Rakel Garðarsdóttir is the co-director and co-producer of “Useless,” a documentary that looks at why food and fashion waste have become a pressing social and environmental problem, and what people can do to change it. Garðarsdóttir lives and works in Reykjavík, Iceland.
One Earth Festival had a few questions for Rakel about the making of the documentary.
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.
When most people retire, they kick back, take cruises, and visit the grandchildren. Sally Stovall was not most people. She did, indeed, relish visiting her grandchildren, but after she retired from a career in organizational development, Sally embarked on a new, vibrant career as climate activist and community organizer.
You have a few more opportunities to see “RiverBlue,” a film exploring how our fashion choices impact the rivers and communities where they are made. This compelling film was screened at Loyola University Chicago on February 20, to great acclaim. After the film, director Roger Williams did a video Q&A with the audience. You can see it here.
The global denim industry is multi-billion-dollar one, employing a massive low-wage workforce, selling its products under a handful of well-recognized brands. And it is taking a toll on vital waterways. The pollution spewed by the production of jeans is what the narrator in “River Blue” calls the “dark side of the fashion industry.”
