Category: Ecology

Activist Documentary Filmmaking for the United Nations, 2020

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The Wilfred Laurier Student Film Workshop 2020 produced eight mini-documentaries on climate change that were added to The Youth Climate Report.

The Student Life Levy program 2020-2021  “Activist Documentary Filmmaking for the United Nations” at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada saw eight students create mini-documentaries under the tutelage of Dr. Terry. All student films have been added to The Youth Climate Report GIS map in 2020. View the excellent efforts of the student filmmakers below:

The 2021 Planetary Health Film Lab Micro Film Festival

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Click here to watch the hour-long Planetary Health Film Lab Micro Film Festival featuring Canadian Indigenous Youth

This one-hour event showcased four short films made by Indigenous youth who participated in this year’s edition of The Planetary Health Film Lab, hosted by the Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research. Each film runs between three and seven minutes in length and profiles Indigenous perspectives, impacts, and solutions to planetary health issues in their communities. This event, hosted by the project coordinator and instructor, Dr. Mark Terry, took place remotely via Zoom, September 13th, 2021. All four films were screened consecutively with a question period with the filmmakers following the screenings. 

Indigenous Filmmakers participating in the 2021 Planetary Health Film Lab:

Serra Black from Yellowknife, North West Territories – Age 25 – ‘The Price of Gold’ (7:00 min.)

Emily McCallum, from Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, & Barrie, ON – Age 18 – ‘Will There Be Another Rainy Day?’ (3:05 min.)

 

Christopher Akiwenzie from Neyaashiinigmiing, Ontario – Age 25 – ‘Adikameg and Ice’ (4:10 min.)

Jessie Yakeleya from Tulita, North West Territories – Age 27 – ‘In the Future, That’s What’s Going to Happen, I Think’ (3:34 min.)

 

 
 
 

YCR Receives 2020 UN SDG Action Awards Honourable Mention

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2020 UN Sustainable Development Goals Action Awards honouring those who MOBILIZE, CONNECT and INSPIRE

The 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) to transform our world: GOAL 1: No Poverty  GOAL 2: Zero Hunger  GOAL 3: Good Health and Well-being  GOAL 4: Quality Education  GOAL 5: Gender Equality  GOAL 6: Clean Water and Sanitation  GOAL 7: Affordable and Clean Energy  GOAL 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth  GOAL 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure  GOAL 10: Reduced Inequality  GOAL 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities  GOAL 12: Responsible Consumption and Production  GOAL 13: Climate Action  GOAL 14: Life Below Water  GOAL 15: Life on Land  GOAL 16: Peace and Justice Strong Institutions  GOAL 17: Partnerships to achieve the Goal

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Action Awards acknowledge initiatives demonstrating significant impact, creativity, innovation, and replicability. In December of 2020, the UN SDG Action Award finalists were announced after over 800 projects were submitted. In January of 2021, those also making notable contributions, but ineligible for the award due to Government and/or United Nation affiliations, receive ‘Honourable Mentions’.  Watch Video

Honourable Mentions of the 2020 UN SDG Action Awards, which salute some of the “most transformative and impactful initiatives of 2020”, include:

Mobilizing youth to report on climate through the power of film 

The Youth Climate Report mobilizes under-represented youth to share their stories about climate using film and digital mapping technology. Over 450 films have been produced, of which 60 have been screened at several COP’s. Dr. Mark Terry first created and introduced this GIS Map project to the United Nations Environment Programme in 2011. It is an evolving, multilinear, data delivery system to which students from around the world have contributed three-minute videos highlighting environmental issues in their community or country. Dr. Terry and the UNEP curate each video to ensure it meets the criteria of tackling that year’s one of two choices of environmental subjects on which to base their mini film. Dr. Terry is the first Canadian to receive such an honour from the SDG Action Awards and we hope to see more spotlighted for their efforts. See the ‘Happening To Us’ Trailer

Utilizing the latest app technology to increase SDG awareness and accelerate progress through individual acts of change

Samsung’s Global Goals app highlights how simple actions can build a more sustainable future for all. This app helps to increase awareness of the 17 Global Goals and their progress through individuals doing their part. The education and donation-based app connects millions of users to critical information about each of the Goals and how to easily make a difference. It is innovation and inspiration and a supportive atmosphere at your fingertips and has been downloaded to over 80 million Galaxy smartphones worldwide.

Making the Goals more accessible and relatable to people everywhere through creative media campaigns

The hit song ‘Let Me Be The One’ attached to the Be the One Campaign has reached over 21 million people. The leadership training program has been delivered to over 9,500 change-makers in 156 countries. “Making the Sustainable Development Goals more accessible, easy to understand, and relatable to people and organizations around the world has been a priority since their conception. Be The One campaign leverages creative media and partners up with artists and celebrities, in under-represented parts of the world, to shift the narrative and inspire localized ownership of the SDGs, globally.”

