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Robeson County, NC is home to the Lumbee Tribe, the largest non-reservation tribe in the country. It’s also the proposed endpoint of a new natural gas pipeline, a dangerous coal ash impoundment, and a proposed chicken processing plant slated to be built at the intersection of three important wetland areas. A new organization, EcoRobeson, was established after an Environmental Summit was held in Pembroke in late 2015. The group, comprised of Lumbee tribal members and concerned residents in the area, is working to resist these destructive plans and re-imagine a future for the region that is both economically just and ecologically sustainable. Working Films and Storyline partnered with EcoRobeson to bring the Water Warriors photo exhibit to the Lumbee Powwow, the Dance of the Spring Moon. Water Warriors documents the native Mi'kmaq Nation in New Brunswick Canada, who resisted attempts by a Texas energy company to drill for natural gas on their land. Our partners at EcoRobeson were eager to use Water Warriors to demonstrate that resistance is possible, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable opposition. The Lumbee Spring Powwow is a gathering where people from Robeson County and other tribes from around the country gather for a traditional native dancing competition. The powwow included traditional Native American food, arts, crafts, singing, music and dance, along with the centerpiece dance and drum competitions.  Over 100 youth, young families, and elders viewed the photos and listened to audio recordings of the captions, learning more about the dangers of fracking and the organizing tactics that can be used to resist it. A few visitors mentioned hearing about the struggle in New Brunswick and said that the Water Warriors’ exhibit better illustrated what they’d seen in the news. Our partners at EcoRobeson, who presented the exhibit, wanted to educate their neighbors about environmental issues in their community and increase their base of active supporters. We encouraged participants to join EcoRobeson and sign a petition opposing the construction of the natural gas pipeline. The pipeline is slated to be built on an elders land that could be taken by eminent domain. The group’s next step will be to hold a public hearing on the proposed plan. All of those who signed up will be invited to participate in the hearing and other upcoming events. EcoRobeson organizers were impressed by the impact Water Warriors had, and are eager to bring bring it back to the Lumbee Homecoming in Summer 2016. We are in conversation about starting an ongoing film series in Robeson County featuring environmental justice themed films.

Just before the second anniversary of the Dan River coal ash spill, the NC Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) held public hearings on basin closures across the state. At the center of the public comment period, and a series of hearings across the state, was determining the priority for closure among the 14 Duke Energy owned coal ash sites. The final rankings will determine both the closure clean-up process and a closure deadline. To inform residents and involve them in the DEQ public comment period, Working Films organized six Coal Ash Stories events in towns and cities where the hearings will be held: Shelby, Goldsboro, Salisbury, Charlotte, Winston Salem, and Walnut Cove. We teamed up with Appalachian Voices, Clean Water for North Carolina and NC Warn to plan the tour. We also partnered with community based partners in each location, including Broad Riverkeeper, French Broad Riverkeeper, Down East Coal Ash Coalition, Yadkin Riverkeeper, Central Piedmont Sierra Club, Catawba Riverkeeper, Temple Emanuel Environmental Movement, and Residents for Coal Ash Cleanup. [caption id="attachment_4253" align="alignnone" width="723"] Katie Hicks, with Clean Water For North Carolina introduces the films in Shelby. Photo credit: Casey White.[/caption] The events provided a catalyst for audiences to write comments and receive information about the upcoming hearings. The screenings were also an opportunity to talk with neighbors, issue experts, and advocates about how to get involved in ongoing efforts to protect their communities. The tour happened at a critical time for citizens to speak out for a transparent, swift, and protective plan to safely store coal ash and ensure safe drinking water for neighbors of coal ash sites. This was the first and only opportunity for direct public input on the fate of Duke’s NC coal ash basins. [caption id="attachment_4254" align="alignnone" width="691"] Packed house for the Charlotte screening! Photo credit: Britten Cleveland.[/caption] Britten Cleveland, organizer with Central Piedmont Sierra Club, one of the local hosts of the Charlotte screenings, said, "The event was great! It was such an amazing show of teamwork. We had dozens of people take action, or commit to taking action (attend hearings and phone bank).” For more info on the tour, check out this great coverage from the Shelby screening, which features quotes from concerned community members.    

