The annual One Earth Young Filmmakers Contest Global Awards Celebration is gearing up to take place at 11:30 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 17, both in person at the Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State St., and online virtually anywhere in the world. Featuring the top 10 winning films from among 403 submissions, this event is the first with global reach.
Reserve free tickets here: tinyurl.com/yfc23awards
In August, Judge Kathy Seeley ruled wholly in favor of 16 young plaintiffs, declaring that the state of Montana has and is violating their constitutional rights, including their rights to equal protection, dignity, liberty, health, and safety, which are all predicated on their right to a clean and healthful environment. . . . And the court ruled that the youth plaintiffs had proven their standing to bring the case by showing significant injuries, that the government had a substantial role in causing those injuries, and that a judgment in their favor would change the government’s conduct.
Since its inception in 2013, the One Earth Young Filmmakers Contest has grown from a local, Oak Park/River Forest, Illinois, project accepting just 12 submissions to a highly competitive international competition garnering 403 submissions. Countries such as Brazil, Australia and Mexico and states such as California, Georgia and Indiana will be represented among this year’s winners at the Global Awards Celebration at 11:30 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 17, in person at the Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State St., in Chicago, or online virtually anywhere in the world.
Reserve free tickets here: tinyurl.com/yfc23awards
Held v. Montana was the first of the youth climate cases to make it past many procedural hurdles over many years and arrive in a trial court in Helena, MT. There, over seven days (June 12-20, 2023), Judge Kathy Seeley heard from the 16 young plaintiffs as well as world-renowned experts, including Dr. Mark Jacobson, on the effects of climate change in the world overall and specifically in Montana—temperatures warming, glaciers melting, rivers drying up, forests burning, air-quality alerts becoming more common.
At 14 years old, Tiara began her work in environmental justice at the Eco-Ambassador Program. Upon learning about food and sustainable land use, Tiara thought about the food desert in her own community of Calumet City, Illinois, where thriving businesses are constantly replaced with liquor stores. Pete’s, Aldi, and Food4Less are currently the only major fresh food marts on the far edges of Calumet City.
Born in the mid-to-late 1990s up to the early 2010s, Generation Z environmental activists agree that urgent action is needed to achieve climate justice, and they’re willing to do what it takes to get results. “Climate and environmental justice and environmental racism are very big concerns among youth, whether or not they are youth of color. It’s not just about energy, water or air—it’s also very much about people,” says Ana Garcia-Doyle, executive director of One Earth Collective. The Chicago nonprofit inspires action, facilitates learning and promotes environmental justice through annual programs like the One Earth Film Festival and One Earth Youth Voices, a summit designed to give voice to the next generation’s environmental concerns.
