Whichever Earth Day style fits you best, we’d like to offer up some helpful resources to make your day a little happier and greener. First off, check out our slate of green-themed films for the occasion, including Dirt! The Movie, Garbage Dreams, and A Village Called Versailles, all airing this month on Independent Lens. And from last season, revisit Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai. That one’s definitely worth revisiting for its inspiration factor alone.

Ah but as Kermit said, it isn’t always easy bein’ green. For example, have you ever been confused about what you can recycle and what you can’t? Same here. As part of our film Garbage Dreams we’ve put together a handy tip sheet for you. Even better, we’ve launched a super-cool interactive recycling game so you can put your newfound wisdom to work. And check out a resource we found when we were researching this:  Earth911.com, a site that lets you know what recycling facilities are near you so you can really pump up your recycling efforts.

As they say, we’ve only got one planet so we better treat it right. We salute the filmmakers, community organizers, and educators who work every day to ensure that somebody speaks for the Earth when it can’t speak for itself. Stay green, people!

Dirt! The Movie tells the story of the underappreciated stuff beneath our feet. Narrated by award-winning actress, author and activist, Jamie Lee Curtis, Dirt!, tells the story of Earth’s most valuable and least valued source of fertility from its miraculous beginning to its current crippling degradation. Inspired by William Bryant Logan’s acclaimed book Dirt: The Ecstatic Skin of the Earth, the film deftly combines science and humor as it digs into the history and current state of the living organic matter from which we all come and where we will all one-day return. An eclectic group of passionate dirt lovers appear in Dirt! – from world-class biologists to Rikers Island convicts, from community activists to Nobel Laureates – to offer viewers answers to problems while inspiring us to clean up the mess that we have created.

Don’t miss Dirt! The Movie on Independent Lens (check local listings).

Watch an interview with Jamie Lee Curtis, the narrator for Dirt! >>

“An invigorating look at an invaluable substance we take for granted that makes the case that ‘dirt might be more alive than we are.’” -Los Angeles Times

Community Cinema previewed Dirt! The Movie at over 50 free events nationwide. We engaged audiences in communities large and small to challenge their understanding of soil, dirt, and our Earth.

It’s under our feet and under our fingernails, but what is it? And how did it get there? Inspired by William Bryant Logan’s acclaimed book Dirt: The Ecstatic Skin of the Earth, find out how industrial farming, mining and urban development have led us toward cataclysmic droughts, starvation, floods and climate change. Dirt is a part of everything we eat, drink and breathe. Which is why we should stop treating it like, well … dirt.

Dirt! The Movie premieres tonight, Tuesday, April 20 at 10:00 on Independent Lens on PBS (check local listings).

Bike powered smoothies at the Dirt! Monterey screening

Torrential rains washed over the Monterey Bay, and heavy winds ripped through the trees. But, at about 3 PM a sudden break in the storm gave me the opportunity to quickly throw on my rain gear and join our organizing team to begin the planned outdoor festivities that were to precede the April 11th screening of Dirt! The Movie. As if by design, the weather softened and welcomed the community out to enjoy smoothies made with bike power, and to get dirty as they made clay and wildflower seed balls and watched compost demonstrations. The energy and momentum of the event got into full swing as the sun peaked out and rainbows could be seen over the theater. Guests mingled and enjoyed delicious treats donated by local restaurants and bakeries, and even sipped wine donated by the Monterey County Film Commission. Table displays offered the audience a chance to learn about the partner organizations that collaborated to bring the event to life: Pesticide Watch Education Fund, Monterey Green Action, Monterey County Film Commission, and ITVS. Our good friend (and local photographer/activist extraordinaire) Michelle Magdalena Maddox, was even screen-printing recycled t-shirts with a beautifully designed calendar of all of April’s Earth Day events right on the spot. It was amazing!

I buzzed around between the reception, the demonstrations and making sure we were technically set up to screen the film. My biggest priority was to make sure we were ready for the question and answer session with filmmaker Gene Rosow (via Skype) after the film. Thank goodness I was smart enough to retain the services of the theater’s resident AV tech, Vince! I’d never done a videoconference before and certainly was a bit daunted by the task, but also soooo excited by it at the same time! Patience was key, and so was Vince! We got it set and were ready to roll as the audience took their seats.

The rains did return, but just in time for everyone to move into the theater to begin the screening. A wonderful gathering of people (many familiar faces too) from across the Monterey Bay Area filed in as I welcomed everyone and introduced Joe Fletcher, the director of the Monterey County Film Commission, to introduce the opening trailer for the film. Joe talked about the Film Commission’s passion for bringing independent films to our community and infusing our film community with more opportunities like this screening of Dirt!. After the trailer, our special guest, ITVS’s Associate Director of Communications Chi Do, welcomed and acknowledged the students, teachers, environmental professionals, activists, and filmmakers (and film lovers) present in the room as she talked about ITVS’s work and commitment to events such as these. She really opened people’s eyes to the relationship between our event and the greater efforts ITVS is involved in educationally and cinematically to share information, educate and inform audiences.