Driving SDG action through global sequential storytelling campaigns on YouTube

YouTube partnered with Tribeca Enterprises, the UN, creative agencies and filmmakers to develop Change the Sequence, raising awareness and action for the Global Goals by building impactful sequential storytelling campaigns on YouTube. With over 37 million views, this initiative demonstrates how brands are able to use creativity to build more equitable, sustainable, and inclusive societies. These effective global campaigns helped increase new visits to the site by 80% and traffic to the United Nations’ Global Goals website by 120% year-over-year.

 

 UN SDG Action Campaign,    Facebook,    Twitter,    Instagram,    LinkedIn,   Youtube

The 2020 SDG Global Festival of Action awards ceremony will be available on a virtual basis from March 25th to 26th, 2021.

We can all do our part to MOBILIZE, CONNECT and INSPIRE!

‘The Eden Magazine’ features Dr. Mark Terry, Jan. 2021

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'The Eden Magazine' features Dr. Mark Terry, Jan. 2021The Eden Magazine features Dr. Mark Terry in its January 2021 issue highlighting his work as an explorer, filmmaker, scholar, journalist, and author.  The magazine focuses on issues that are significant to all people on the planet and the general ecology and health of the planet. It is firmly grounded in what we need to do to make life better for all of us. They state that: “Eden Magazine’s goal is to promote inner change, and thoughts through educational tools to acquaint us with our world.”  Just as Dr. Terry reaches millions of people through film and video, this international environmental publication has over 2,000,000 print version subscribers just in America and reaches many more worldwide via various media. Both Dr. Terry and The Eden Magazine share stories and regarding climate change and the environment and what we need to do to adapt to this and to change our behaviours to improve the ecology of the planet and our lives.

Dr. Mark Terry in the Dominican Republic with plastic riverIn this feature article, many photographs are shared along with Dr. Terry’s answers to questions regarding himself and his career, various projects he has embraced, exploring different regions of the world, working as a documentary filmmaker which lead to working with the UN and supplying policymakers with film projects as well as his evolving documentary project entitled ‘The Youth Climate Report’. Dr. Terry also discusses teaching, writing the books, The Geo-Doc: Geomedia, Documentary Film, and Social Change, and Pandemic Poetry in 2020, and upcoming endeavours for 2021.

Read the entire article on MagCloud‘s site. You can also view many more archived editions featuring really interesting articles by visiting The Eden Magazine website.

Google Earth Outreach

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Google Earth Outreach shares information with a comprehensive spatial view.

Google Earth Outreach is facilitating many amazing advances in GIS mapping. It allows non-profits and international and local organizations a platform in which to share with the world spatial information, details, links, etc. regarding causes, stories, developments, educational streams, and more on a practical, visual, and sometimes quantitive level.

Google Earth Outreach – Special Projects:   Oceans  ~  Climate  ~  Air-quality  ~  Conservation

View the ‘Google Earth Outreach in Canada‘ which highlights sample maps of:

  • ‘Caribou Migration’ by Golder Associates Ltd & Hugh Stimson
  • ‘I Am Fish’ by the David Suzuki Foundation
  • ‘Canada’s Boreal, the World’s Largest Intact Forest’ by Pew Environment Group
  • ‘Voices on the Land’ by Okanagan Nation Alliance, Gregory Kehm Associates & Ecotrust Canada
  • ‘Oil & Water Map’ by the Living Oceans Society
  • ‘Natural Capital’ by the David Suzuki Foundation

The possibilities for GIS maps are endless, as viewed in the videos found on the Google Earth Outreach Website. It is a fabulous way to share information quickly, visually, and will an instant overview of the spatial and social effects countries or areas are experiencing. Sharing information will never be the same as our global community becomes more and more connected. Let’s see what inspiring endeavours arise next in the evolving world of data delivery.

Google Earth Outreach – Changing the World with Maps

The possibilities for GIS maps are endless, as viewed in the video below, found on the Google Earth Outreach Website. It is a fabulous way to share information quickly, visually, and will an instant overview of the spatial and social effects countries or areas are experiencing. Sharing information will never be the same as our global community becomes more and more connected.

You can make your own GIS map to share locations and vital data regarding your cause or organization. Start building a map to represent relevant data just as the fine examples below did. Many groups employ Google Earth, Google Earth Engine, Google Tour Builder, and Google Street View to zoom in and out on areas to tell the story and complete the visual picture. This is particularly useful when documented land and water changes.

 Google Earth Outreach MapsLiving Oceans create several maps designed to teach the public about issues, protect and manage marine life, and more.

Jane Goodall and like-minded people are using Google Open Source to help track the number and save the remaining chimpanzees in Africa. See more on their work. Another fine example is Mapping forests to Save Sumatra – WWF – Eyes on the Forest.

Google Earth Outreach – Sucess Stories – ‘Get Inspired’

Below are just some of the titles that represent stories, projects, issues, solutions relating to a variety of social and environmental, educational, developmental bases. Many of the films’ messages are enhanced by employing Geographic Information System maps to help tell the story and present the data more effectively.

See more stories.