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Mike_L · Joined: 06 Apr 2006 Posts: 1739

New Film's Goal is to Help People, Communities, and Region Revitalize Local Well-being

September 27, 2011 -- The Finger Lakes Bioneers http://www.wemakeourfuture.org/ in partnership with the Auburn Public Theater, presents the Auburn premiere of The Economics of Happiness, a 70-minute documentary film by Helena Norberg-Hodge, Steven Gorelick and John Page. The film is an exposition of ways that local self-reliance and resilience can be planned for and achieved by a coalition of citizens, enterprises and elected representatives.

There will be screenings on Friday, September 30 at 1 PM and 8 PM and Saturday, October 1 at 8PM. Admission is only $5.00. The Auburn Public Theater is located in downtown Auburn at 8 Exchange Street. Visit their website for directions and more information http://www.auburnpublictheater.com/

At the Friday evening screening, Finger Lakes Bioneers http://www.wemakeourfuture.org/ is hosting a community conversation about the power of our own community to build a resilient, fair, and responsible economy. After the film, a panel of community leaders will share their ideas for redesigning our economy and give examples of what we’re doing so far. Audience members are encouraged to join the discussion and bring their ideas and news on other local economy initiatives. Panelists will include Cynthia S. Aikman, Cayuga County Legislator and Gay Nicholson of Sustainable Tompkins and the Green Resource Hub of the Finger Lakes. Dr. Nicholson has led several initiatives focused on creating a just and sustainable economy including a regional green collar career fair and forming the Sustainable Enterprise & Entrepreneur Network http://creating.theseen.org/ .

Finger Lakes Bioneers has hosted two regional conferences and helped link central New York audiences to the work of Bioneer innovators (www.Bioneers.org). This year's film series in Auburn, Cortland, Elmira and Watkins Glen seeks to connect communities across our region on topics related to our shared future.

At the Saturday screening, Helena Norberg-Hodge, one of the producers of the film, will connect with the audience via a live internet link to offer her commentary. Audience members will be able to ask her questions as they discuss the film and explore relevant local dimensions.

Released in Spring 2011 by the International Society for Ecology and Culture, this inspiring movie is now being shown around the world by community-based organizations and innovative venues to help promote and build a more sustainable economy. Citizens around the state of New York understand that this is not just a long-term quest because they can see that local solutions are in fact being developed and implemented.

Two other films that explored these increasingly relevant issues were shown earlier this year at Auburn Public Theatre: I AM and Happy. The upcoming events on Sept. 29 and Oct. 1 will be an opportunity for audiences at the Theater to share their thoughts and ideas and relate them to the vitality of the Auburn and Cayuga County areas.
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Michael Ludgate - forum administrator
The Canaan Institute http://www.canaaninstitute.org/

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Mike_L · Joined: 06 Apr 2006 Posts: 1739

Community conversation and film to explore "the economics of happiness" in Auburn, Cayuga County and Finger Lakes

Sept. 30 and Oct.1: The Finger Lakes Bioneers in partnership with the Auburn Public Theater, presents Auburn premiere of the new film: The Economics of Happiness.
There will be screenings on Friday, September 30 at 1 PM and 8 PM and Saturday, October 1 at 8PM. Admission is $6.00 or $5.00 in advance. The Auburn Public Theater is located in downtown Auburn at 8 Exchange Street. The Friday evening program includes a panel discussion with Cynthia S. Aikman, Cayuga County legislator and Dr. Gay Nicholson of Sustainable Tompkins. On Saturday there will be a live web-link-in with Helena Norberg-Hodge, one of film's producers. Both events will offer audience members the opportunity to participate and contribute their ideas about enhancing their community's strengths and equitable well-being. http://wemakeourfuture.org/

Contact info: Nick Vaczek, 607-793-7566 or "info AT wemakeourfuture DOT org"

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_________________
Michael Ludgate - forum administrator
The Canaan Institute http://www.canaaninstitute.org/

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Mike_L · Joined: 06 Apr 2006 Posts: 1739

New Film's Goal is to Help People, Communities, and Region Revitalize Local Well-being

The Finger Lakes Bioneers, the Park Church and Pax Christi Upstate New York share in presenting the Elmira premiere of The Economics of Happiness, a 70-minute documentary film by Helena Norberg-Hodge, Steven Gorelick and John Page. The film is an exposition of ways that local self-reliance and resilience can be planned for and achieved by a coalition of citizens, enterprises and elected representatives. The film is the November selection in the "Meaningful Movies" series at the Park Church.

The Economics of Happiness film screening is on Wednesday, November 9th at 7 PM. Program is free and open to the public; donations are accepted. A pot-luck dinner will start at 6PM.
Event will take place in Beecher Hall of Elmira's Park Church at the 208 Gray St. entrance. Visit their website for directions and more information http://www.theparkchurch.org/

This event will be an opportunity for the audience to share thoughts and ideas and relate them to the vitality of the Elmira and Chemung County areas.