With that, the lights went back down and we began the film. I sat down in the front row (happy to be sitting for the first time in a couple of hours) and found myself immediately drawn into the movie. I looked back at the audience and saw their hearts in their eyes, and I could feel the shared emotion. As the tone of the film shifted to the treacherous nature of man’s assault on the soil, the audience moved too. And as we neared the end of the film, a collective exhale could be felt vibrating through the room as Wangari Maathai reminded us all that we can be the hummingbird and “do the best we can.”

We moved quickly through our raffle, where we gave away DVDs of the film, Dirt! tote bags, and tons of organic gardening supplies all donated by a very enthusiastic Steve McShane, a local garden business owner. Audience members asked heartfelt questions about Gene Rosow’s inspiration to make the film, and whether he believed we could turn things around as a planet. Listening to Gene’s inspirational and informative responses, I watched the audience soak up every word. I was so thrilled to make this Skypecast work! It was so cool! As a community organizer working on a grassroots budget, it really elevated the level of community engagement. Brilliant!

The rain was softly coming down again, but nothing could dampen our spirits! I left feeling sure that the community was engaged, was moved to act and was inspired. That was a winning feeling for sure! And trust me, it’s not always like that after community events. But tonight, I felt the connection … with my community, my work, with friends old and new, and with my commitment to carry the many messages in the film to more people. I got dirty and it felt great!

And that’s a wrap!

Elsa Dooling,
Central Coast Community Organizer
Pesticide Watch Education Fund

Dirt! The Movie premieres tomorrow night, Tuesday, April 20 at 10:00 on Independent Lens on PBS (check local listings).

Check out a preview:

First up on Independent Lens is Dirt! The Movie, airing April 20 at 10:00 PM, by Bill Benenson and Gene Rosow. Narrated by Jamie Lee Curtis, Dirt! takes viewers inside the wonders of the soil and looks at how industrial farming, mining, and urban development have led us toward cataclysmic droughts, starvation, floods, and climate change. Inspired by William Bryant Logan’s acclaimed book, Dirt: The Ecstatic Skin of the Earth, the film deftly combines science and humor as it digs into the history and current state of the living organic matter from which we come from and where we will one day return. Dirt is a part of everything we eat, drink and breathe, which is why we should stop treating it like, well … dirt. Community Cinema just finished up a month with over 45 free “dirty” preview screening events around the country.

Then on April 27 at 10:00 PM, watch Garbage Dreams. Filmed over four years, director Mai Iskander goes inside the world of Egypt’s Zaballeen (Arabic for “garbage people”) to reveal the lives of two teenage boys born into the trash trade. The film reveals how –– for generations –– the residents of Cairo have depended on the Zaballeen to collect their trash, paying them only a minimal amount for their garbage collection services. These entrepreneurial garbage workers survive by recycling 80 percent of all the garbage they collect, creating what is arguably the world’s most efficient waste disposal system. Recycling to lift themselves out of poverty, the Zaballeen have, through necessity, devised ingenious solutions to one of the world’s most pressing problems. Community Cinema presented  over 45 free preview screening events for Garbage Dreams around the country in January.

The broadcast of Garbage Dreams will also be accompanied by an interactive game in which players assume the role of the Zaballeen. Players will sort through trash and recycle everyday items found in Cairo –– all against a ticking clock! So put on your eco-savvy hats because you’ll have to quickly sort everything to match the 80 percent recycling rate of the Zaballeen within 12 rounds of play.

Corresponding lesson plans for grades 9-12, complement the game and the film, and further explore the issue of recycling and the globalized economy.

Learn more about Independent Lens Earth Day >>

Tracy Fleischman, Lisa Smithline, and Andy Lipkis at the West Hollywood Community Cinema screening of Dirt! The Movie.

It’s early in the morning (okay, afternoon!) and I am still recovering from last night’s tremendously successful Community Cinema screening of Dirt! The Movie. Nearly 300 people gathered to watch the film at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood, Calif. The evening started with a delicious organic, locally grown, zero-waste reception catered by Jennie Cooks Catering. As guests mingled with their glasses of California-grown, organic wine, filmmakers Bill Benenson and Gene Rosow greeted arriving guests such as Kathleen Kellogg Johnson (Kellogg Garden Products), and Denise Ritchie (Malibu Compost).

The audience was completely engaged with the film. A few audience members had to step out into the lobby to catch their breath and hold back their tears. One guest told me, “The film is amazing, but really hard to watch. We need to be simultaneously having a conversation about water rights and access to water. It’s simply not possible for everyone in the world to grow a little organic garden in their backyards if they don’t have water.”

After the film, we had a top caliber panel discussion with filmmakers Bill Benenson and Eugene Rosow, TreePeople founder Andy Lipkis, and Mudtown Farms organizer Janine Watkins. Moderator for the evening was Margot Roosevelt an environmental reporter for the Los Angeles Times.

The panel and audience focused the conversation to the issues of dirt and environmental justice in California.

Mudtown farms is a 2.5-acre farm development in Watts, Calif. Watts is an economically-depressed community compounded by being in the midst of an urban food desert. With only one supermarket in Watts, the community has very little access to fresh foods. Janine Watkins stressed the importance of growing food not just for your own consumption, but also to share with other communities. She encouraged people to network with communities other than the ones the lived in and to literally share your garden harvest.

