By Cassandra West
From its beginning in 2012, One Earth Film Festival has operated with this mindset: Everyone can take action for the planet. Now the festival wants to take that attitude viral with its 2019 theme — “All In.”
Given the stakes, it’s time to go all in for the planet. Starting now, all of us can.
We can go all in for our children and their children’s future. For the air we breathe. For the water we drink. For the soil that grows our produce. For everything the Earth provides.
Straightforward and simple, “All In” was selected for its bold declaration that everyone can commit to taking decisive action to reduce the environmental impact they leave on our one Earth.
“All in” means we are committed to doing better, to being serious about sustainability. “All in” means it’s time to stop taking half steps and really do what it takes to drawdown and capture greenhouse gases, to build a renewable energy industry that also will boost the economy. “All in” means that we should all be beyond thinking about what to do. Now is the time for action.
“All In” echoes the urgency for action made in the recent landmark report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a group of 195 member countries and thousands of scientists convened by the United Nations to provide an objective view of climate change and the associated political and economic impacts.
The IPCC report said that avoiding the predicted damage from climate change calls for transforming the world economy and human habits at a scale that has “no documented historic precedent,” according to The New York Times.
“We believe that in light of the report and an administration that’s actively working to turn back many environmental regulations, it’s up to us, the people, to do the necessary work to protect the planet,” festival director Ana Garcia Doyle said about the theme. “ ‘All In’ says everyone anywhere can step up in the biggest and boldest ways possible to make a real difference in combating climate change, which we know is happening.”
And while the IPCC report paints a dire picture—if real action isn’t taken— the festival is deliberate in selecting films that tell stories of hope, action and transformation. “All in” meets that mission by speaking directly to the power of the human spirit and ingenuity to rise and meet environmental challenges.
You will see that spirit and ingenuity in one of this year’s 28 festival selections, “Paris to Pittsburgh,” which celebrates how Americans are demanding and developing real solutions in the face of climate change and the Trump administration’s decision to cease all participation in the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change mitigation.
You will hear the narrator say in this important film: “We’re seeing cities and states and companies and individuals saying we’re still in, even with [Trump] pulling us out of one of the most important treaties when every other major country in the world has said we are going to come together and commit to dealing with climate change.”
This is the second year that One Earth has adopted a theme for its 10-day festival. Last year’s theme was “This Is the Moment.”
In choosing a festival theme, organizers consider current events and news surrounding environmental issues, a common message that runs through films that will be screened, and phrasing that memorably encapsulates that message.
The Festival invites you, your family and friends to go All In for the planet. If you’re at a loss for ideas, here are some to get you started.
The 2019 schedule includes 28 environmental films covering climate change, conservation, food waste, energy and more. Screenings will take place March 1-10 at more than 60 locations throughout Chicago and the surrounding counties.
