EcoHeroes who are making a difference!

Watch these short films and learn about these amazing grassroots heroes.

We are approaching that time of year again, when the announcement of this years Goldman Prize Winners are at hand. The Goldman Prize is the largest environmental prize in the world. Each of the six recipients is a leader who has addressed critical environmental issues and won battles against overwhelming odds, often putting their lives at risk to face these challenges. April 11th is the next announcement of the 2011 winners.

HOW TO ROCK THE WORLD BY GREENING YOUR CAR

Of the personal choices we make, one that’s at the top my list that can truly lighten our ecological footprint is the car we drive. In the U.S., about 20 percent of all greenhouse gas pollution comes from cars and light trucks like SUVs, contributing to climate change, air pollution, and disease.

The subject of Emma Goude’s recent documentary, In Transition, follows a wild and blossoming worldwide movement called Transition Towns (TT).

The world is indeed in transition – we are faced with historical economic upheaval, climate change and human rights abuses spanning the globe, taking us a long way from peace and prosperity for all.

Boy oh boy, great documentaries are rolling off the presses faster than you can blink! Just in the past few years, some of the most important films ever made have arrived. Many of them took years to produce and tell fascinating and critical stories of human courage and environmental threats. Unfortunately, documentaries have limited distribution (i.e., they rarely get a theatrical release), which can make finding these films challenging.

Boy oh boy, great documentaries are rolling off the presses faster than you can blink! Just in the past few years, some of the most important films ever made have arrived. Many of them took years to produce and tell fascinating and critical stories of human courage and environmental threats. Unfortunately, documentaries have limited distribution (i.e., they rarely get a theatrical release), which can make finding these films challenging.

In 1992, almost two thousand of the world's leading scientists (including the majority of Nobel laureates) warned us that all eco-systems were in collapse. We know that things are changing and changing fast. Furthermore, Americans represent 5% of the world's population, and yet we consume 25% of the world' s resources.

I just watched the new Ashley Judd short video that is set to be broadcast nationwide about what's been happening in Appalachia.

God, I dislike saying something like this in the title of my blog! It's prosaic and flat. . . but DAMN IT -- it's true! The reason I started this blog was to bring attention to films that are potent, mind-blowing, revolutionary and could, if enough people went to see them, change the world.

Earlier this week, my colleague Kelly DeVine (who consults for Reframe Collection, a program of the Tribeca Film Institute) wrote a powerful blog post that brings to light the terrible impact of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and the fact that corporations continue to pollute our environment with impunity. Kelly gave me her permission to republish her post here.

The Tragedy in the Gulf of Mexico
by Kelly DeVine

Happy Earth Day, week and year!

I was one of the lucky people this Earth Day/week to celebrate the 2010 Goldman Environmental Prize in San Francisco on April 19th! The largest and most prestigious environmental prize in the world. I brought 4 friends to join the celebration with a gorgeous reception after the prize ceremony at San Francisco’s city hall.