Give up toilet paper to save the planet? No Impact Man Colin Beavan did just that!

Environmental chic is so everywhere, that it’s impossible to be truly environmentally conscious these days without going to extremes.

Case in point, one Colin Beavan, aka “No Impact Man.” You may remember him from a New York Times feature from last year called “The Year Without Toilet Paper.” The much-talked-about article recounted Beavan’s experiment in no-impact living, which entailed no public transportation, no elevators, and yes, no quilted-soft Charmin.

This Wednesday, September 2nd, don’t miss the chance to see No-Impact Man himself at the Film Society as he appears with the filmmakers behind a documentary about his ambitious experiment.

GREEN SCREENS PRESENTS: No Impact Man
Wednesday, September 2, 2009 at 6:30pm Buy tickets

Get inspired to ride during Bike Month at the Film Society!

Beginning on May 5th, the Film Society celebrates Bike Month with a special series of events including a screening of Veer, a bicycle documentary, plus panel discussion with green transportation advocates Scott Bricker, Bill DiPaola, Brendt Barbur, and reception afterward.

Then on May 13 at 6:30 PM, we bring you a free event, “The Blueprint for the Future of the Upper West Side,” a panel discussion focused on a bikeable, walkable, high-performance future for the Upper West Side.

Does the transit fare increase have you down? Join the legions of bike commuters during our FREE seminar on “Bike Commuting 101” on May 19th.

Plus, we’ve got some surprises in store for you, including a special feature for the filmlinc blog where our resident cyclists pick their favorite bicycle moments on film, and perhaps some exciting extras at the Veer screening. Stay tuned, and get ready to hop on that bike and ride to Lincoln Center.

Are you addicted to plastic? Find out on Tuesday night!

A lot has changed since Mr. McGuire told Benjamin Braddock “There’s a great future in plastics,” in a key scene in The Graduate. By putting something that used to be free–water–into handy portable plastic bottles, a multi-billion-dollar industry has sprung up. There’s a continent-sized island of disposable plastic bags floating in the ocean. While it’s true that plastics make many wonderful innovations possible–from aeronautics to whimsical Swedish furniture, it’s high time to examine our daily connection to plastic.

Join us on Tuesday for a presentation of Green Screens: Addicted to Plastic. As with all Green Screens presentations, price of admission not only includes an insightful doc or two, but also a panel discussion with key local experts and a reception afterwards for what’s sure to be a conversation-sparking evening.

You’ll never look at plastic the same way again.

Reminder! Environmental awareness and scrumptious salmon tonight, courtesy of Green Screens

Produced by Felt Soul Media and Trout Unlimited, Red Gold is a gripping look at worlds colliding in Alaska, those of family fishermen, corporate interests and environmentalists. This is one film you’ll want to watch before you dig into another bagel with smoked salmon.

Which leads me to remind you about the culinary pleasures you’ll enjoy after this illuminating film and panel discussion. Savoy chef Peter Hoffman will be on hand on hand after the screening and Q & A to serve up scrumptious salmon-centric snacks comprised of sustainable ingredients and wild salmon provided by Ocean Beauty.

Buy tickets: Tue Jan 6: 6:30

Photo courtesy of Felt Soul Media’s blog.

Fishermen, family business and corporations collide in Red Gold

Alaska and environmentalism are on the public’s radar more than ever thanks to the recent presidential race. But the issues affecting our northern neighbors are hardly limited to moose hunting and oil drilling. Produced by Felt Soul Media and Trout Unlimited, Red Gold tells the story of a group of small family-run fisheries trying to save their operation from the encroachment of a potentially extremely profitable gold and copper mine near the headwaters of the Bristol Bay watershed. It premieres at the Film Society of Lincoln Center on January 6th as a co-presentation of Green Screens and Independents Night.

The film takes in a wide range of perspectives from colorful local fishermen to corporate representatives, and paints a breathtaking picture of a point of conflict between small business and large, nature and man-made efficiency. “Red Gold is our attempt to give a face to the issue,” say the filmmakers, “and give a voice to the people of Bristol Bay who depend on this extraordinary fishery. We set out to create a different kind of environmental documentary—one that gives all sides a chance to be seen and heard.”

