Have you ever wondered where the food you buy from the grocery store really comes from? When you turn on a light switch in your house, do you contemplate how that electricity made it to the lamp? Are your faith practices closely tied to your concern for the environment? Perhaps you have never really thought about these things, or perhaps you have, but desire more education on the subject. Then the Care of Creation Committee invites you to attend The First Friday Film Fest. Over the next three months we will be showing films that consider these practices and how they affect our society and the environment, and discussing what is our role as people of faith.
Beginning on April 1st, we will watch the movie Food, Inc., which draws on Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation and Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma. This Oscar-nominated documentary explores the food industry's detrimental effects on our health and environment. Director Robert Kenner spotlights the men and women who are working to reform an industry rife with monopolies, questionable interpretations of laws and subsidies, political ties and rising rates of E. coli outbreaks.
On May 6th we will watch Dirty Business. This film reveals the true social and environmental costs of coal power and tells the stories of innovators who are pointing the way to an alternative energy future. Guided by Rolling Stone reporter Jeff Goodell, the film examines what it means to remain dependent on a 19th century technology that is the largest single source of greenhouse gases. Can coal really be made ‘clean’? Can renewable energy sources and efficiency be produced on a scale large enough to replace coal? The film seeks answers in a series of stories shot in China, Saskatchewan, Kansas, West Virginia, Nevada and New York.
On June 3rd we will watch Renewal, a collection of stories from people of different faiths who are working to confront the enormous challenges of environmental degradation. From evangelical Christians bearing witness to mountaintop removal to Muslim tradition and charity forging bonds between urban communities and sustainable farms, this 90-minute documentary shows how the religious environmental movement is growing.
Snacks and refreshments will be served and each film will be followed by a discussion. We hope that everyone can make it.
First Friday Film Fest Dates:
- April 1st at 6 p.m. in the Warner Building Conference Room: Food, Inc.
- May 6th at 6 p.m. in the Warner Building Conference Room: Dirty Business
- June 3rd at 6 p.m. in the Warner Building Conference Room : Renewal
For more information contact Dorrie Sieburg at dorriesieburg@gmail.com or Vicki Hesse at vickihesse@yahoo.com .