed.

 Sophie Constantinou has produced, directed and photographed several award-winning documentaries exploring a diverse range of personal and universal subjects.  Tyrone Mullins is a founder of Green Streets, a community owned and operated green business that manages recycling and composting, educates our neighbors on how to reduce waste and provides integrated janitorial services.

2/11/14 

STANDING ON SACRED GROUND: Episode 1 

Directed by: Toby McLeod

60 m + 30 m discussion with invited guests Caleen Sisk, Chief of the Winnemem Wintu tribe and director Toby McLeod

Click to view trailer 

Indigenous shamans resist massive government projects that threaten the fragile balance of nature and culture. In the Russian Republic of Altai, traditional native people create and patrol their own mountain parks, trying to rein in tourism and reroute a pipeline to China planned by state-owned Gazprom. In northern California, Winnemem Wintu teenagers grind herbs on a sacred medicine rock their ancestors used for a thousand years, as elders protest U.S. government plans to enlarge Shasta Dam and forever submerge the touchstone of a tribe. Narrated by Graham Greene. Episode one of the four-film ''Standing on Sacred Ground'' series. With Winona LaDuke (Anishinaabeg), Oren Lyons (Onondaga), Barry Lopez and Satish Kumar. Narrated by Graham Greene, with cultural stories narrated by Tantoo Cardinal.

Christopher (Toby) McLeod has been the Project Director of Earth Island Institute's Sacred Land Film Project since 1984. He produced and directed In the Light of Reverence (2001) and has made three other award-winning, hour-long documentary films that were broadcast on national television McLeod has a master's degree in journalism from U.C. Berkeley and a B.A. in American History from Yale. He is a journalist who works in film, video, print, and still photography. In 1985, McLeod received a Guggenheim Fellowship for filmmaking. Toby has been working with indigenous communities as a filmmaker, journalist and photographer for more than 30 years.Caleen Sisk-Franco is the Spiritual Leader and Tribal Chief of the Winnemem Wintu tribe. In their language Winnemem Wintu translates to Middle Water People as the McCloud River is bounded by the Upper Sacramento to the West and the Pit River to the East. "We were born from water, we are of the water, and we fight to protect it". The Winnemem Wintu tribe is indigenous to northern California and has been formally recognized by the California Native American Heritage Commission, an agency of the State of California with responsibility for preserving and protecting Native American sites and cultural resources in California.
 

   *****

 ACTIVE CINEMA Room 

  Environmental organizations that will have tables

Marin Sanitary Service

is a conservation focused sanitary company, started and run by the Garbarino family. As a spokesperson for the California Integrated Waste Management Board  noted: "The Garbarinos practically invented recycling. Their innovative operations have served as a  model for both the state and the nation. It has kept them in the forefront of the movement to reduce, reuse and recycle, and end waste as we know it today."

Marin Clean Energy

procures renewable sources of electricity and partners with PG&E to deliver electricity. So consumers receive the advantages of cleaner, greener, healthier energy. PG&E will still deliver energy through their power lines, but consumers are insured that the energy is 100% renewable energy.

Green Sangha
combines a commitment to both ecologically focused environmental action and mindful practice, integrating environmentalism and meditation. It draws its inspiration from the lives of non-violent leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., the Dalai Lama, and Julia Butterfly Hill. It is focused on healing our communities and the earth through mindful practice and awakened action.

All One Ocean

creates permanent, community generated Beach Clean Up Stations (BCUS). These stations provide a simple way for beachgoers to help collect trash while enjoying the beach. Many people think that the biggest source of pollution in the ocean is oil spilled from ships-but most marine pollution is litter that starts out on land, especially throw-away plastic because of its longevity and capacity to increase in toxicity. All One Ocean is dedicated to eliminating this danger.

NorCal Bats
 is dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and release of bats throughout Northern California. In addition, it is committed to public education regarding the environmental benefits of bats and dispelling fears and myths that lead to the death of roosts and colonies. Located in the Sacramento Valley, trained volunteers care for injured and orphaned bats throughout the valley and surrounding foothills.

Sierra Club Bay Area Chapter - Population Committee

 addresses population at a national level through the Global Population and Environmental Program. The Bay Population and the Environment Committee is building a diverse coalition between Sierra Club and other environmental organizations concerned with population.  

City Bees

  Robert MacKimmie started City Bees in 1996 to assist our European honeybees, which are challenged by several parasites and a host of viruses. He has been keeping bees in San Francisco and Marin County for 18 years, becoming a full time beekeeper in 2009, using all-organic methods to keep his bees alive and prosperous. He is breeding local disease-resistant queen bees, sells his microclimate honey at several farmers' markets locally, and teaches beekeeping throughout the Bay Area.

 Tiny House Advocates 

is one of a number of companies across the country committed to providing small houses. The Tiny House movement is a social movement where people are downsizing the space that they live in. The typical American home is around 2600 square feet, while the typical small or tiny house is around 100-400 square feet. Tiny Houses come in all shapes, sizes and forms but they focus on smaller spaces and simplified living. People are joining this movement for many reasons, but the most popular reasons are because of environmental concerns, financial concerns and seeking more time and freedom.   

More being added....... 

 *****

 Sign up to bring your students 

education@cafilm.org

Questions?

(415) 526 -5813

 or

education@cafilm.org

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The Environmental Youth Forum is supported with a gift from Nancy and Rich Robbins