FESTIVAL NEWS
Announcing the BRAND NEW Media That Matters Take Action Pack! This month: Sustainable Living
The Media That Matters Film Festival features twelve short social issue films under twelve minutes over twelve months. As a result, each month we at Media That Matters will release a Take Action Pack featuring our films and instructing interested viewers on how they can best take action regarding the social issue presented in the films on which we are currently focusing our efforts. With the summer in full swing and honeybees on our minds, we at Arts Engine have decided to highlight the eighth annual Media That Matters short film Every Third Bite this month. So, whether you're packing for your summer vacation, packing on those extra ice cream pounds, or packing in some much needed time in the sun; we encourage you to pack in a little action as well. To help you do this, we have created an Every Third Bite themed Take Action Pack that is available on our festival website.
This month's pack approaches the issue of Colony Collapse Disorder from several angles. First, it draws attention to the importance and background of the issue by pointing out that we are losing pollinators at an alarming rate and that both humans and ecosystems cannot survive without them. Second, it discusses the information that can be obtained from the film itself and directs viewers to other environmentally themed films that may be of interest from our Media That Matters collections and from our large MediaRights database of documentary film. Third, this guide provides links to related articles that can help you stay up to date with the measures that experts in the worlds of science and agriculture are taking to curb the threat CCD poses to our existence. One such article discusses the survey findings that the USDA, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Apiary Inspectors of America released in May, documenting the disappearance of unprecedented numbers of honeybees over the winter of 2007-2008. Likewise, our Take Action Pack provides links to the websites of relevant organizations like the National Resource Defense Council and Honeybeequiet.com that support immediate social action and keep interested individuals updated on any congressional hearings or developments on the rapid decline of honeybee populations.
Lastly, perhaps the most important component of our pack is the section on How To Take Action. If you are an educator, this guide can instruct you on ways Every Third Bite can be used to facilitate classroom discussions on environmental and scientific studies. You can also teach students about ways to attract pollinators to their neighborhoods using resources highlighted on this page and obtain information about further educational materials that we recommend. Our Discussion Guide which will be available online by the end of the summer, takes the educational potential for this film a step further by suggesting specific discussion questions, topics, and interactive classroom activities. The online Take Action Pack also provides activity suggestions for environmentally conscious families. If you are a member of one of these, you can visit our site to obtain information on educating your family, creating a pollinator-friendly environment in your own backyard or window box, "green" methods to cure the common cold, and starting your own "safe" hives. In addition, our guide offers information for communities and individuals who are interested in getting involved with this issue. If you fit this description, visit our site to locate local screenings of Every Third Bite, learn how to host your own screening to educate others on the issue, get your hands a little dirty with sustainable living techniques, learn how to cook with solar power, convert your car to a hydrogen vehicle, etc.
Throughout the upcoming year, we will be highlighting one film from the Eighth Annual Media That Matters Film Festival per month with similar Take Action Packs that underline the film's larger themes, resources related to the specific social issue and tips on how to best take action. If you found this month's pack useful and would like to receive our monthly alerts when new materials become available online, sign up for the MediaRights newsletter here. Our next Take Action Pack will focus on youth activism with the eighth annual Media That Matters films America for Dummies and The Countdown. In the meantime, join Media That Matters in focusing your efforts on saving the honeybees. BEE informed, BEE environmentally responsible, and BEElieve that each of us can do our part to make the world a better place.
By, Christina Capatides
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