A NATIONAL CONFERENCE CALL ON 5/16 WILL CONVENE SOLAR INDUSTRY LEADERS TO REFLECT AND PROJECT A VISION FOR A CLEAN ENERGY FUTURE   Directed by Shalini Kantayya and executive produced by Leonardo DiCaprio, Adrien Grenier, and Mark Ruffalo, Catching The Sun is a new documentary film that follows this story and celebrates the potential of solar to lead us all to a clean energy future.   WATCH CATCHING THE SUN and join us for an intimate conversation with filmmaker Shalini Kantayya, the Solar Energy Industry Association (SEIA) President and CEO Rhone Resch, and President of General Capital, Jigar Shah. We'll talk about the film and the future of solar power in the wake of the passage of the solar Investment Tax Credit and the solar community’s successful #MillionSolarStrong campaign.   DATE: Monday, May 16, 2016 TIME: 5pm EST WATCH: catchingthesun.tv REGISTER TO JOIN THE CALL: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5792679528794832898 Submit your questions live, and in advance to catchingthesunmovie@gmail.com   The conference call will feature: Rhone Resch is the President and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the national trade organization for America’s solar energy industry. During his 12-year tenure at SEIA, solar has experienced record-breaking growth, becoming one of the fastest-growing industries in the United States with more than 8,000 companies and more than 209,000 employees. As the head of SEIA – and the person responsible for all federal and state advocacy on behalf of the $16.3 billion U.S. solar energy industry – Rhone helped to create the 30 percent solar investment tax credit, the 1603 Treasury Program, and scores of other forward-looking federal and state policies that have put solar on its massive growth trajectory. Jigar Shah is the President and Co-Founder of Generate Capital. Jigar was the founder and CEO of SunEdison (NASDAQ: SUNE), where he pioneered “no money down solar” and unlocked a multi-billion-dollar solar market, creating the largest solar services company worldwide. He is the author ofCreating Climate Wealth: Unlocking the Impact Economy. After SunEdison, Jigar served as the founding CEO of the Carbon War Room, a global non-profit founded by Sir Richard Branson and Virgin Unite to help entrepreneurs address climate change. Jigar’s vision is that business model innovation will have an outsized impact on bringing about the next productivity revolution – resource efficiency. Jigar is committed to helping entrepreneurs and large companies alike implement resource efficiency solutions using “no money down” project finance models. Shalini Kantayya finished in the top 10 out of 12,000 filmmakers on Fox’s ON THE LOT, a show by Steven Spielberg in search of Hollywood’s next great director. Her sci-fi film, a DROP of LIFE, was broadcast on national television in the U.S. and India, and used to advocate for water rights in forty villages across Africa. A William J. Fulbright Scholar, Shalini has received recognition from the Sundance Documentary Program, IFP Spotlight on Documentary, Firelight Media Lab, New York Women in Film and Television, and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. She is a Sundance Fellow, a TED Fellow, and a finalist for the ABC Disney | DGA Directing Fellowship. Her debut feature, Catching the Sun, premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival. Join us and spread the word Post to social media with the hastags #sundoc and #millionsolarstrong Sample posts: Solar Stars shine on #Sundoc 5/16 - national conference call w @RhoneResch @jigarshah @Shalinikantayya http://bit.ly/1TLvrsZ Celebrate #MillionSolarStrong - join the #Sundoc national conference call https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5792679528794832898

Meet Adam. He’s an organizer with SOCM, a grassroots group that empowers Tennesseans to fight for environmental, economic and social justice. He’s one of more than 200 advocates Working Films has supported this year through our film campaigns in target states. As 2015 comes to a close we’re asking you to donate so we can support even more activists next year. Adam works in Kingston, the site of the largest coal ash spill in history. Earlier this year the same company responsible for the catastrophe wanted to expand the storage facility there – adding more toxic waste. Community members and organizers like Adam were outraged. The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) and the company were trying to silence dissent by bypassing opportunities for public comment. That’s where Working Films came in. We worked with SOCM to bring a compilation of short films called Coal Ash Stories to Tennessee. Kingston was the first stop of a five city tour across the state. Adam said, “It was the most people we’ve seen in a room to talk about these issues since the spill in 2008.” The turnout and voices of concerned residents made a difference to the TDEC representatives that attended the screening. The event resulted in commitments from TDEC to ensure public input is a part of the process going forward. Adam and other organizers tell us that our film campaigns are bringing their organizations into deeper working relationships with each other, helping them gain new members and supporters, and providing a platform for audiences to take meaningful action. Now we’re asking for your support so that we can resource more organizers in states across the U.S. in 2016. Please donate today! Happy New Year from the Working Films team!

