Who: CT Fund for the Environment & Save the Sound
What: 2014 Annual Meeting with guest speaker Fabien Cousteau, French aquatic filmmaker and oceanographic explorer.
When: Sunday, September 28th 4:00 - 7:00 pm
Where: Ridgefield Public Library, Ridgefield, CT
RSVP: 203-787-0646 x104 or [email protected] by September 21st
For more information and directions, click here.
by Ben Hastings
Recently, the Wilton Library was graced with an appearance by Jon Bowermaster, oceans expert, award-winning journalist, author, filmmaker and adventurer extraordinaire for an interview conducted by international documentary photographer Daryl Hawk. Thanks to Wilton Go Green, many of those in the Wilton area got the opportunity to hear about the life of Jon, as well as the many projects he has been involved with over the years including The Oceans 8 Project. He touched on his childhood growing up in the midwest and having never been on a plane before, all the way up to his experience being at the forefront of today’s fracking issue, primarily in New York State.
Many of us have that one moment in our lives where we realize what the natural environment means to us. I managed to ask him if there was a particular instance in his life where he realized his calling at the end of the interview. To my surprise he couldn’t think of one, but rather it was a multitude of different experiences that allowed his interest to grow.
Jon started out his journalism career as a sports writer, but switched gears shortly after and pursued a job writing for National Geographic. At the time, National Geographic wasn’t nearly as large and influential as it is today. It was interesting to hear about how he got to observe the evolution of the organization go from a few long haired young people into a worldwide production. The magazine started off as primarily content driven with a lot of story telling pieces from around the world. Jon was sent on his first assignment to Antarctica to cover a dogsledding race, and the rest is history, as he would soon become a leader within the organization.
Jon is an environmentalist, whose fascinating experiences have been an inspiration for many who have ever seen his films or read his articles. The Oceans 8 Project, probably his most well-known work, is a film series that follows around Jon and his National Geographic team in sea kayaks to parts of the world that are rarely seen. Along the way he educates himself and viewers through the exploration of environmental issues in these areas, their cultures and histories. I use the word “exploration” with caution though, as Jon Bowermaster scoffs at the idea of being called an explorer. He explained in the interview that he is uncomfortable with the label because almost anybody, even a couch potato, can be an “explorer” with internet and technology making it easier to see whats going on around the world. “Adventurer” is what he prefers, and I would have to agree, as his work strongly demonstrates that.
One of the questions that I, along with many I’m sure had in their minds was why kayaks? The answer was compelling because it had to do with making the locals in the remote areas of the world feel more comfortable and accepting of Jon and his team. Jon noted that his project would be more difficult, if say they had come in via plane or a motorboat. This idea payed off, and led to an intriguing finding by Jon: People who live by the sea are united, in that what happens in one ocean, will inevitably impact another. Overfishing, global warming and acidification effects everyone no matter what religion, race or region. Jon has seen this in ALL parts of the world.
Adventurer Jon Bowermaster’s career is one that many of us only dream about having. Achieving respect and striving for unity between people of all cultures, while also working to improve environmental quality is truly inspiring to me. I urge you check him out and see for yourself what Jon Bowermaster has to offer.
To find out more information about Jon, The Oceans 8 Project and his newest anti-fracking initiatives visit jonbowermaster.com
Who: Writer/filmmaker and adventurer Jon Bowermaster will be interviewed by international documentary photographer Daryl Hawk. The event is co-sponsored by the Wilton Library and Wilton Go Green.
What: Jon Bowermaster has been traveling the world on behalf of the National Geographic Society studying up close the relationship between man and nature, specifically focused on water issues. His 10-year-long Oceans 8 project took him and his teams around the world by sea kayak, with stops on every continent to report on environmental issues. In the past four years his filmings have taken him to Antarctica, the Galapagos, southern Louisiana and his own backyard in New York's Hudson Valley, where he's focused on the fight over fracking.
When: September 19th, 7:00-8:30 PM.
Where: The Wilton Library. 137 Old Ridgefield Road, Wilton, CT.
Free admission.
Registration is recommended.
You can find registration forms, and more information online.
Feel like catching a good flick? Check out the film events happening in April and May at Audubon Greenwich. For more information or to RSVP, contact Jeff at [email protected] or via voicemail at 203-869-5272 x239.
Friday, April 5
Birders: The Central Park Effect
6:00-9:00 pm
Birders: The Central Park Effect reveals the extraordinary array of wild birds and the equally colorful New Yorkers who schedule their lives around the rhythms of migration. The spectacular wildlife footage captures the Park’s bird life mostly goes by unnoticed by the 38 million people who visit America's most famous park each year. (61 min.) Event & film details on website. Receptions at 6:00 pm. Film at 7:15 pm. $15/adult & $5/under 21.
