Helping CU see green
The concluding Earth Day event organized by the CU Environmental Center was a series of short attention-span environmental films, which drew a crowd of faculty and community members Tuesday.
Ten short films ranging from two to 17 minutes long hit the screen in the Humanities building.
Environmental Center Associate Director Marianne Martin said the films were collaborated by Earthdance, an international environmental film festival.
“These short films are humorous and engaging; I hope you enjoy them,” Martin said.
Technical difficulties delayed show times but one short film was shown in its entirety before the DVD began to skip.
The film, entitled “Trial & Error,” was an adventure documentary directed by Bjorn Enga of Canada.
Renowned mountain biker Ryan Leech challenges the sport to the extreme on an incredibly difficult trail in the coastal mountains of British Columbia in the eight minute film.
The forest valley that he rides is a lush, green hideaway of the most unbelievable jumps and rails made completely out of tree logs and in some cases, branches.
Leech’s attitude for the special area and riding abilities are truly extraordinary in the short film.
Another short film, “Cheat Neutral,” features two British men who open an online business to offset infidelity, a concept derived from carbon off-setting, which is about paying for the right to carry on emitting carbon.
Directed by Beth Stratford of the United Kingdom, the film captures the unrealistic idea that cheating on your partner is ok if you pay Cheat Neutral a flat rate so they in turn, can pay someone else to be single and faithful.
The characters in “Cheat Neutral” make their point in this short film that like their relationship theory, carbon off-setting may not make sense either.
The audience was quite entertained by the 12 minute film.
Ariel Mamane, a Sophomore English major, said he thinks the analogy the British men made between cheating and carbon emissions is interesting and true.
“Cheat Neutral tries to make couples fell better and guilt-free about cheating while carbon off-setting tries to make it ok that we emit carbon, as long as we pay for it,” Mamane said.
The short films made the audience feel connected to and inspired by actively engaged individuals’ roles on the planet.
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Heather Koski at heather.koski@colorado.edu