The series will launch in North Carolina, which lifted a moratorium on fracking last year. Events will take place across the state from mid-May to mid-June in Asheville, Durham, Fayetteville, Pembroke, Raleigh, Reidsville, Salisbury, Wadesboro, Wilmington, Pittsboro, and Winston Salem. A full schedule is listed below. [caption id="attachment_3469" align="aligncenter" width="447"] Film still from Dr. Theo Colborn, one of the 6 shorts in Fracking Stories shows a drilling site less than 150 feet from an elementary school.[/caption]

  Fifty-five years worth of coal ash waste adds up - to over two billion gallons.  And that is what is stored in several coal ash ponds surrounding Tennessee Valley Authorities’ (TVA) Gallatin coal fired power plant. For decades, these ponds have been leaking toxic chemicals into nearby groundwater, threatening public health. Many area residents and environmental groups blame this on The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation’s (TDEC) weak and unenforced standards. A recent investigation revealed that TVA wanted TDEC to step in to file a lawsuit, in order to block environmental organizations from doing so. With TDEC’s track record of inaction, it’s not hard to see why. In a score for TVA, this lawsuit moves the case out of federal court, and into state court, where fines are lower -$10,000 per day. In federal court, the fines per day could have been up to $37,500. If this tactic sounds familiar to you, you’re not alone. Just last year, an investigation found a series of internal emails between Duke Energy and NC state regulators in communication after environmental groups threatened to sue in January of 2013. The state stepped in to sue, halting these attempts. Less than a month later, a Duke Energy plant in Eden, NC spilled millions of gallons of coal ash into the Dan River. Now Statewide Organizing for Community eMpowerment (SOCM), The Tennessee Sierra Club, Climate Nashville, Ecogal – The Curious Consumer, and Physicians for Social Responsibility have joined with Working Films to bring Coal Ash Stories to Gallatin. The event will offer information and engage local residents in conversation and action to address the continuing impact of TVA’s coal ash landfill, the recent lawsuit filed by the state against TVA, and what it means for the future of the Gallatin community. This event follows a similar community forum held in Kingston in February. That event resulted in on-going, open discussion with TDEC, and opened the door for Kingston community members to have a say in how TDEC approaches future public hearings and comment periods on the TVA coal ash issues affecting them. The Gallatin event will be held in The Palace Theater on March 25th and begin at 6:30pm CST. Admission is free and open to the public.