Red Gold is a film you’ll want to see before you take another bite of salmon, which is why it’s a good thing that we’ll have Savoy chef Peter Hoffman on hand on hand after the screening and Q & A to serve up scrumptious salmon-centric snacks comprised of sustainable ingredients and wild salmon provided by Ocean Beauty.

Buy tickets: Tue Jan 6: 6:30

Photo courtesy of Felt Soul Media’s blog.

The bounty of Green Screens

Missed this cornucopia of organic delights? Don’t worry, you can catch another scintillating Green Screens panel, this one on making film set more green, on Thursday night.

A cinematic horn of plenty: this Monday’s Green Screens

Enlightenment, great flicks and organic produce? How often can you get all three in one place?

Let Monday’s Green Screens presentation of Farming the Future and Homegrown show you what’s at stake in the the production of what’s on your plate. Afterward, have your organic apples and eat them too when actual Long Island farmers bring the bounty of their fields straight to you.

Buy tickets to see Green Screens: Farming the Future, Homegrown and The Fridge: Mon Nov 3: 6

Check out Homegrown’s official site.

Check out Farming the Future’s official site.

Three movies + a panel discussion + farm fresh produce? That’s this month’s Green Screens in an (organic) nutshell

Their cows were rGBH free--how 'bout yours?

New Yorkers clamor for hand-tilled morels and sustainably raised pork, beef and chicken, but can Long Island family farmers sate their hunger, stay green and also remain afloat?

You recycle, tote cloth bags, and carpool to work. But would you ever consider actually growing your own produce on your front lawn?

What is that green thing in the back of the fridge and is it actually…edible?

These are just a few of the questions raised by this month’s triple-threat edition of Green Screens. Not only will you be able to explore issues vital to foodies, locovores, and every inhabitant of Planet Earth, you can also stay for a panel that brings together both farmers and filmmakers for a bountiful discussion of all things green. Did we mention that a veritable horn of plenty of local organic produce will be available for sale after the screening? This is no average night at the movies, that’s for sure.

Buy tickets to see Farming the Future, Homegrown and The Fridge: Mon Nov 3: 6

BONUS: Check out Manny Howard’s adventure in micro-farming for New York magazine, in case you are tempted to turn your fire escape into a field of greens.

Check out Homegrown’s official site.

Check out Farming the Future’s official site.

The smell of napalm in the morning: war’s enviromental impact

Anyone who reads the newspaper is well-acquainted with the human toll of war, in terms of soldiers’ lives lost and civilian casualties. Harder to see is the hidden environmental impact of war. With Scarred Lands and Wounded Lives, filmmakers Alice Day and Lincoln Day demonstrate in a dramatic way why it’s easier to make war than clean up it’s devastating impact.

Through archival footage and eyewitness interviews, viewers will see:
•    How war’s byproducts, including radioactive contamination, oil spills, decimated forests and crops threaten the global ecosystem.
•    How conflicts ranging from high-tech bombings in Iraq to low-tech confrontations in Bosnia and the Sudan differ in their environmental impact.
•    How inadequate disposal of the weapons of war is an increasingly alarming problem.

“If we cannot eliminate war, we can at least require a fuller accounting of war’s costs and consequences,” say the filmmakers, “and demand that destructive forces used in our name leave a lighter footprint on this highly vulnerable planet.”

After the screening, join filmmakers Alice Day and Lincoln Day, plus Dr. Jeanne Mager Stellman, an environmental researcher with considerable expertise in Agent Orange and other military herbicides, for a panel discussion about issues raised by the film.

Scarred Lands and Wounded Lives is presented as a part of the Green Screens program, which presents environmental issues through the lens of a diverse group of filmmakers. Presented regularly throughout the year, each Green Screens presentation involves a panel discussion on issues of the utmost environmental concern with local experts. Past programs have tackled issues like global water issues, garbage disposal and alternative fuels. For more information, visit the Green Screens page at the Film Society of Lincoln Center.