Friday, April 12
Seeds of Freedom & Genetic Roulette
Two films and guest speakers about the GMO foods issues at hand
6:00-9:00 pm @ Audubon Greenwich
The GMO-free and GMO-labeling movements are active nationwide and are determined to regain a healthy, sustainable food system in the US. Join us for an evening of food, film & thought-provoking discussion with experts and advocates who are working to enable positive change. Includes Q&A. (Note: This event was scheduled for dates in Feb. & March but canceled due to unforeseen circumstances – weather and water damage)
THE FILMS:
THE SPEAKERS:
Space limited & RSVP is required. Wine & Cheese Reception with eco-friendly exhibitors start at 6:00 PM. $15/adult & $5/under 21. Most suitable for adults but interested youth are welcome.
Presented in partnership with Slow Food Metro North & the Fairfield Green Food Guide.
Friday, May 3
Hummingbirds @Home – a lecture & film with Geoff LeBaron
6:00-8:30 pm
Hummingbirds are the only birds able to hover, fly backwards, and upside down. To fuel their acrobatics, they are constantly in search of nectar-rich flowers. To promote hummingbird-friendly native plant gardening, Geoff LeBaron, Director of the Christmas Bird Count, will introduce Audubon’s new Hummingbirds @Home initiative and screen the NATURE documentary film, ‘Hummingbirds: Magic in the Air’. Suggested donation: $10 adults; $5 youth. Nature Store Sale & Reception from 6:00-7:00 pm.
Friday, May 24
Last Call At The Oasis: Water
6:00-9:00 pm
Water - the earth's most valuable resource. Countless living things need it to survive but it's very possible that in the near future, there won't be enough clean water to sustain our planet. From Academy Award-winning director Jessica Yu, this film sheds light on the vital role water plays and it introduces us to individuals who are championing revolutionary solutions. Event & film details on website. Receptions at 6:00 pm. Film at 7:15 pm. $15/adult & $5/under 21.
2 March 2013
8:30 AM-5:00 PM
Registration Fee Depends on Status
Wilton High School
Wilton, CT
Join the Connecticut Northeast Organic Farming Association as they celebrate 31 years of growing better together! There will be over fifty vendors providing fresh local food, crafts, and books as well as a raffle that includes offerings such as a basket of gardening supplies. Lunch will be Included for an extra fee, but it is worth the price. During the lunch break, attendees have the opportunity to taste delicious local flavors concocted by chefs involved in Fairfield County's farm-to-restaurant program. The New Connecticut Farming alliance will also meet during this time to discuss news and share information.
Guests may select from a wide variety of workshops to attend. There is no need to register for your desired workshop, you may simply show up at the allotted classroom. A program will be handed out to you upon registration that looks exactly like the link provided above. Parents and families are welcome to participate in children's workshops as well. There will also be a screenings of the GMO documentary "Genetic Roulette" throughout the afternoon, where Elaine Titus of GMO Free CT and GMO Free Moms will be available to answer any questions.
Schedule for the Day Registration Fees
8:30-9:30 : Registration (pre-register at this link) Non-Member: $60
9:30-10:45: Workshop I Member: $50
11:00-12:30: Opening announcements and Keynote Student/Senior: $35
12:30-2:00: Lunch Children: FREE
2:15: 3:30: Workshop II *Lunch is optional: an extra $15 for adults
3:45 to 5:00 ~ Workshop II and $8 for children
2013 Conference Program: http://www.ctnofa.org/winterconference/2013%20WC%20programOPT.pdf
Register at: http://www.ctnofa.org/winterconference/2013WC_registration.html
If you forget to register for lunch: http://www.ctnofa.org/winterconference/winterconference_lunch_registration.html
For more Information: http://www.ctnofa.org/winterconference/index.html
Friday, November 18th
7:30 p.m.
Christ and Holy Trinity Church
75 Church Lane
Westport, CT
Americans’ right to access fresh, healthy foods of their choice is under attack. Farmageddon tells the story of small, family farms that were providing safe, healthy foods to their communities and were forced to stop, sometimes through violent action, by agents of misguided government bureaucracies, and seeks to figure out why.
Filmmaker Kristin Canty’s quest to find healthy food for her four children turned into an educational journey to discover why access to these foods was being threatened. What she found were policies that favor agribusiness and factory farms over small family-operated farms selling fresh foods to their communities. Instead of focusing on the source of food safety problems — most often the industrial food chain — policymakers and regulators implement and enforce solutions that target and often drive out of business small farms that have proven themselves more than capable of producing safe, healthy food, but buckle under the crushing weight of government regulations and excessive enforcement actions.
Farmageddon highlights the urgency of food freedom, encouraging farmers and consumers alike to take action to preserve individuals’ rights to access food of their choice and farmers’ rights to produce these foods safely and free from unreasonably burdensome regulations. The film serves to put policymakers and regulators on notice that there is a growing movement of people aware that their freedom to choose the foods they want is in danger, a movement that is taking action with its dollars and its voting power to protect and preserve the dwindling number of family farms that are struggling to survive.
The film is presented by Westport Cinema Initiative and the Westport Farmers Market. The event is sponsored by Whole Foods Market.