Andy Lipkis focused on the need for political change to focus on capturing rainwater through the use of cisterns rather expensive desalinization plans. According to Andy, the city of Los Angeles is currently looking into policies that will allow homeowners to retrofits their homes with both solar panels and cisterns under an economic incentive plan.

The audience could have talked for hours with questions about education and suggestions on composting best practices. Unfortunately at 10:00 PM it was lights out. Even though the theater closed, I’ll have you know at least 50 people continued the conversation outside. I am always pleased to see a really engaged audience; it gives me hope as an organizer that the event made a difference. Maybe those folks will share what they learned, start a garden, and share some fruits with their neighbors.

Desiree Gutirrez
Regional Outreach Coordinator

Wine expert Gary Vaynerchuck can taste terroir in soil.

On March 6, a diverse audience enjoyed part of their day at the free Community Cinema Seattle premiere screening of Dirt! The Movie at Seattle Center. On an unusually gorgeous sunny day in Seattle – especially odd for early March – the audience was eager to discuss what was being done to help Seattle’s ecosystem heal itself and ways they could help.

Our panelists and local event partners are inovators in an already crowded field of bioneers in the Seattle and Puget Sound region. We were so fortunate to be joined by Kathryn A. Gardow, Executive Director of PCC Farmland Trust and Brad Halm, a farmer and co-owner of The Seattle Urban Farm Company, which has garnered quite a bit of press for its creative and friendly approach to urban gardening and farming.

On March 10 at the Joel D. Valdez Main Library in Tucson discussion highlights included audience members talking about their experiences with composting and gardening. We has a guest from the Community Gardens of Tucson, who spoke after the discussion. Community Gardens of Tucson is an all-volunteer not-for-profit group devoted to promoting health, knowledge, joyfulness and a sense of community by helping Tucson residents establish and maintain neighborhood vegetable and flower gardens. It is made up of gardening experts, novices, homeowners and volunteer coordinators.

Wine expert Gary Vaynerchuck can taste terroir in soil. Let him tell you about it.

Garbage Dreams tells the story of garbage pickers in Cairo, Egypt who are among the best recyclers on the planet

Community Cinema Charleston (South Carolina) distributed free recycling bins provided by the city, had a discussion about the Charleston Green Plan, and how to improve recycling in the area.

At Community Cinema Sheboygan our facilitator, Nate Lowe an assistant professor at Lakeland College, teaches a senior level course on environment and consumption. He is also the faculty adviser for the student led group Eco-Friends. He was able to speak about some of their success in getting our local community to begin recycling programs. In 2002, during a trip to Egypt, Nate visited Makattam, the largest recycling village in Cairo where a UNESCO school teaches young Zabbaleen women how to recycle thrown-away fabrics into marketable items. Lowe pointed out that 90% of Cairo is Arabic and 10% is Christian. There were comments addressing concern for the Zabbaleen particularly regarding the statistic that 1 in 5 children die from complications due to the garbage environment and were encouraged to hear that The Gates Foundation donated one million dollars to their recycling school. A public works representative who attended the screening said the average amount recycled in America is about 36% and Sheboygan recycles 24%. He emphasized the severity of the landfill situation in the area by revealing that our landfills are not decomposing like we thought they would and predicted that in 40-50 years we would be mining our own landfills for resources.

Garbage Dreams airs in April on Independent Lens on PBS (check local listings)

At Community Cinema Chicago we had people sitting on the floor in front of the first row, and standing throughout the entire film in the back. We must have turned away over 50 people. The discussion following the film was amazing. Elise Zelichowski from the ReBuilding Exchange moderated. She kicked off the discussion by asking via applause vote how many people in the audience thought that Chicago’s recycling program was poor. That got a resounding round of applause. There was much discussion about improving the efficiency of our city’s recycling and garbage collection. And about correcting the city’s stringent plan for community gardening in vacant lots. One panelist was Ken Dunn, Founder and Director of the Resource Center. Ken is considered Chicagos pre-eminent authority on all things environmental. When Ken said that he learned much from the Zeballeens methods and attitudes, it really meant a lot. Erin Kennedy from SCARCE teaches recycling at schools and community groups across the broad Chicago area. She spoke about what it takes to change habits. The third panelist was Clissold Elementary 7th grader Alana Hurley. She said that at a very young age, she took her parents concern for the environment to heart and was determined to put her concern for the planet into widespread practice. She got her school to start a recycling club and now many students are involved in the effort.

And, at Community Cinema Steamboat Springs (“Ski Town USA”) in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains the Bud Werner Memorial Library, Yampa Valley Sustainability Council, and Yampa Valley Recycles presented a free screening of the documentary Garbage Dreams. Along with Home ReSource, all three groups set up informational tables, including a fairly large Recycling 101 display, for people to discuss and peruse before the film. YVSC then did a short presentation about their Zero Waste initiative at the Steamboat Ski Area and large events around town, plus the upcoming Talking Green event. Yampa Valley Recycles then did a short, informative talk about the state of Steamboat Springs recycling and took questions from the audience.