Exxon Mobil - Still Funding the Nay-Sayers

BusinessGreen blog gives an update -- Exxon Mobil is still funding global warming deniers.

Research from Greenpeace gives the full story: "We have found that, despite the rhetoric, ExxonMobil continues to fund the majority of the organizations which have been central to the global warming denial campaign the company has run for the past decade or more."

Check out the blog: View from the States: Exxon Mobil - The Rest of the Story
May 22, 2007

Scientists Warn of Severe Effects of Global Warming

From time to time Working Films finds interesting news articles we want to share with you.

Check out this article from the Atlanta Journal Constitution about the testimony of experts witnesses who shared their concerns about the impact of global climate change with Congress. Also take a look at the responses of Congressional Representatives who don't believe the scientists. This article reminds me how much work there is to do. Like the global warming messengers in Everything's Cool we all have to keep up the pressure to make sure that more of our leaders understand the reality of global warming.

Scientists warn of global warming doom; skeptics scoff
By BOB DART
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 04/27/07

"Mexican butterflies fluttering around Austin, Texas, could be harbingers of a global apocalypse caused by climate change, scientists warned a congressional committee Thursday.

Global warming is reaching a point at which flooding, pestilence, fire, disease and starvation could threaten human existence, academics told the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming.

Earth is approaching "tipping points of the system with the potential for irreversible deleterious effects," said James Hansen, director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies..."]

Read the entire article here.

Pope urges world leaders to fight global warming

Working Films is always on the lookout for new developments in the news about global warming. This is the first in a series of future posts highlighting interesting news articles we think you might like to have a look at.

Increasingly a diverse set of constituencies is lining up to fight global warming, and one of these constituencies is the world's Catholics. At a recent Vatican conference on climate change Pope Benedict said that scientists, religious leaders, and political leaders should "respect creation" while "focusing on the needs of sustainable development." To find out more about how the Catholic Church is responding to global climate change read this article that we found in London's The Guardian newspaper.

Protect God's Creation: Vatican issues new green message for world's Catholics
John Vidal and Tom Kington in Rome
Friday April 27, 2007
The Guardian

Read the entire article here.

Reaching Out on Global Warming

On Sunday, April 15th Everything’s Cool co-director Judith Helfand and Robert West, co-founder and executive director of Working Films, participated on a panel at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival about using film to support the movement to end global warming. Working Films is coordinating the two-year audience and community engagement campaign for Everything’s Cool. The panel was sponsored by the Fledgling Fund and moderated by Fledgling’s founder Diana Barrett. Diane Weyermann and Lisa Day of Participant Productions were also on the panel speaking about An Inconvenient Truth.

The panel emphasized the need for filmmakers to listen to the needs of organizers in order to form a campaign that will effectively support the movement. Robert and Judith illustrated Working Films’ methodology for the audience by discussing their partnerships formed around the Everything’s Cool world premiere at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival.

Audience members asked: What comes first, the film or the movement? The panel made it clear that it has to be a reciprocal relationship. Robert said, “the environmental movement – like all strives for justice – needs the skills of filmmakers, crafting the stories that will incite and ignite audiences. Film and video hold unique power to move audiences to action.” Judith explained that it is helpful to get feedback early on in the production process in order to create a movie that can be used as a tool for the movement. By working in close partnership with the organizations and activists on the ground, filmmakers are able to connect their stories to current campaigns and initiatives which take the film and audience to another level of engagement – action.

Everything’s Cool is Stepping it Up at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival

In support and recognition of Step It Up events happening nationwide on April 14th, Working Films and Toxic Comedy Pictures compiled the Everything's Cool activist preview DVD for Step It Up organizers and volunteers.
This limited release activist DVD features selected scenes and characters from EVERYTHING'S COOL includes Dr. Heidi Cullen, whistle blower Rick Piltz - and very cool coverage from Sundance, including news casts and behind-the-scenes footage of the 1000 school kids' aerial message that launched Step It Up.

Everything's Cool will premiere in the Southeast on April 13th at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival in Durham, North Carolina. After the screening, Step It Up organizers will be inviting the audience to participate in the Raleigh event on the state capital ground. In addition, the filmmakers and Wroking Films will also present a panel with The Inconvenient Truth on Sunday, April 15th at noon: "Reaching Out on Global Warming".

Wondering what to do AFTER your Step It Up event? Work with EVERYTHING'S COOL and keep the momentum going - Order your copy of the ACTIVIST PREVIEW DVD now!

Everything's Cool Photos on Flickr

Photo by Chris Pilaro

In order to share more of our Sundance world premiere experience with everyone, Working Films and Everything's Cool producer Chris Pilaro have created Flickr photosharing accounts. If you have any relevant photos, you can create an account and tag your photos with Everything's Cool Sundance to make them searchable with ours.

In the mean time, see what everyone is toasting to.

Bish Goes to School

Bish Neuhauser, a character in Everything's Cool, was motivated to make biodiesel for his car, and eventually succeeded in pushing the ski resort where he worked to run their vehicles off of biodiesel. After a special screening for high school students, Bish made a visit. Check out what was catalyzed:


Can't see the video? Download Quicktime 7
Video by Jeremy Levine, music by Atwood.