Alliance Francaise of Greenwich & Audubon Greenwich invite you to a special screening of:
"Solutions Locales Pour Un Desordre Globale" (Think Global, Act Rural)
Saturday, July 9, 2011
6:00-9:00 pm
Audubon is pleased to collaborate with Alliance Francaise of Greenwich for a special screening of a food-themed film by French filmmaker, Coline Serreau. Join members from both organizations from 6:00-7:00 pm for a reception featuring "organic" wines from Le Wine Shop and tasty hors d'oeuvres prepared with ingredients from our local farm markets. Then, at 7:00 pm, the film in French with English subtitles, will begin.
In the beautiful and inspiring film, "Solutions Locales Pour Un Desordre Globale", the industrial agronomy methods known for producing heavily contaminated food and arid wastelands are challenged by several examples that highlight the sensitive, organic approach to producing food. In the words of the filmmaker, "Disaster films have been done before, and they have certainly served an important purpose, but now we must focus on the solutions that are available, we must hear the thoughts of farmers on the question, those of philosophers and economists who, while explaining why our model of society has sunk into ecological, financial and political ruin, are inventing and experimenting with alternatives."
The Internet Movie Database describes the storyline as, "Ukraine, South America, India, France - farmers, scientists, producers of organic food present their views as well as successes of their work with earth, which is presented in second plan as a woman. Earth as living ecosystem itself is compared to the soil sterilized and destroyed by pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, machine processing - where new crops grow only thanks to another doses of chemical stimulants. In vicious circle, food becomes dependent on and controlled by oil & industry, food barely edible, while seeds - which should not be owned and marketed as such - are reduced to a few state-allowed modified species and sold. The macho-hero approach of controlling, forcing and raping of the earth is becoming the subject of irony, criticism and appeal - in more layers - social, economic, agronomic."
Coline Serreau is one of the founding members of "Focus on French Cinema" film festival created by Alliance Francaise of Greenwich. Her film, "Chaos" ( 2001) starring Vincent Lindon, Catherine Frot and Rachida Brakni, was nominated for a Cesar Award (the French equivalent of an Oscar) and was the opening night film at the first "Focus on French Cinema" event in 2005.
$12 per person benefits Audubon. Space is limited & RSVP required. RSVP to Jeff Cordulack at [email protected] or 203-869-5272 x239.
For a trailer, visit: http://www.focusonfrenchcinema.com/film_SolutionsLocales.htm
For more information, visit http://www.solutionslocales-lefilm.com/en/accueil
InGREEDients--a film about the many additives in food with Special Guest Speaker, Dr. Madhu Mathur
Friday, February 25
6:00-9:00 pm
Do you know what is in the food you eat on a daily basis? Do you know what partially hydrogenated oil is? What does zero grams of trans fat per serving really mean? If you eat food then you have to see this movie.
The documentary film inGREEDients took the independent film festival circuit by storm, winning several awards and was accepted at top international festivals. The film connects diet and health; teaches how to read a food label; and uncovers some scary truths about our food supply. Ride along on this culinary roller coaster as David sets the table with a cornucopia of leading researchers and the most respected scientists and healthcare professionals in the world. What you will discover is an alarming connection between what you put in your mouth and some of the most disgusting, unpalatable and life-threatening ailments known today!
Plus, Dr. Madhu Mathur, Director of the KIDS'FANS Wellness Program; Medical Director of the Medical Home Initiative Southest CT; and the Chair of the Obesity Task Force; for Stamford Hospital, will be the special guest speaker and take questions from the audience.
Space is limited & RSVPs required. $15 for adults. Under 21 years old: $5. Includes a wine & cheese reception from 6-7 pm. RSVP to Jeff Cordulack: 203-869-5272 x239 or email: [email protected]. To buy discounted tickets for adults online for $12, visit: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/158490.
This film is not suitable for younger children but is suitable for older children and teens. For more information about the film and the event, visit greenwich.audubon.org.
Imagine a world without fish. It’s a frightening premise, and it’s happening right now.
To increase awareness about a very real and disturbing phenomenon called 'ocean acidification', The Menunkatuck Audubon Society, a local chapter and Audubon Connecticut, the state office of the National Audubon Society, will host a free public film screening of the highly-acclaimed film, A Sea Change. Chock full of scientific information, this is the first documentary about ocean acidification.
Continue reading "Audubon Highlights CO2 Effects On Ocean Food Web" »
by Angela Hotaling
A biting controversial issue about the environmental impacts of hydraulic fracturing has recently caught my interest. Hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, is the process of extracting natural gas from under the earth’s surface. Wells are drilled deep into the ground and then water, sand, and chemicals are pumped at high pressures to break shale formations and release pockets of natural gas. The gas industry has exploded over the past several years creating jobs and supplying energy; however not without stirring up some very hot debate in the process.
Last week, The New York Times published an article about hydraulic fracturing. The article, written by Clifford Krauss and Tom Zeller Jr., says, “Natural gas currently satisfies nearly a quarter of the nation’s power needs. And with vast methane reserves now available in previously inaccessible layers of shale deep underground, its position as a cornerstone of the domestic energy supply may well be secured for decades--if the public supports it.”
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