What agricultural challenges threaten our lands, waters and lives today? And what solutions give us hope for a more sustainable planet? Through the eyes and hearts of 36 stakeholders and scientists, you’ll discover the answers to theses critical questions as they are revealed through the lens of an Emmy Award winning team.
See what the film offers in some of the sample segments below. To discover the complete story in the entire 69-minute feature film, Searching for Sustainability, including what you can do to make a difference, order your DVD below with a credit card through secure PayPal for $20 plus $3 shipping per DVD. Don’t forget the popcorn and your friends who also care about a more sustainable planet.
If your organization wants 10 or more copies, please email us at searching4sustainability@gmail.com for discount information.
Our Environmental Future
Hinges on Public Education
You’re reading this because you believe what we believe. The future health of our Great Lakes waters and entire planet demands all of us to become more sustainable. And public education about sustainability provides the necessary foundation for that to happen.
From our climate, to our waters, to our air, in our soils, throughout our food chains, and even within our bodies, sustainability affects every filament of life here on Planet Earth. That’s why everyone needs to know about and consciously consider “sustainability” when making decisions about navigating through life. It will determine our environmental legacy.
At a time when more people seem disconnected with the future of our natural resources, a new television documentary has been reshaping the perceptions of our collective search for sustainability.
Last year Sustainable Lands & Lives (landsandlives.org) and Glacierland RC&D joined forces with the Emmy-winning Into the Outdoors Education Network to create a one-hour documentary on Searching for Sustainability. Besides making impressions on Wisconsin citizens who watch Wisconsin Public Television, the documentary also grabbed the attention of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences by earning an Emmy nomination for the top documentary program in the Midwest. The winner will be announced at the formal awards ceremony this coming weekend, November 10 in Chicago.
“It’s a rare day when we get the chance to tell this kind of story on public television,” said Dan Bertalan, Director of the Into the Outdoors Education Network and producer of the film. “So no matter who takes home the Emmy that evening, our search for more sustainable land, water, and agricultural use will emerge as the real winners because of the social awakening that this film inspires.”
The Power to Reshape Perceptions
Searching for Sustainability is an unprecedented educational initiative that empowers people to “think critically for themselves” about how sustainability affects their environment and lives. The first production in the planned series, the 68-minute feature film explores how the ramifications of food production in Wisconsin impacts our environment and citizens. But of course these same things are happening on lands and waters across the nation. So this story actually relates to communities around the country.
This multi-level educational program is using the power of Emmy-winning regional broadcast television networks, film festivals, public screenings, college and high school science films along with companion educational curriculum to reshape public perceptions. You can watch or even download the 17 segments of the film here online, or order your DVDs near the top of this page both yourself and to share with others in helping awaken our sustainable sensibilities.
The initiative’s mass distribution program will be delivering this sustainability story to farms, households, policy makers, agencies, industries, classrooms and communities where it is projected to impact almost half the population of Wisconsin. In fact, Wisconsin Public Television has formally expressed, “...full interest and support in this new endeavor. There’s no doubt sustainability is critically important and is a topic of great interest to our audience. It has many layers and presents many issues. Your plan to approach the topic with a look back at history, explore present day issues and look ahead to the future, is an excellent approach that I’m sure will be both educational and captivating.”
Because of the growing momentum and reach of this program, please see the details of all the ways it will educate and impact the public about sustainability by clicking on this “Details of Searching for Sustainability” PDF or this “Impact Flow Chart” PDF.
How You Can Partner With Your Peers
If your personal or professional mission support public education about sustainability, then you should stand alongside the growing list of influential partners who are already supporting what you believe. Some of Wisconsin’s most prominent agencies, organizations, and corporations believe so strongly in the power of this program to improve the environmental quality of our lands, waters and lives, that they have already funded much of the program. But the initiative still needs help with distribution. So if you’re interested in financially supporting this effort to educate the public about sustainability, please email us. Or, if your organization would like to screen the film, also drop us an email.
UPDATES AND PROJECTIONS
As you can see from our supporting and distribution partners listed here, we’ve already built a powerful coalition for a successful public education initiative. Though it’s still growing, one key partner we’re missing from the list is you and your support to help reach our funding goal.
- Wisconsin Coastal Management Program
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
- University of Wisconsin Green Bay
- UW Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems
- Wisconsin Farmer’s Union
- Wisconsin Center For Environmental Education
- Northeast Wisconsin Technical College
- Glacierland Resource & Development Council
- Southwest Badger Resource & Development Council
- Michael Fields Agricultural Institute
- The Into the Outdoors Education Network
- Alliance for the Great Lakes
- The Aldo Leopold Foundation
- The River Alliance of Wisconsin
- Gathering Waters
- Grass Works
- Organic Valley
- Waseda Farms
- Oneida Nation of Wisconsin
- Midwest Organic & Sustainable Education Service
- ThedaCare
- NWTC Educational Foundation
- Hastings Mutual Insurance
- Applied Ecological Services
What makes this educational initiative so powerful is that we’ve more than tripled the projected public reach of the program by expanding our television broadcast from 1 to 7 million potential households. See details in the Detail Summary to view our expanded broadcast television coverage. Plus, we’ve also tripled the total content from 30 minutes to over 90 minutes total time of documentary and educational films, funded in part by the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Office for Coastal Management under the Coastal Zone Management Act, Grant # NA16NOS4190108. We’ve also expanded our educational distribution network with over 40 educational distributors, statewide, regionally and nationally, while harnessing the curriculum development strength of educational professionals. See the compounded broadcast television, educational distribution and classroom impact on the “Impact Flow Chart PDF”.
We’re pleased to announce that the entire film is completed and being aired on Wisconsin Public Television. Of course you can also get your expanded full “director’s cut” on DVD at the top of this page. Airtimes for Wisconsin Public Television Channels are:
- Earth Day Sepcial – Sunday, April 22 11:00 am on WPT
- Friday, April 27 1:00 pm on The Wisconsin Channel
- Sunday, April 29 4:00 am on The Wisconsin Channel
- Sunday, April 29 5:00 pm on The Wisconsin Channel
- Wednesday, May 2 4:00 am on The Wisconsin Channel
Although we’ve completed the production the film, distribution remains key to educating the public and the agricultural community about our search of sustainability. So now more than ever, the successful distribution of the film to the public depends heavily on your funding support, so please take a moment to email us today about your pledge. If your organization would like to screen the film, also drop us an email.