A trip to Chicago to accept his first-place award in the One Earth Film Festival’s Young Filmmakers Contest brought Nathan Goswick more than he expected. The 17-year old’s winning entry, “Plastic Bags,” captured the attention of Andrew Behar, CEO of As You Sow, a nonprofit that presses corporations on sustainability.
As I reflect on Earth Day in this 50th anniversary year, I cannot help but remember and honor Rachel Carson. She was its impetus. In the imaginative and poetic prose of Silent Spring, she articulated the danger we would be facing with the indiscriminate use of pesticides.
If one is unaware of her personal story, it is one of love of family and of the natural world.
April 22 marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, a significant worldwide holiday to celebrate our green-and-blue planet and take local actions in our community. The Greater West Side — Oak Park, Austin, and River Forest — had planned multiple celebrations to honor and celebrate this important milestone, and we are now encouraging all to participate in new ways — virtually and in the real world.
“The oil drilling happening in the Amazon is a form of colonization and is a saddening reality, but an important story that needs to be told and understood. Capturing this story meant carrying a camera everywhere and filming as much as possible. Much of the creative process was understanding the importance of preserving the words of those I interviewed and how to effectively support them through visual imagery and audio.”
