A drive from South Shore to Lakeview reveals a stark truth about Chicago: factories and polluting industries cluster on the South Side, while northern neighborhoods remain largely untouched. This disparity is no coincidence—it stems from decades of racially charged policies that shield white, affluent areas from the burdens of air pollution, waste accumulation, and toxic runoff.
On May 29, 2025, the lawyers at Our Children’s Trust (OCT) filed Lighthiser v. Trump, on behalf of 22 youth from Montana, Oregon, Hawai‘i, California, and Florida, asserting their constitutional rights to life, health, and safety. This youth-led constitutional rights lawsuit challenges three of the Trump administration’s recent Executive Orders, each of which has the capacity to intensify the climate crisis and worsen the youth plaintiffs’ climate-related health injuries.
As I write this (July 2025), the air quality in Chicagoland (where I live) is labeled unhealthy for sensitive groups. In addition, the National Weather Service has issued an “extreme heat watch,” noting that over the next two days, residents can expect dangerously hot conditions with possible heat index values of 105˚ -110˚ . Elsewhere on our planet, devastating tornadoes, floods, forest fires, and extreme heat bring death and destruction, test bodies and spirits.
See a futuristic battle over the last available fresh water resource, peer at wildlife living in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, hear an ironic love song about a polluting power plant, and more. View all 10 winning short films from the One Earth Young Filmmakers Contest at 10 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 22, in person at Davis Theater, 4614 N. Lincoln Ave. in Chicago, or online virtually anywhere in the world. Be ready to stretch your imagination and expand your understanding of going green. A special online screening for those in Asia/ Pacific will also be available.
On Wednesday, Sept. 18, Sasha-Ann Simons of WBEZ Radio’s Reset interviewed Sue Crothers, Founding Director of the One Earth Young Filmmakers Contest, along with Michael Rogowski, a student filmmaker from Loyola University Chicago. They talked about the upcoming One Earth Young Filmmakers Contest Awards Celebration on Sept. 22, as well as the Environmental Justice Award that Loyola University would receive for “The Kiribati Project.” LISTEN HERE.
The annual One Earth Young Filmmakers Contest Global Awards Celebration is gearing up to take place at 11:30 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 22, both in person at the Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State St., Chicago, Illinois, and online virtually anywhere in the world. Featuring the top 10 winning films from among 400 submissions, this event is the second with global reach since the contest started 12 years ago.