The film screening will be followed by an interactive conversation about ways to build a resilient, fair, and responsible economy. A panel of community leaders will discuss their innovative work, goals and visions. Audience members are encouraged to join the discussion and bring their ideas and news on other local economy initiatives. Moderated by Peter Ladley of Pax Christi, the panel will include Steve Kettelle and Michael Terwilliger (Hendy Hollow Farm), Jason Knapp (Knapp Farm).

Released in Spring 2011 by the International Society for Ecology and Culture, this inspiring movie is now being shown around the world by community-based organizations and innovative venues to help promote and build a more sustainable economy. Citizens around the state of New York understand that this is not just a long-term quest because they can see that local solutions are in fact being developed and implemented.

Formed in 2009, Finger Lakes Bioneers has hosted two regional conferences and helped link central New York audiences to the work of "Bioneer" innovators (www.Bioneers.org). This fall 2011 film series is being arranged in partnership with groups and venues in Auburn, Cortland, Elmira and Watkins Glen. The programming seeks to connect communities across our region on topics related to our shared future. The November 9th event is the first to be held in the Elmira area. Visit www.wemakeourfuture.org to learn more about Finger Lakes Bioneers.

Contact info: Nick Vaczek, 607-793-7566 or info@wemakeourfuture.org.
_________________
Michael Ludgate - forum administrator
The Canaan Institute http://www.canaaninstitute.org/

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Mike_L · Joined: 06 Apr 2006 Posts: 1739

_________________
Michael Ludgate - forum administrator
The Canaan Institute http://www.canaaninstitute.org/

===

Mike_L · Joined: 06 Apr 2006 Posts: 1739

"Empowered: Power from the People" Encore Community Screening

Wednesday, December 7, 7-9pm
Cinemapolis, 120 E. Green St., Ithaca, NY
Tickets are $10, $8 for IGBA members

Tompkins County, NY is one of the cloudiest, least windy places in the country, and yet its residents are proving that we can meet our energy needs through totally renewable resources. From solar and wind to veggie oil and geothermal, "Empowered" tells the story of one community's role in the energy independence revolution.

Join us for an encore Ithaca screening featuring tabling by local sustainability groups and renewable energy installers. Since our community sneak peek screening at the end of September, we have refined the film and added lots of animations so even you've seen it, there's lot's of new stuff to check out!

The screening will be followed by a special "Women Power" panel discussion including director Shira Golding Evergreen and some of the local innovators featured in the film - Gay Nicholson of Sustainable Tompkins, McKenzie Jones Rounds of Ithaca Biodiesel, Gwendolyn Barr of Weaver Wind Energy, Annie Koreman of Sierra Club Finger Lakes Group, and Lexie Hain of Enfield Energy and Snug Planet!

This event is co-presented by Finger Lakes Bioneers, Ithaca Green Building Alliance, Sierra Club Finger Lakes Group and Sustainable Tompkins.

The screening kicks off a NY state tour co-sponsored by Finger Lakes Bioneers and Sierra Club Finger Lakes Group.

"Empowered" is an independent feature-length documentary directed by Shira Golding Evergreen and produced by Suzanne McMannis.

Learn more and empower yourself at:
http://empoweredthemovie.com

RSVP on Swidjit:
http://swidjit.com/ithaca/events/empowered-encore-community-screening

RSVP on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=176256552468777

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_________________
Michael Ludgate - forum administrator
The Canaan Institute http://www.canaaninstitute.org/

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Mike_L · Joined: 06 Apr 2006 Posts: 1739

Monday, Feb, 20 "Empowered" screening 7PM in Auditorium of Kendal at Ithaca

Tompkins County is one of the cloudiest, least windy places in the country, and yet its residents are proving that we can meet our energy needs through totally renewable resources. From solar and wind to veggie oil and geothermal, Empowered tells the story of our community's role in the energy independence revolution.

Finger Lakes Bioneers (a program of Sustainable Tompkins) will sponsor a special free screening of the locally made film Empowered http://empoweredthemovie.com/ on Monday, February 20th, at 7PM in the Kendal Auditorium. The film's director, Shira Evergreen, producer Suzanne McMannis and Shawn Reeves of Energy Teachers.org http://energyteachers.org/ will be present to share their insights with Kendal residents and with teachers who are also invited to attend as part of the "Ithaca Loves Teachers" http://www.ithacalovesteachers.com/ week of programming.

A 2011 production directed and produced here in Tompkins County, the film explores how residents of the county are engaged in different applications and uses of innovative technologies and techniques that conserve, reduce and also provide energy to the shared larger grid. The subtitle of the film is "power from the people' since the provisioning of energy from locally sourced and decentralized 'nodes' is increasingly becoming feasible.

