January 29, 2008
Enjoy this short film by Brendan Kiernan and Frank Pickell, Zoltan, which screened at Mountainfilm in 2006! It’s one of my favorites from my first year working for MF.
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Guest blog post by Chuck Kutscher, principal engineer and manager of the Thermal Systems Group at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado
January 25, 2008
At last year’s Mountainfilm Festival I gave a talk about climate change and renewable energy at the Energy Symposium. The news about climate change has unfortunately gotten worse. The National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder announced that on September 16, Arctic summer sea ice extent had set a new record low—an incredible 22% below the previous record low set in 2005. Many scientists now believe that the Arctic will be completely free of summer sea ice within just 5 to 20 years—a situation not seen on this planet for at least 100,000 years.
Ice melt in Greenland
Land-based ice sheet loss in Greenland also set a new record in 2007. Both the Arctic and Antarctic are rapidly losing floating ice, thus removing an important barrier to glaciers that are now marching much faster towards the ocean. It appears this could be the beginning of a rapid increase in the rate of sea level rise. Here in Colorado, severe bark beetle damage has been linked to warmer weather and drought, conditions that also increase the likelihood of wildfires.
Bark beetle damage
The good news is that Colorado has become a real leader in fighting climate change and developing renewable energy. In 2007 the state legislature passed a number of significant bills, including increasing our renewable electricity standard to 20% by 2020 and requiring the mapping of renewable resource “generation development areas.” I participated in the Colorado Climate Project, which issued a report in October describing 70 policy recommendations. In November Governor Ritter released his “Colorado Climate Action Plan,” and in December Environment Colorado released their “Blueprint for Action.” And lest anyone think that the only thing being produced is reports, in 2007 Colorado surpassed the 1,000 MW mark for installed wind power.
January 22, 2008
“We are running out of resources. We are using too much stuff.”
So says Annie Leonard on the web site The Story of Stuff, which I ran across the other day when I was Stumbling (Of course I would never stumble during work hours, ah-HEM).
Did you know we have less than 4% of the original forests here in the US? Ouch. That’s just one of the scary statistics Annie presents in her Story, which explains the consumptive process of turning raw materials into “stuff” like iPods, Blackberries, DVDs and cashmere sweaters.
The statistic that I found the most scary, though, is this: only 1% of all products bought in the US today are still in use 6 months after the date of purchase. One percent!! So within just a few months of purchase, we are throwing out (or recycling, if we’re just a little bit more conscious than others) a whopping 99% of what we buy. That statistic is referring only to the products themselves, too, and not the packaging (you know those ridiculous plastic packages that are so hard to open?).
After struggling to open up this package, we just throw it away
Annie, on her Story of Stuff web site, rants about the consumer system in the country. It’s not about one thing, although it’s easy for me to start railing on, for example, vile plastic bags in supermarkets. The problem of overconsumption will not be solved by one thing like hybrid cars, or using cloth bags, or eating only locally produced food products, but, as Annie recommends, a fundamental change in our consumption habits: Buy Green, Buy Fair, Buy Local, Buy Used, and most importantly, Buy Less.
Posted by Emily Long
Posted by Jonathan Browning, filmmaker, Screaming Frog Productions
January 18, 2008
When I was asked to participate on Mountainfilm’s blog, I was incredibly honored and then immediately terrified. I have nothing but the deepest respect and admiration for the people who work/participate in the festival. I was introduced to Mountainfilm last year when a short film I had done was accepted to the festival. The time I spent at Telluride genuinely changed my life and the way I saw the world. I often hear that nothing created by mankind can rival the beauty of nature. I might have to disagree. Mountainfilm, created and kept alive by passionate like-minded individuals is one of the most breath-takingly beautiful things I have ever witnessed. If you have an opportunity to see this living, breathing organism of passion, love and inclusion…you will never forget it.
The two emotions that the festival volunteers, patrons and filmmakers exuded were passion and optimism. So that is what I would like to touch on here.
Director Jonathan Browning, right, working with the crew of his short film The Job.
When I went to shoot my short film I had no experience, no equipment, no crew and no money. All I had was an idea, a lot of passion and a naïve belief that it could be done. I wish I could say that doors were thrown open and everyone that I asked to help said yes. But that’s not what happened. A great many people not only told me no but wanted to sit me down and explain in painful detail why it wouldn’t work. If I asked ten people to join me, nine said no. But that one in ten that said yes, brought an unwavering strength to the project and my life. If I had a truckload of money to pay, I could have had a cast and crew in seconds. But the moment the money dried up, I would have lost every one of them. But when I only had a dream to offer, those who signed on were there through thick and thin.
There is not one single person listed in our credits that I wouldn’t do anything in the world for today. When I reached out for help, each one of them not only gave me a hand but also gave one hundred percent of themselves. It’s a really beautiful thing to be a part of something that is completely collaborative and created by a group of people who really cared for each other.
Dedicated volunteers—the cast of The Job
I encourage everyone to surround themselves with passionate optimistic people who share a vision. If you are concerned about the quality of water in your town, get educated and get active! If there is a social issue that stirs you, get educated and get active! If you feel strongly about something, I guarantee that there are others out there who share your passion. FIND THEM! Work with them to educate and inspire others. Change…real change…doesn’t come from our government enacting laws or celebrities doing grand gestures. It comes from everyday ordinary people looking at the world and saying, “There’s something wrong here. This MUST change.” Invite others to see your passion and optimism and don’t forget to take the time to see theirs.
No experience, no money and no idea where to start? No problem. Reach out with passion and optimism…and someone will take your hand. It’s scary and a lot of people might shut you down, but those who don’t will find in you a strength and hidden talents that you didn’t even know you had inside of yourself.
Good luck and enjoy the journey.
Jonathan
January 16, 2008
I have to admit that I spent a good part of yesterday outside, not in the office…not working on confirming guests, not logging new film entries and (gasp!) not posting my regular Tuesday blog.
This was me yesterday. Ok…so maybe it’s not ME, persay…
I was also really digging Kenny’s post being the first thing you see when you come to the MF Blog. Hard act to follow! If you haven’t read Kenny Laubbacher’s post (from Invisible Children) yet, check it out here. I just uploaded some new photos today of Kenny and Fall Out Boy in Uganda, to replace the general IC photos that were up last week.
I swear I’ll put a real post up soon. But for now, check back again this Friday for our second guest blogger, director Jonathan Browning, whose short satire piece The Job played at Mountainfilm 2007. (Here’s a link to Jonathan’s Screaming Frog Productions.)
Posted by Emily Long
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