Student's short film shows how easy it is to go green

"STOP! Think Green and Save," is the latest opus by a Lake County resident to gain national recognition.

Tyler Depke, 21, of Grayslake, shot the 4-minute, 54-second short film through a stop-motion effect and was recently honored with second place by the National Geographic Channel in their "Preserve Our Planet" College Film and Public Service Announcement contest.

Depke, currently a geology major with a minor in chemistry and environmental science at Hope College in Michigan, saw the contest as a way to link his academic interests and concern for the environment with his personal interest in video editing.

"I really had no idea how far this would go. I just thought 'it's National Geographic' and I'm a scientist and I just really want to do this film and, if anything, it would look really great on my resume," said Depke.

The film follows another local, Jake Gilliland, 21, of Round Lake, as he demonstrates simple ways to conserve energy throughout his daily routine. Depke shot some 13,000 images with a digital single lens reflex camera, eventually incorporating roughly 5,000 of the stills into the film. The effect depicts articles of clothing, coins and even utensils seemingly moving on their own to spell out messages and give examples.

While most of the film focuses on Gilliland's conservation efforts, it closes with him sharing his ideas with classmate Michael Golden, 21, of Crystal Lake, a step that Depke feels is particularly important.

"We need to expand the knowledge," he said. For Golden, this was a continuation of his already existing conservation efforts to which Depke apparently made no small contribution.

"The only reason I did the movie was for Tyler. He's all about saving the earth and it's something that rubs off on other people. I feel like I can speak for Jake, too, when saying that we didn't do this for National Geographic or anything other than Tyler because he has had such a huge impact on our lives."

According to Golden, the energy-saving tips offered in the movie, such as air drying or turning off the water while brushing one's teeth, are simple habits that anyone can adopt without much change to their regular routine and ones that could save dollars as well as the environment. As for the people who think their small contribution could not make a difference, Golden has this to say:

"Personally, I think that is a cowardly response. One person isn't going to change the world, per se, but they are going to change the world for at least one other person."

The National Geographic Channel contest solicited college student films and PSAs that highlighted existing efforts to preserve the planet while incorporating the theme "What you do counts," part of the inaugural year of National Geographic Channel's "Preserve Our Planet," initiative which focuses on helping people understand their individual carbon footprint and provide alternatives to lower their impact on the planet.

The Web film winner received a nominal stipend and a trip to Washington, D.C., to have their work screened at the kickoff event of the annual worldwide gathering of National Geographic Explorers. Depke's film has also been selected to be showcased at both of the New Trier high schools as part of their Earth Day celebrations.

"People like Tyler are turning people like me into someone who believes in saving the environment," added Golden. "I don't think we're necessarily pioneers, but I do think that we are the first generation who will realistically have to deal with issues of global warming and damage to the environment in order to make the earth a better place to live."