, , , ,

Let's Get Loud About Illinois' Cook County Forest Preserves

, , , ,
Let's Get Loud About Illinois' Cook County Forest Preserves

Here’s a legislative win that folks in Illinois and beyond can learn from, get excited about, and perhaps even replicate. On Nov. 8, 2022, Cook County Illinois voters sparked a major win for their Forest Preserves, approving an additional $40 million in annual funding for these vital public lands. This money will be used to manage and restore the 70,000 acres of prairies, forests, wetlands, rivers and streams; create local jobs; and improve the environment by providing clean air, water, and habitat for people and wildlife.

, , , , ,

Young Filmmakers Contest Celebrates 10 Years of Elevating Youth Voices

, , , , ,
Young Filmmakers Contest Celebrates 10 Years of Elevating Youth Voices

Get the scoop on the Young Filmmakers Contest from Founding Director Sue Crothers:

“The One Earth Film Festival has always been about activism. It’s not just about watching films. So that’s the goal for the next 10 years of the festival, a return to hopefulness through activism and envisioning the future you want. Overall, though, I want to say that for the whole 10 years, it’s been a huge privilege to work with these young people and to elevate their voices.”

,

Toward a Plastic-Free (or Free-er) July

,
Toward a Plastic-Free (or Free-er) July

My husband and I are pretty highly functioning when it comes to plastic-consciousness/plastic-avoidance: For years, we’ve brought our own reusable bags to the grocery store, and we’ve picked up plastic bottles during our walks so we could put them in the recycling bin. We drink from reusable water bottles. Pre-COVID, when we went to restaurants, we brought our own containers for leftovers. . . . And yet, as I look around my home—at the shampoos and conditioners, moisturizers, dish and laundry soaps, toothbrushes, sun block, the bottle that holds my calcium supplements, the one that holds the Tylenol I took for my headache the night I started thinking about this—I feel daunted at the challenge of living plastic-free.

, , ,

Rare Prairie's Survival is Threatened: Save Bell Bowl Prairie

, , ,
Rare Prairie's Survival is Threatened: Save Bell Bowl Prairie

One of the last remaining prairies in Illinois—8,000-year-old Bell Bowl Prairie in Rockford—is slated for destruction as the Chicago Rockford International Airport expands. Bell Bowl is a gravel prairie—among the rarest type of remaining prairie—and it contains some of the most intact and undisturbed natural plant communities found anywhere in the state. If the expansion occurs as the airport currently proposes, then rare, threatened, and endangered species will be destroyed—driven by growth in international shipping and Rockford’s role as a cargo hub for Amazon and UPS.

, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Young Filmmakers Contest Reveals Passion for Animals and Planet

, , , , , , , , , , , ,
Young Filmmakers Contest Reveals Passion for Animals and Planet

From manatees to koalas to pangolins, endangered wildlife was a recurring theme among 148 submissions to the 2022 One Earth Young Filmmakers Contest. Students ages 8 to 25 revealed the impact of weather extremes and plastic pollution on people, animals, and the planet, with a new note of urgency about the climate crisis in their short films.

, , , , , ,

Interview with Julie Winokur, Director of 'The Sacrifice Zone'

, , , , , ,
Interview with Julie Winokur, Director of 'The Sacrifice Zone'

Q: The Sacrifice Zone. That’s a powerful title. It’s raw. Talk about it.

A: The concept is that we have chosen to sacrifice certain people for the benefit of others. They’re collateral damage. There’s an intentionality to it. Collectively, we’ve decided that it’s okay to put all this toxic industry in certain neighborhoods. And somehow we have the idea that the people who live there don’t care, because if they didn’t like it, they’d move.