 

Missouri is home to twenty-one coal fired power plants, most of which are in vulnerable floodplains and along our nation’s two largest rivers – the Missouri and the Mississippi. These plants produce 2.68 million tons of coal waste per year ranking the state 16^th in the nation for the production of coal waste. Many in Missouri are not happy with the way state regulatory agencies are handling this waste. In December 2014, the federal EPA released coal ash rules which provide guidance and regulatory language for states to adopt and enforce. “Our attention to this issue is critical - now that the federal EPA has left the enforcement of the coal ash rule in our hands. We must get Missouri Department of Natural Resources to adopt the federal guidelines and agree to enforce them in all cases if we are to protect Missouri communities and our valuable water resources. ” says Patricia Schuba of Labadie Environmental Organization. They are one of eleven organizations partnering with Working Films to present a statewide tour of Coal Ash Stories taking place March 12 – 19^th. Coal Ash Stories events will pair four short films with a discussion led by those who have worked on, and are impacted by the issue in Missouri. Rhiannon Fionn, filmmaker and creator of the documentary-in-progress Coal Ash Chronicles, will be at each of the screenings. One of the films being screened features Joe Grohs of Festus, Missouri (pictured below), commenting on an EPA damage case in Crystal City: “…behind me and beyond the lake used by kids for fishing is 140,000 tons of coal waste that has leached toxins into the lake. After hearings, meetings and lots of talk, they have decided to leave the waste in place. The ash is toxic and now the lake is toxic. This needless situation could have been avoided if the state only monitored utilities and enforced sound regulations.” If you’re in Columbia, Springfield, Kansas City, Jefferson City, Union, or Kirkwood please join us for Coal Ash Stories and spread the word! Details below: Columbia Thursday, March 12, 7:30pm: Strickland Hall, Room 113 University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211. Hosted by: Labadie Environmental Organization (LEO), Osage Group/Missouri Sierra Club, Mizzou Energy Action Coalition, Mid-Missouri Peaceworks, and Missourians for Safe Energy Springfield Sunday March 15, 7pm: Moxie Cinema, 305 S Campbell, Suite 101, Springfield, Missouri 65806
. Hosted by Labadie Environmental Organization (LEO), White River Group/Missouri Sierra Club. Kansas City Monday, March 16, 7pm: Westport CoffeeHouse
, 4010, Pennsylvania Ave. Kansas City, MO 64111. Hosted by Labadie Environmental Organization (LEO), Thomas Hart Benton Group/Missouri Sierra Club, and The Little Blue River Watershed Coalition. Jefferson City Tuesday, March 17, 7pm: Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Jefferson City, 1021 Northeast Drive, Jefferson City, MO 65109. Hosted by Labadie Environmental Organization (LEO), Osage Group/Missouri Sierra Club, Show Me Solar, and The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Jefferson City. Union Wednesday, March 18, 7pm: East Central College, Health and Science Building, Room 100, 1964 Prairie Dell Road, Union, MO 63084. Hosted by Labadie Environmental Organization (LEO), Eastern Missouri Group/Missouri Sierra Club, and the East Central College Green Committee. Kirkwood Thursday, March 19, 7pm: Franciscan Sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Film Night 335 South Kirkwood Rd, St. Louis, MO 63122. Hosted by Labadie Environmental Organization (LEO), Eastern Missouri Group/Missouri Sierra Club, Franciscan Sister of Our Lady of Perpetual Help    

Working Films' co-director, Molly Murphy will present as part of the Media Impact Tools Showcase: Meet the Experts panel at the CSMI's 11th annual Media that Matters conference. Check out CMSI's interview with her for a glimpse of what she'll cover: 1. WHAT DO YOU DO? HOW IS YOUR WORK BREAKING NEW GROUND? I co-direct Working Films, a fifteen-year-old national nonprofit that uses documentary media to advance social justice and environmental sustainability. We broker strategic partnerships between filmmakers, nonprofits, and issue experts so that every time a viewer asks, “What Can I Do?” we have an answer. We utilize documentary storytelling to build community participation in issues that impact people's lives. We support coalition building by designing and coordinating collaborative film initiatives that deepen the relationships among organizations within and across issue areas. We also offer training and technical assistance to nonprofits and issue leaders to increase their capacity to use films and interactive documentary media to reach their goals. Right now, Working Films is focused on using story-driven films and interactive media to advance organizing for solutions to climate change, dirty energy practices, and economic inequality. As states have increasingly become the battlegrounds for social and environmental issues, we have started using documentaries to strengthen civic engagement at the state and local-level. In just the last year, we’ve partnered with more than a hundred organizations to launch collaborative community engagement campaigns in North Carolina, Maine, Texas, and Tennessee. We are now starting to replicate the best practices we’ve gleaned from these efforts as we expand our work to many other states this year. In each state in which we’ve worked we we’ve contributed to a shift in nonprofits’ and grassroots organizations’ perception of what documentary film and participatory art can accomplish. Through our trainings, strategy convenings, technical assistance, and events, organizations are increasing their commitment to film as a critical component in their communications and advocacy toolbox. 