Sara Scully, program producer, ACME Screening Room
The Friends of the Library’s ACME Screening Room just wrapped up the Green Film Series, which ran May 9, 16 and 23 and featured films and speakers focused on issues critical to sustainability of life on earth, namely land use, food and water. The series was held in conjunction with our planting a native garden at the library. One of the highlights of the series was a first-run film, now in theaters across the country, “The Garden.” The screening of this 2009 Oscar-nominated documentary was made possible with funding from Hunterdon Land Trust Alliance (HLTA) and Isles, which also provided speakers afterward, talented professionals who shed light on the land use and food supply issues raised in the film.
The Friends would like to thank HLTA and Isles for supporting this event and the speakers: Meg Metz, HLTA, Meredith Taylor, Isles and Julia Taylor, SEE Lambertville/Isles, for enlightening our audience with their informed perspectives.
Additionally, the Friends would like to thank the speakers on our “Food, Glorious Food” panel: Kendra Thatcher, Media Harvest blogger, Kim Kauffmann, Bucks County Foodshed Alliance and Jackie Ricotta, Delaware Valley college professor who led a lively audience discussion on the agribusiness giant, Monsanto and the ramifications of our bio-engineered food supply. And for leading an equally lively and informative audience discussion on our “Drink Local, Flow Global” panel about our local water quality and supply, we’d also like to thank Peggy Krist, founder, Jonathan Krist Foundation and water activist, and Jim Waltman, executive director, Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association.
Thanks also goes to New Hope-Solebury High School Environmental Club and teacher, Kevin Elvey for holding the “Tap Water Taste Test” in the ACME lobby. The test demonstrated that tap water tastes just as good or no different than bottled water. Of 19 people who took the “Tap Water Taste Test,” only seven thought bottled water tasted better. The rest liked tap water better or tasted no difference between the two. The test is used as a tool by the Environmental Club to encourage people to use tap water over bottled, mainly because tap water does not create bottle waste which is harmful to the environment and pollutes our water supply, rivers, oceans and streams, among other reasons.
Again, we are honored to have had the opportunity to feature the above speakers at our series. While each have been dedicated to either studying, writing or change-making on sustainability of water, land, energy or food, their very participation in our series helped to build community in Lambertville, another important part of our sustainable future.
So, we thank all of the above experts for bringing us together and for so generously giving their time to guide our community in examining such important issues.
And last, thanks to the City of Lambertville for providing our cinema space, without which this Green forum would not have been possible.