Sustainable Film Series explores water conservation

The Sustainable Community Film Series from the Walking Mountains Science Center continues this Tuesday with a screening of two films focusing on the topic of water scarcity and conservation. The screening will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Riverwalk Theater in Edwards.

The series tackles a different environmental subject each month, and series director Melissa Kirr selects a film – or, in the case of this week, multiple films – that reveal new insights into complex issues and provoke conversation on how to address them on a local level.

Kirr said that she wanted to focus on water scarcity and accessibility this week to emphasize how close to home the issue actually is.

“I think living in the United States, a lot of people think everyone has clean water,” Kirr said. “That it comes out of our pipes and we don’t have issues around clean water and sanitation, but we do.”

Tuesday’s screening features one short film: “A Journey Upstream,” that delves into the health and ecosystem of the Chesapeake Bay, and one feature film:“Brave Blue World,” which highlights several innovators who are tackling global water problems at the local level.

After viewing the films, the audience is invited to participate in a community forum to discuss the films and pose follow-up questions. Walking Mountains also provides a “What’s Next” document that summarizes the information learned in the film and directs viewers to local organizations and initiatives that are addressing water scarcity right in Eagle County.

“A lot of it is things that you can do around your home, or in your landscaping, or how to reach out to other local organizations that this is their focus,” Kirr said. “Encouraging people not to just act, but look at the resources and opportunities that we have here through other organizations.”

The screening is free for all community members, but requires a reservation, during which audience members have the option to make a donation to Walking Mountains Science Center.

A Journey Upstream

The first film that will be played on Tuesday is a short film about the Chesapeake Bay watershed, produced and directed by brothers Andrew and Eric Braker.

Andrew Braker completed a year-long internship as a naturalist with Walking Mountains Science Center in 2017, an experience that helped to inform and inspire the direction of the film.

“I learned about how interconnected the natural world is, and that’s a major theme of what we tried to achieve with ‘A Journey Upstream,’” Andrew Braker said. “Whether you’re talking about the Chesapeake Bay watershed or you’re talking about the Gore Creek watershed, the same idea applies: what starts up in the headwaters is eventually going to affect what’s downstream.”

“A Journey Upstream” follows the Braker’s exploration up into the headwaters of their local watershed environment back home in Maryland. At each stop along the way, they conduct interviews with fishermen and environmental scientists to broaden their understanding of the ecosystem’s health, using two fish species as markers.

Eric Braker said that their approach to learning about the Chesapeake Bay can be replicated in watersheds around the country, and hopes the film encourages people to delve deeper into their own water environments.

“A great way for someone to connect with their own environment is reaching out to like-minded people of the older generation,” Eric Braker said. “The stories, the conversations we had with them, lasted hours, and what they had been able to teach us from their countless years of experience in these environments – you just can’t match that.”

The Braker brothers’ next film, titled “Phoenix,” takes place in the Vail Valley and centers on the story of a female fly fishing guide. The film is currently on the 2022 Fly Fishing Film Tour.

Brave Blue World

Zooming out to a more global angle, the feature film “Brave Blue World” focuses on the groundbreaking technologies being created and tested around the world to tackle pressing water problems.

The innovations featured in the film include ​​a mobile water filtration system in Flint, Michigan, a machine in Kenya that harvests water out of thin air, and a new greywater recycling system in Denmark, among others.

The 2020 documentary stars big Hollywood names like Liam Neeson, Matt Damon and Jaden Smith, and was created to paint an optimistic picture of the possibilities for water management solutions in the future.

“Coming to watch the films and have that conversation can be really impactful,” Kirr said. “This is a really good way to learn about an issue that is both local and global, and how it all connects together. We’ve had a lot of people learn, and we’ve seen behavior changes happen from viewing these films in the last ten years.”

To register for the upcoming screening, and for more information and trailers, visit WalkingMountains.org.