2. HOW DID YOU GET WHERE YOU ARE? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE IN THE PAST? I joined Working Films in the summer of 2001. I was in Sarajevo, Bosnia when I received the job announcement and came back to the town where I'd recently graduated college to take the first full time staff position alongside our late founding director, Robert West. My background before joining Working Films was in campus and community organizing. I used films to interest and involve people in issues of economic and criminal injustice, and to bring together diverse sectors of a deeply segregated southern community. In my time at Working Films, I have served as outreach coordinator, engagement coordinator (when that term replaced “outreach”), director of community initiatives, deputy director, and now co-director. 3. WHAT CURRENT OR FUTURE PROJECTS DO YOU WANT TO TELL PEOPLE ABOUT? Working Films’ primary programmatic initiative is Reel Engagement, which positions award-winning documentary media in target states across the U.S. to address major issues of our time. As I mentioned above, we are focusing on advancing solutions to climate change, dirty energy practices, and economic inequality. We are working in states where these issues are at a tipping point, where there is potential to reach beyond “the choir”, and where efforts can provide innovative models for change across the nation. Working Films recently started using short form documentaries. We’ve found that shorter lengths offer more time for face-to-face information sharing, discussion, and action when the lights come up. We’ve also begun working with multi-media installations that fuse documentaries and visual art. The art adds another point of entry and more dynamic ways for viewers to interact. Coal Ash Stories represents our first foray into shorts. We responded to the Duke Energy coal ash spill in the Dan River in North Carolina by identifying four short films that have been paired with issue and policy experts in cities and towns around the state to educate residents and draw public and political attention to the toxic impact of the disaster. Now Coal Ash Stories is expanding to Tennessee, Missouri, and Florida. We have started pairing the series with NYC based artist Greg Lindquist’s Smoke & Water: A Living Painting installation. We are finalizing another series of shorts about energy extraction that will be used in target states. And we will work with Michael Premo and Andrew Stern’s Water Warriors multi-media exhibition this spring to engage communities threatened by fracking. We will also be expanding our economic justice efforts this year, with a focus on supporting organizing by low wage workers, addressing the racial wealth divide, and advancing a clean energy economy. 4. WHAT DO YOU THINK MAKES MEDIA A POWERFUL TOOL FOR SOCIAL CHANGE? Very simply, visual media can express things that words can’t. Films and interactive media are a resource for building public understating of issues and empathy among viewers who otherwise might not relate to situations of critical social and environmental importance. Documentaries offer a convening point for communities to come together with each other, and with issue leaders, to build solutions. Our belief in media as a powerful tool for change has been reinforced by the outcomes of our efforts over the years – from the introduction of a new line of carpeting as a result of industry leaders viewing Blue Vinyl, to the significant rise in public opposition to fracking in North Carolina and Texas where we have worked extensively with the films Gasland 2 and Split Estate. Just a few months ago a new grassroots organization was formed by participants who came to a Coal Ash Stories event in an area threated by waste storage pollution. Our partner organizations credit our work for building their base of support, deepening their connections with allies, and driving them towards their goals. 5. WHAT CONNECTIONS DO YOU HOPE TO MAKE AT THE MEDIA THAT MATTERS CONFERENCE? WHAT CAN THE AUDIENCE EXPECT TO LEARN FROM YOU? I’m excited to connect with other people who are passionate about using documentaries for change. I’m very interested to explore how Working Films fits in to current conversations about impact assessment, which often center on the use of one media project. We use many documentaries within multi-year, issue-driven initiatives, and we develop our tracking processes and evaluation tools based on specific goals and desired outcomes that vary depending on where we are working and with whom we are partnering. The audience can expect to learn more about Working Films’ approach, which is deeply rooted in collaboration and a belief that lasting change happens from the ground up. 6. ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANT TO ADD? You can find out more about Working Films on our website: www.workingfilms.org, and social media www.facebook.com/workingfilms and on twitter @workingfilms.