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What is your 1 thing?

  • Jun 11, 2016
  • /
  • Blog


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Reel Causes Film Society would like to extend a big thank you to everyone who came out to our screening of Racing Extinction on May 26th. We had a wonderful turnout for the evening and some special guests that included our youth council who created an interactive poster to start a great conversation about change.

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Alexandra Barron from CPAWS, our community partner, kicked off the event with a very compelling slideshow about ocean area preservation in British Columbia.

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Racing Extinction, our film for the night, explores several causes of species extinction including human activity: our food supply, global warming and the illegal wildlife trade. The film wraps up with an inspiring message #startwith1thing and a clear call to action. After the film there was a lively and informative Q&A with Gina Papabeis who co-produced Racing Extinction created by OPS (Oceanic Preservation Society), creators of The Cove.

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The night had an amazing impact on many of our audience members, and some were definitely inspired to start making changes right away. We caught up with Mike who was particularly moved by the message the film carries, and asked him a few questions about what he learned and the changes he’s making.

What storyline inspired or affected you the most?

The story of the last male bird of it’s species who was singing it’s call and response song to it’s mate but never hearing the answer. Now even his song is forever silent and actually being able to hear the audio recording of that song was such a privilege. It was powerful to see how much this story affected the professor who was telling it and as a member of the audience I got choked up with him.

Was there a particular moment in the film where something clicked and you decided to make some changes in your own habits?

At the end of the film I still felt overly daunted by what I could do to make a realistic impact.I’ve taken an interest in urban gardening/bee keeping. I’m just starting to  look into the subject really but I donated to Hives for Humanity. I became a member of BCSEA – BC Sustainable Energy Association and attended their conference last Friday. I am looking for ways to have a greater impact and to become more aware and spread the word. I also encourage others to eat less meat and I have a few friends who have gone vegan upon learning that I have.

What changes have you made since seeing the film? Are there any more you still plan to make?

My biggest concern now has become plastic! Plastic is EVERYWHERE and all of the plastic that has been created still exists. I would really love to live a plastic-free life but it’s truly difficult. This is my next goal and I’m looking into ways to minimize my usage. I would certainly be interested in advocating the use of plant based materials, like hemp, for industrial and manufacturing purposes.

Vancouver has an action plan to become the greenest city on the world by 2020. How do you feel its efforts compare to other places you’ve lived and what do you think about this goal?

Vancouver is probably the best city in which I have lived for recycling. The studio where I work recycles everything — including Styrofoam! I was encouraged by some of the planning that I heard at the BCSEA conference concerning renewable energy, particularly solar projects and if Vancouver can achieve it’s goal of being the greenest city in the world by 2020 I would be even more proud to be one of it’s citizens.
We were inspired to see how much this event motivated Mike and many others. Check back for more events like this in the future and #startwith1thing!

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About Reel Causes Society

Reel Causes partners with filmmakers and Canadian causes dedicated to addressing global social justice issues. We host film screenings followed by a Q&A session to educate and inspire our community, and provide a forum for authentic conversation aroundF the issues that affect us locally.

City of Vancouver
BC Arts Council
Canada Council for the Arts
SFU's Vancity Office of Community  Engagement
Consumer Protection BC