Environmental Education Media Project

ECOS Magazine: Empowering vision

Pollution somewhere is pollution everywhere. There is no them. Just us.

Educational filmmaker and sustainability advocate, John D. Liu has a knack for effectively communicating the complex in ways that make people sit up and take notice. A key to his success is leveraging the power of the image to inspire hope and a commitment to action, writes Cynthia Karena of the Australian ECOS Magazine.

Re-balancing the world’s carbon equilibrium, according to Mr Liu, is not just a matter of reducing carbon dioxide emissions. ‘If we restore all degraded land on the entire planet as well as reduce emissions, you can extrapolate massive carbon uptake, [as well as] re-regulated hydrological flows, increased fertility and productivity, and the ability to ensure that the highest level of genetic diversity possible survives into future generations,’ he says. ‘That seems like a much more comprehensive result.’

Click to read more ...

Ecosystem Restoration Receiving Attention

Best in Category Ecosystem - Award from the prestigious 33rd International Wildlife Film Festival in Montana (IWFF)

John D. Liu joined the Center for Climate and Society in the Fall of 2009 and attended the COP15 Climate Change Summit as part of an interdisciplinary team headed by Professor Paul Schopf.

EEMPs latest documentary ”Hope in a Changing Climate” received the Best in Category: Ecosystem award from the prestigious International Wildlife Film Festival in Montana.  In Brazil, The International Festival of Environmental Film and Video accepted “Hope in a Changing Climate” into its highly competitive global festival.

Shot in stunning HD on location in China, Ethiopia and Rwanda, the film shows the compelling story of local people restoring their land, and features interviews with president of Rwanda HE Paul Kagame and the head of the United Nations Environment Programme, Achim Steiner.  Jeremy Bristow, producer of award-winning BBC documentaries featuring Sir David Attenborough, directs “Hope in a Changing Climate”.  The film is presented by John D. Liu, founder of EEMP and an environmental filmmaker and ecological field researcher who has produced and directed documentaries for CBS, National Geographic and the BBC.

In addition to the award for best ecosystem film, “Hope in a Changing Climate” also received six merit awards from IWFF:  Presenter, Storytelling, Scientific Content, Conservation Initiative, Conservation Message and Human-Environment.  The festival in Brazil took place in Goias from June 8-12 and the 33^rd annual IWWF ran from May 8 – May 15 in Missoula, Montana.

“Hope in a Changing Climate” was presented at a special screening at the Museum of Geology in Copenhagen during the COP15 Climate Change Summit. It has aired globally on BBC World and has been screened by more than seventy organizations in 30 nations.  Financial support for “Hope” has been provided by IUCN-Netherlands, Open University, The Rockefeller Foundation, the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture and The World Bank.

EEMP April Events

Sunday, April 18, “Earth Week on the National Mall”

EEMP showed a clip of “Hope in a Changing Climate” and introduced about the film’s core themes, joining a venue of over 20 artists and leaders celebrating the 40^th anniversary of Earth Day on the National Mall.  For additional information, visit the Earth Day Network.

Monday, April 19, US Forest Service International Programs Seminar Series presents: Hope in a Changing Climate: An Approach to Restoring Damaged Ecosystems

The US Forest Services will hostrd a screening & discussion of 'Hope in a Changing Climate” at its Washington DC office (1099 14th Street, NW, Suite 5500W, Washington, DC  20005). The office is near the McPherson Square Metro. For more information, visit the US Forest Service International Programs.

Tuesday, April 20: EEMP attends the 'Creating Climate Wealth' conference at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business, April 20-22

EEMP joined other entrepreneurs and corporate executives, creative financial partners, forward thinking government and non-profit professionals to “Create Road Maps to a Post Carbon Future”— to provide their insights and expertise on the policies, market frameworks and programs that will clear the barriers to deliver emission reductions and promote job creation. Speakers included Richard Branson (Founder and Chairman, The Virgin Group), Wesley Clark (Chairman, US Investment Bank Rodman & Renshaw) and Jose Maria Figueres (former President of Costa Rica and CEO of the World Economic Forum).

Monday, April 26:  George Mason University celebrates Earth Day with a screening of “Hope in a Changing Climate”

“Hope in a Changing Climate” film screened at George Mason University’s Arlington campus. The film was followed by discussions with Dann Sklarew, Associate Professor with the Environmental Science and Policy Department at George Mason University.

Dr. Sklarew contributed actively to the formulation of Mason's first Greenhouse Gas Inventory (2009) and Climate Action Plan (2010). He also serves as the Associate Director for Mason's Potomac Environmental Research and Education Center (PEREC), leading projects and advising initiatives related to regional environmental education, watershed management, climate change mitigation and adaptation. For 8 years before to returning to his doctoral alma mater, Dr. Sklarew directed a global United Nations project, the "International Waters Learning Exchange and Resource Network." He has also served as a consultant to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the Global Environmental Facility and other regional, national and international environmental agencies and organizations.

Monday, April 28: World Bank Screening of “Hope in a Changing Climate”

With a focus on the Latin America and Caribbean region, the World Bank hosted an internal screening of Hope in a Changing Climate.  Juergen Voegele, Head of Agriculture and Rural Affairs at the World bank (along with one of the Bank's chief Caribbean development officers who spoke on the topic of Haiti) presented the film.

Friday, April 30: The Rockefeller Foundation Screening of “Hope in a Changing Climate”

To commemorate the 40^th anniversary of Earth Day, The Rockefeller Foundation is screening “Hope in a Changing Climate.