Issues of global warming and the current state of the environment have recently been the subject of a myriad of news stories, books and films, but few have initiated an action committee targeted toward college students like the documentary, “The 11th Hour.”
Produced and narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio, the film was presented in Davis Auditorium last Wednesday by “The 11th Hour” Action Committee to raise awareness about the effects of our industrialist society and to mobilize youth to take action in the sustainability movement.
The screening was followed by a Q&A session with co-producer Stephan McGuire, Frank Laird, an associate professor at the Graduate School of International Studies, and Cory Nadler, a student organizer at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Co-producer McGuire said “The 11th Hour” should be considered a “call to arms.”
“We find that we’ve reached a pinnacle of industrialism, and we’re now forced to regress and be more cooperative. We wanted this film to be a call to arms and a call for action on each campus, with the intention that action groups can help the movement,” McGuire said.
The film includes interviews with scientists and activists who discuss evidence and pose theories about what will happen to mankind in the future if we continue to emit pollutants into the environment. The documentary is peppered with often startling images of dying lakes, massive floods, displaced families, animals on the verge of extinction and billowing wildfires. Narrator DiCaprio stresses that it is “the 11th hour” – the last chance – for this generation to step up and alleviate the issues that pose threats to our environment.
Laird said he was grateful that the documentary touched on alternative solutions to reduce emissions that pollute the environment.
For example, the documentary discussed “green” buildings, cars that run on solar energy and a dance hall in Rotterdam where the dance floor produces sufficient energy from the movement of feet to meet the venue’s energy need.
“There are a plethora of solutions out there, and we need to investigate all of them. Alternatives to petroleum are essential,” Laird said.
A graduate student asked why more schools aren’t making a conscious effort to promote mandatory sustainability classes, which would teach students about the issues of the environment.
Laird responded by saying Colorado is trying to make a sustainability requirement, but that “everyone must get together in order to create change.”
Co-producer McGuire ended by saying: “We’ve been unaware, unconscious, and in denial. We, as a human species, need to be conscious of our evolution and become aware of our human footprint.”
The 11th Hour Action Committee brought the film to DU as part of its 2008 US College Campus Tour. Screenings were shown to over 25 universities including screenings at Harvard University, Columbia University, and Stanford.
