COD to host free sustainability film and discussion series this spring
The College of DuPage will host a series of four free films focused on sustainable energy this spring beginning Tuesday, March 5. All screenings will be shown at 7 p.m. in the Health and Science Center, Room 1234, on the college's Glen Ellyn campus.
The screenings are free and open to the public. A Q&A discussion will take place after each screening.
The series, which features films that cover a variety of issues related to contemporary energy use and sustainable practices, is designed to promote film as a tool for education, civic engagement and activism in the movement to build sustainable and resilient communities.
Attendees are encouraged to arrive 30 minutes prior to the start of each screening for additional information on the environmental topic addressed in the film and to connect with local community organizations on ways to tackle the issues raised.
The series includes the following films:
• "The Superfood Chain" on Tuesday, March 5. Are superfoods really that great for you? How does the burgeoning global demand impact the indigenous cultures that grow the food and depend on it as a staple? This documentary investigates how the superfood industry affects the lives of farming families from Bolivia, Ethiopia, Philippines and Haida Gwaii. It is part of the One Earth Film Festival, a Chicago area environmental film fest.
• "Into the Okavango" on Thursday, March 7. The Okavango River Basin provides a vital source of water to about 1 million people, the world's largest population of African elephants and significant populations of other animals. This film chronicles a team of explorers on their 1,500-mile expedition across three countries to save the river system that feeds the Okavango Delta, one of the planet's last wetland wildernesses. It is part of the One Earth Film Festival.
• "Plastic China" on Monday, April 8. A recycling plant is home to Pen and his daughter Yi Jie, desperate for an education, and boss Kun, determined to improve his family's lot. One man moves closer to prosperity while the other stagnates in poverty. This documentary exposes the lives of people on the fringes of global capitalist realities.
• "Racing Extinction" on Monday, April 22. Oscar-winner Louie Psihoyos ("The Cove") assembles artists and activists intent on showing images that expose issues of endangered species and mass extinction, whether infiltrating black markets with guerrilla-style tactics or exploring scientific causes that affect changes to the environment.
For more information, visit the Sustainability Film and Discussion Series webpage at www.cod.edu or contact Shamili Ajgaonkar at sandifor@cod.edu; Laura Burt-Nicholas at burt-nicholasl@cod.edu; or Deborah Adelman at adelman@cod.edu.