Earth Week Environmental Film Festival

10:00 – 11:35  Radiant City (93 min)
Radiant City, a full-length "mockumentary" about a suburban development in Canada (but it may as well be Anywhere, USA!) It educates the viewer on the source of urban sprawl and about the social issues it causes, while poking fun at a typical family who has moved into a "development" in the 'burbs.

11:35 – 11:55  Discussion with the experts
Sarah Lewis, Congress for New Urbanism    
John Dukovitch, Transportation Consultant

11:55 – 12:00 Break

12 pm – 2 pm  Energy in the Afternoon: Films and discussion about energy issues. Note: there is no break in between - this is a 2-hour film and discussion event.

12 – 12:05       Introduction by Dr. Susie Crate

12:05 – 12:45  Kilowatt Ours (35 minutes)
Kilowatt Ours is a short documentary about the consequences of our coal-powered economy, and walks the viewer through the film-maker's own personal journey to improve his household's efficiency.

12:45 – 12:50  Introduction by Zack Fields

12:45 – 1:20    Fighting Goliath: Texas Coal Wars (35 minutes)
This film introduces the viewer to the political fight needed to turn the US away from fossil fuels relying on citizen and local government advocacy. Fighting Goliath: Texas Coal Wars is a short documentary that "follows the story of Texans fighting a high-stakes battle for clean air and centers around the unlikely partners - mayors, ranchers, lawyers, cities, citizens, green groups, and CEOs - that came together to oppose the construction of 18 coal-fired power plants that were slated to be built in Eastern and Central Texas and being fast-tracked by the Texas Governor.”

1:20 – 2:05      Discussion with the experts: Energy efficiency, energy resources and citizen advocacy
Dr. Susie Crate, GMU Professor of Environmental Science & Policy
Zack Fields, Environmental Assistant to Chairman Connolly of Fairfax County Board of Supervisors
Allison Macfarlane, GMU Professor of Environmental Science & Policy
Tom Owens, Chesapeake Climate Action Network

2:05 – 2:15      Break

2:15 – 2:20      Introduction by Kayti Wingfield, Northern VA Sierra Club Organizer

2:20 – 3:00      Mountain Mourning
Mountain top removal is a destructive mining practice that blows up mountains and buries streams leaving a permanently scarred environment.

Generous support for the film festival was provided by the Sierra Club.



Attention Professors and Teaching Assistants!

Consider making the film festival and its discussions a requirement for your classes, or give extra credit for attending - support sustainability by allowing your students to tell their peers in class how the issues in the film relate to your course.

Don't forget!

You can win great prizes by attending Earth Week events - drawings will occur at every event, and a post-Earth Week drawing will occur for even larger prizes!