A number of contemporary environmental issues from around the world will be addressed in film during the second annual Los Padres Forestwatch “Wild and Scenic” Film Festival. Global topics ranging from wildlife preservation to protecting endangered species will be covered in seven different short films, voted as favorites at the event’s main festival in Nevada City, California.
“These films touch on many of the current environmental issues that we can relate to here in our own community, like watersheds or ocean protection,” said Diane Devine, Forestwatch development coordinator. “They also reach out and address issues from around the world, which we hope will inspire our viewers.”
Forestwatch is a nonprofit organization located in Santa Barbara that works to protect the Los Padres National Forest and spread awareness about protecting public lands all along the Central Coast. The organization’s use of scientific evidence and legal tactics to accomplish its goals has made it a prominent environmental group in the area.
“Our hope is that we motivate people to take an interest in our work and in the natural world just outside their back door,” said Devine.
John Flaherty is co-owner of Central Coast Outdoors, a company that plans outdoor adventure tours and vacations, said he is pleased to see this type of event coming back to San Luis Obispo.
“We feel strongly about environmental groups like (Forestwatch) who share our environmental interests and values, ” he said. “We try to help groups like these and we’re happy to have this opportunity (to be a sponsor).”
For various enironmental interest groups on campus, this type of event is a way to bring complex issues to the student body.
“It’s great that the organization is reaching out in this way, ” Suzie Cuff, president of the Association of Environmental Professionals, a club on campus that advocates environmental awareness and organizes activities like creek cleanups, said. “The issues that the films are about are really important … I really hope the festival will get the lines of communication open among students about the issues.”
Ma’ayan Bennaim of the Empower Poly Coalition, a coalition of groups on campus that focus on promoting sustainability, said he is “really glad that the school is reaching out in this way. The films seem to cover a wide range of topics that will help activate the student community to make a difference while also entertaining.”
The festival will be held on Friday, Oct. 9 in the Spanos Theatre. Forestwatch will host a reception and have several raffles and informational booths for attendees at 6:30 p.m. before screening the films at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children, and can be purchased on campus at the Spanos Theatre.