We would like to invite teachers to add their perspectives about sustainability as an aspect of their own work and curricula. This event will be listed in the materials which the teachers will receive from the Chamber of Commerce. The public is welcome to attend but capacity of venue is limited.

website for Finger Lakes Bioneers: http://www.wemakeourfuture.org/
website for Sustainable Tompkins: http://sustainabletompkins.org/
website for Kendal at Ithaca: http://kai.kendal.org/
directions to Kendal: http://kai.kendal.org/living/DrivingDirections.aspx

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_________________
Michael Ludgate - forum administrator
The Canaan Institute http://www.canaaninstitute.org/

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Mike_L · Joined: 06 Apr 2006 Posts: 1739

"Empowered: Power from the People"
Homegrown Documentary Energizes Audiences to Go Renewable

ITHACA, NY - Tompkins County, NY is one of the cloudiest, least windy places in the country, and yet we are proving that we can meet our energy needs through totally renewable resources. From solar and wind to veggie oil and geothermal, "Empowered: Power from the People" tells the story of our community's role in the energy independence revolution. This feature-length documentary will have its festival premiere on April 1st at noon as part of FLEFF (Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival).

The idea for this homegrown film came from Producer Suzanne McMannis, an off-grid farmer who has been fighting against natural gas drilling in Dryden. "I thought to myself, there are some great movies out there about the problem, but very few that offer real solutions," McMannis reflects. "If we're going to get off our addiction to fossil fuels, we need to show people how accessible and effective alternatives can be."

McMannis enlisted Director Shira Golding Evergreen, a local filmmaker who is very engaged around sustainability issues. "Making this film was a dream for me," Evergreen shares. "It was amazing getting the inside story behind countless local installations, to learn what people's challenges were, and to discover how much creativity and ingenuity we have in this community. And now I'm applying many of the lessons I learned to my own house."

"Empowered" features interviews with a diverse cross-section of Tompkins County, whimsical animations that help explain the renewable technologies, and an original musical score. While packed with practical information, the film is sprinkled with levity and philosophical moments as the interviewees consider questions of security, self-sufficiency and community resilience. As well as showcasing residences, the film shows municipal projects like the Town of Caroline's solar/geothermal office building and gives viewers inside access to local entrepreneurs including Ithaca Biodiesel, Black Oak Wind Farm, Weaver Wind, which is developing a new turbine, and Solar Systems Unlimited, which provides sound and food for events like the Earth Day Festival.

The filmmakers are committed to inspiring viewers to take concrete steps to change their energy habits. An outreach campaign is in full-swing featuring community and festival screenings, as well as events at high-schools and colleges where the filmmakers, innovators featured in the film, and local installers are on-hand to help people lower their consumption and make the transition to renewables.

After two very successful preview screenings in late 2011 at Cinemapolis with large turn-outs, the filmmakers have teamed up with the Finger Lakes Bioneers (a project of Sustainable Tompkins) to organize additional events around the region. The documentary was shown at Kendal at Ithaca (2/20) and SUNY Cortland (2/28), and screenings are slated in coming weeks at the Danby Town Hall (3/20), the Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival (4/1), Mann Library at Cornell (4/4) and as part of Rochester's "Localization" movie series (4/18) with more regional and national dates coming soon. See complete event details below. A DVD of the film with bonus material is available for sale at these events as well as on the film's website.

Learn more at: http://empoweredthemovie.com

For more information and high-res images contact:
Shira Evergreen
shira@shirari.com
607-821-0654

UPCOMING SCREENING DETAILS

3/20/12, Danby, NY: Screening and Community Discussion
 Tuesday, March 20th, 2012, 6:30pm 
Danby Town Hall , 1830 Danby Road, Danby, NY 14850 
FREE
With Director Shira Evergreen

4/1/12, Ithaca, NY: Screening and Q&A at FLEFF (Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival) 
Co-presented by Finger Lakes Bioneers 
Sunday, April 1st, 2012, Noon 
Cinemapolis, 120 E. Green Street, Ithaca, NY 
FREE
With Director Shira Evergreen

4/4/12, Ithaca, NY: Screening and Discussion at Cornell University
 Co-presented by Mann Library, Finger Lakes Bioneers, KyotoNOW!, Cornell Wind Power, and Engineers for a Sustainable World Cornell 
Wednesday, April 4th, 2012, 5:30pm 
Mann Library , Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
 FREE 
With Cornell alums Director Shira Evergreen and Dominic Frongillo from the Town of Caroline (featured in the film)

4/18/12, Rochester, NY: Screening and Panel Discussion as part of LOCALIZATION,
a Winter Movie Series on Economy, Food and Energy
 Co-presented by Finger Lakes Bioneers and Rochester’s Center of Sustainable Living
 Wednesday, April 18th, 2012 
Brighton Town Hall, 2300 Elmwood Ave, Rochester, NY
 FREE
With Producer Suzanne McMannis
_________________
Michael Ludgate - forum administrator
The Canaan Institute http://www.canaaninstitute.org/

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