Travel to Earth’s core, listen to an AI bird translator, discover goats preventing forest fires, and more. View all 10 winning short films from the One Earth Young Filmmakers Contest at 10 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 27, in person at Davis Theater, 4614 N. Lincoln Ave. in Chicago, or online virtually anywhere in the world. Be ready to stretch your imagination and expand your understanding of going green. A special online screening for those in Asia/Pacific will also be available.

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OG. Original Gangster. An accolade for the coolest and most “with it” guy or gal on the block. The OG behind the Chicago-based organization “Share Your Soles,” Mona Purdy, was seeking a new headquarters for her expanding non-profit that recycles thousands of hardly-used American sneakers and other shoes discarded for the latest fashion.

The One Earth Young Filmmakers Contest (OEYFC) and the Oak Park Illinois Film Festival (OPILFF) are proud to announce a new partnership dedicated to uplifting and showcasing the next generation of filmmakers. 

I recently attended the year-end wrap-up webinar from Our Children’s Trust (OCT), and there’s a lot going on! For those who don’t know, OCT is a nonprofit public interest law firm in Eugene, Oregon, dedicated to securing a healthy atmosphere and safe climate for young people. 

Their federal, state, and international lawsuits push governmental bodies to recognize environmental harms, especially as they affect the health and lives of young people. Every case, win or lose, strengthens the next, empowering the young people who have stepped up to be plaintiffs and building a body of testimony from those plaintiffs and expert witnesses, including public health professionals and  climate scientists. An overarching goal of OCT cases is to clarify the government’s constitutional obligation to protect the environment, thereby ensuring the right to life—yes, right to life (and to liberty and the pursuit of happiness)--of our earth’s young people. 

A drive from South Shore to Lakeview reveals a stark truth about Chicago: factories and polluting industries cluster on the South Side, while northern neighborhoods remain largely untouched. This disparity is no coincidence—it stems from decades of racially charged policies that shield white, affluent areas from the burdens of air pollution, waste accumulation, and toxic runoff. 

I like to sleep with my windows open, which unfortunately means that if there’s a storm at night, I wake up to puddles by my bedside. The breeze and fresh air feel worth the occasional water damage, but this summer, the storms in Chicago reached an intensity that made me reconsider my preference for a ventilated sleep environment.