Announcing the SEC's Short Film on World Environment Day

As part of faith based actions for World Environment Day on June 5th, the Stewardship of the Environment Committee (SEC) in the Anglican Diocese of Montreal formally announced the making of a short environmentally themed film. This film tells the tale of Aya as she embarks on a fantastical cross-generational quest to redeem the sanctity and memory of her grandmother’s garden.

The SEC has chosen to make a film because we are looking to broaden our reach but even more importantly we aspire to reach people in a way that resonates and augurs action. We know that facts alone are not getting through to everyone and as we reviewed in the SEC's fifth quarterly report for Bishop Mary we believe that faith communities are in a unique position to address the environmental crises we face.

"I used to think that top environmental problems were biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and climate change. I thought that thirty years of good science could address these problems. I was wrong. The top environmental problems are selfishness, greed and apathy, and to deal with these we need a cultural and spiritual transformation. And we scientists don’t know how to do that."

 - Gus Speth, co-founder of the Natural Resources Defense Council and former dean of the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.

This film has been in the works for years and thanks to the involvement of Ashley Gilmour and her talented team we are pleased to announce that the project is finally coming to fruition. Ashley is a film editor and writer who has worked with the Anglican Diocese of Montreal.

Ashley has also written the documentary Daughters of the Voice which chronicles women from various religious traditions who overcome gender barriers to rediscover universal connection and harmony as they re-imagine the role of ancient sacred music in the modern world. She co-wrote A People's Soundtrack (PBS, 2019) the story of Montreal's Jewish cantors as they fight to preserve their beloved artform and she edited the short nature themed film Hannah & the Wolf.

As explained on Ashley's website:

"Our stories are delicate, and they ought to be told as such. The pace at which I work upholds steadiness, slowness, and mindfulness to help create films that reveal deeper and quieter truths, rather than hurried and loud generalities. The atmosphere of my creative process is just as important as the mood of my films. I aim to work alongside other artists who appreciate the fragility of the human spirit, the sanctity of life, and the sway of beauty. Kindled by a fascination with the human experience, the art of conversation, and rhythmic emotional landscapes, I edit and write documentaries, films, and client videos."

Ashley's creations have been screened on television and at film festivals and we are blessed to have her and her team working on our project. Over the coming months we will provide ongoing behind the scenes updates on the making of the film. Please stay tuned!

Click here to see the SEC's short film The Seed.

Related
Introducing the SEC's Eightfold Path of Environmental Action
Right Understanding: Knowing the facts about climate change
Right Thought: How we think about the natural world
Right Speech: Effective environmental communications
Right Action: Making smaller footprints
Right Works: Efforts that benefit the planet
Right Effort: Choosing a cause
Right Concentration: Staying focused on creation
Right Mindfulness: Managing ecological stress

Faith Based Actions for World Environment Day

On 5 June 2019, World Environment Day will be on the theme of air pollution— a call to action to combat one of the greatest environmental challenges of our time. Together we can #BeatAirPollution and faith based organizations around the world are invited to take part. Learn about the different types of air pollution and why they matter to you using this infographic. World Environment Day can be a platform for faith-based organizations to lead the fight for cleaner air and a better environment in ways that tie back to their belief systems. Discover how your faith-based organization can celebrate:

Here are some examples of actions faith-based organizations and faith leaders and followers can take:

• Houses of worship such as Mosques, Churches, Synagogues and Temples can use solar energy for electricity and to supply local communities with the surplus energy produced.
• Faith Leaders can use Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and other holy days to pray and preach on the individual actions worshippers can take to beat air pollution. Leaders can extract appropriate faith messages from sacred scripts connecting actions to pollution.
• Around 50 percent of schools are owned by faith-based organizations. Therefore, schools’ administrations could include air pollution and environmental literature within their curriculum, adopt renewable energy on campuses, install energy saving devices and motion-detected lights. Schools could also shift to using electric buses.
• Faith-based organizations own 5 percent of commercial forests on earth, which contribute to clean air for our planet.
• Faith leaders can encourage followers to plant more trees for every religious celebration they participate in or organize.
• Faith-based organizations can consider working with food suppliers with an ecological supply chain or who could distribute food to those in need that would otherwise be wasted.
• Faith practices such as the Lent, Ramadan and others, could be a time for faith-organizations to promote all yearlong sustainable practices and consumption.

In 2019, the end of the holy month of Ramadan is expected to fall on 5 June, coinciding with World Environment Day. The Quran tells us not only that we are the stewards of this Earth, but that we should not waste. This World Environment Day, let us all be faithful to the teachings of the Quran and do what we can to fight air pollution. Click here for suggestions on what you can do for Ramadan and Eid-Al-Fitr this World Environment Day.