What rights, if any, do our ecosystems have? And who will speak for them?
Under the current system of law in almost every country, humans have the right to exploit nature, because lakes, rivers, wetlands, forestlands, and other ecosystems and natural communities are considered to be property. And, as property, its owner has the right to treat it as they choose, including damaging or destroying it.
The annual One Earth Young Filmmakers Contest Global Awards Celebration is gearing up to take place at 11:30 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 22, both in person at the Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State St., Chicago, Illinois, and online virtually anywhere in the world. Featuring the top 10 winning films from among 400 submissions, this event is the second with global reach since the contest started 12 years ago.
During the past year, One Earth Young Filmmakers Contest received 400 submissions from 55 countries and 36 states. Australia, Brazil, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Poland, and United Kingdom will be represented among top winners, along with the U.S. states of California, Florida, Illinois, and Virginia. The Global Awards Celebration will take place at 11:30 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 22, in person at the Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State St., in Chicago, or online virtually anywhere in the world. A special online screening for those in Asia/ Pacific is also available.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to compete in our Summer Bingo Campaign. Without all of your dedication to not only our contest but the quality of the environment around you we would not have had such a successful month! Now we at One Earth Collective are pleased to announce the winners of all our fabulous prizes!
On Saturday, July 27, from 1 to 5 p.m., West Cook Wild Ones will host its annual native garden tour of 9 colorful, life-filled gardens in Oak Park and Berwyn, Illinois. You can find more information about the tour here.
But while you’re waiting, here are three of the native-plant-loving people who have created gardens (or shall we call them habitats?) that are on the tour: : Laura Derks, Monica Cecero, and Beth Fioritto.
When a country is at war, both its people and its biodiversity are under attack. As warfare kills, wounds, and traumatizes countless humans, it also destroys, damages, and endangers soil, air, water, wildlife, flora, and fauna—elements that all humans depend on for life. Warfare is, in short, an act of destruction that disproportionately affects all the planet’s essential ecosystems.
