Earth Words Blog — One Earth Film Festival

Cassandra West

Full Speed Ahead for Electric Vehicles Despite Hurdles

Full Speed Ahead for Electric Vehicles Despite Hurdles

If you think you're seeing more electric vehicles on your local streets, you are. If you think this constitutes a boon for the EV market, not exactly.

On Nov. 28, the Wall Street Journal reported, some 3,900 U.S. car dealers sent a letter to President Biden seeking relief “from his onerous and unrealistic EV sales mandate.” The dealers say electric vehicles are piling up on their lots. Demand for EVs just isn't keeping up with production.

Highlights from the 11th Annual One Earth Film Fest

Highlights from the 11th Annual One Earth Film Fest

In the two years since the pandemic forced a pivotal shift, One Earth Film Festival didn’t retract. In fact, it grew and is now reaching audiences well beyond the Chicago area. You might say the festival has become a whole-Earth event.

This year One Earth Film Festival drew viewers from Hawaii, Japan, Africa and Australia as well as California, Massachusetts, Kansas and many other states. That meant that more people could be moved to take action—to “Turn the Tide.”

A Balmy Evening for 'A Most Beautiful Thing'

A Balmy Evening for 'A Most Beautiful Thing'

On a beautiful evening in late September, Cheney Mansion’s spacious lawn became an outdoor movie theater. It was the perfect location for screening “A Most Beautiful Thing,” a sentimental and moving documentary that chronicles the first African American high school rowing team in this country.

Chicago Environmental Advocates You Should Know

Chicago Environmental Advocates You Should Know

Festival audiences expect to leave screenings with information that will guide them in taking the next steps on their sustainability journey. That is the Power of We. When people feel connected to others by a common passion or commitment, much gets done. Problems are solved. Communities become healthier. The Earth gets healed.

Chicago is fortunate to have many advocates on the front lines of climate action and environmental and social justice.

Young Filmmakers Contest Becomes Tool for Teaching

Young Filmmakers Contest Becomes Tool for Teaching

Educators across the country are turning to the One Earth Young Filmmakers Contest (YFC) as a teaching tool for their students. YFC can teach valuable lessons in science, art, communications and enhance the overall learning experience, they say.

“This contest was a great way for [my students] to translate their research into something interesting for a lay audience,” Nancy Landrum, who teaches sustainable business management at Chicago’s Loyola University, said.

Festival Sponsor Bill Reilly Makes the Case for Socially Responsible Investing

Festival Sponsor Bill Reilly Makes the Case for Socially Responsible Investing

Bill Reilly recalls being invited to participate in a panel on socially responsible investing in Oak Park a few years ago. That’s when he first learned about One Earth Film Festival.

A senior financial advisor at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, Reilly since has become a festival supporter. In 2017, his team of Merrill Lynch financial advisors, Oak Brook-based The Reilly Group, were Festival sponsors. And they plan on being sponsors again for the 2019 Festival, he says. This year, for Giving Tuesday, Reilly was a matching donor.