Drawdown East End Film Festival: Films And Forums For Climate Health

Drawdown East End Film Festival Founder Paul Hawken is hopeful that by providing a day of forums, discussions, a marketplace, as well as short videos and a feature film screening attendees will be both encouraged and further informed as to “climate science and solutions in language that is accessible and compelling to the broadest audience.”

This is a free, one-day festival in conjunction with the Southampton Arts Center to be held on Saturday, January 11, and attendees from “ages 12 to 112” are urged to attend and connect with “fellow local residents, experts, youth, novices and the curious to discuss ideas, educate and inspire.”

Climate drawdown is defined as “The point at which greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere level off and begin to decline on a year-to-year basis. Drawdown is a milestone in reversing climate change, and eventually reducing global average temperatures.”

Solutions to climate health focused on the East End include “Showing how our community can positively impact and increase our chances for a healthy planet” by meeting with others to discuss initiatives “in conversational forums that are well versed in [our three initiatives] regarding Plant-Based Diet, Regenerative Practices (land and sea), and Reducing Food Waste,” and “how these strategies can create a healthy climate right here in our home towns as well as around the world,” relayed Hawken.

Short videos about the initiatives will be included and the film to be screened is “2040,” an Australian feature film by award-winning director, Damon Gameau. The film has not yet been released in the United States, and is described as “A story of hope that looks at the very real possibility that humanity could reverse global warming and improve the lives of every living thing in the process. It is a positive vision of what ‘could be’ instead of the dystopian future we are so often presented.”

The Marketplace will allow attendees to “Connect with people from different kinds of climate health organizations to learn what’s new, what’s possible and the ‘how to’s’ for implementing changes in your own home.”

Since we are all at risk participating in solutions that can be immediately initiated is both a noble and necessary undertaking.

Drawdown East End Film Festival will take place at Southampton Arts Center (25 Jobs Lane, Southampton) on Saturday, January 11 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

For more information go to www.drawdowneastend.org.