There are 80,000 chemicals circulating in our environment. Only 5 have been banned, even though mountains of scientific evidence show just how vulnerable we are to most of the chemicals we encounter. Cancer. Learning disabilities. Birth defects. More and more proof exists that there is a link between these illnesses that ruin our lives and the chemicals we’re exposed to on a daily basis.

“The Human Experiment,” a stunning new film executive produced by Oscar-winner Sean Penn, promises to “life the veil on the shocking reality that thousands of untested chemicals are in our everyday products, our homes and inside of us.”

The film tells the personal stories of people who believe their lives have been affected by chemicals they encounter in every day life. The compelling narrative also takes viewers “to the front lines” as activists for a safer, healthier world go head-to-head with the powerful and well-funded chemical industry.

Through this movie, the activists bring to light a corrupt system that’s been hidden from consumers…until now. It also suggests ways each and everyone of us can fight back – with a message that’s near and dear to our Big Green Purse heart. By shifting our spending to the greenest products and services available, we can protect ourselves and our families, and send a powerful message to corporations that if they don’t clean up their act and phase out the use of toxic chemicals, they can count us out as customers.

“The Human Experiment” will available online starting April 17. It is also being shown in select theaters nationwide. You can order your own copy or take in a viewing here.

It’s definitely a “Don’t Miss!”

(Many thanks to Rachel Sarnoff at MommyGreenest for giving me the heads-up on this!)

The post Important New Film “The Human Experiment” Exposes Health Risks From Chemicals appeared first on Big Green Purse.

PLUS animation so vibrant and lively you’ll feel like you’re defending the forest, too –  rather than watching it unfold in 3-D.

That’s EPIC in a nutshell, a fantastic eco-blockbuster opening Memorial Day weekend. Thanks to Team ENERGY STAR, I was invited to attend the movie’s star-studded “green carpet” premiere in New York City – along with several of the celebrities who voiced the movie’s characters. Team ENERGY STAR hopes EPIC raises awareness about the importance of protecting the planet and stopping climate change, especially among kids.

EPIC puts it in a bigger context: of good vs evil,the need to safeguard the natural systems that protect life on Earth, and the importance of working together to make a difference. Says Ronin, the Leaf Men’s leader, “We’re all leaves on the same tree.” In other words, as individual as each and everyone of us is, we’re all living on the same planet. If we don’t protect it, who will?

But back to the celebrities. Before we get to the names you’ll recognize (hint hint: Amanda Seyfried, Colin Farrell, Aziz Ansari…), here’s a photo of the people who are the real stars to us green moms who were in the audience: the kids for whom the movie was made.

Though I left my children at home, several of the moms who attended the premiere with me had their kids in tow. Not to be outdone by our offspring, here we all are on our way in to the theater (from left: Lori of Groovy Green Livin, Shane of Environmental Booty, Tiffany of Nature Moms, me, and Leigh of Green4U.)

Said Lori, “The movie grabbed me from the start. The imagery was breathtaking-enhanced by 3D glasses. My boys were sitting in front of me and they didn’t move from beginning to end…One line I heard during the movie that hit home was “We all have the power to make a difference.” I have to agree!

Shane was captivated by the sheer awesomeness of the animation. “From the very first scene, I could tell that it was something different.  Throughout the entire movie, I just kept thinking to myself that the 3D imagery was so beautiful. That beautiful imagery, mixed with the soundtrack and many surprising action sequences, makes Epic the perfect, can’t miss, family movie.”

Leigh agreed that “EPIC The Movie is Epic! … it is like nothing you have ever seen before. The forest came alive in the scene and you were taken into the world that we live near all the time but never saw quite the this way in a movie. Epic is visually amazing but it also tells a great story.”

Tiffany captured everyone’s enthusiasm in her review: “I absolutely ADORED this movie,” she raved. “I laughed, I cried, and I was mesmerized by the images and story. My daughter loved it as well and is saying it is her second favorite movie of all time (after Wreck it Ralph). I don’t think I have ever seen a more beautiful animated movie actually. Blue Sky Studios and director Chris Wedge did a fantastic job creating a fantasy world hidden within our own world.”

Speaking of the director, after the premiere, we bloggers had a chance to sit down with him and some of the film’s stars, including Amanda Seyfried, the voice of M.K., the runaway girl turned heroine; Colin Farrell, who plays Ronin, the leader of the Leaf Men; and Aziz Ansari and Chris O’Dowd, the hilarious voices behind the snail and the slug. (Colin Farrell is 4th from left; Amanda Seyfried is the blonde next to him; I’m third from right in back row, with director Chris Wedge, the tall man in the blue shirt on the end of the back row.)

Harriet of Climate Mama joined us for the roundtable, where she pointedly asked the celebs how they thought we could get Hollywood to pay more attention to climate change.

“Chris Wedge (the director) reminded us that through social media, we are all very powerful. He suggested that if enough people remind the studios what we like and what we want to see, the studios will listen.”

Added Chris Wedge,

“The idea behind the movie was that we would go to a place that seems familiar to us, but we would see the magic inside of it.  And when I wanted always to get in touch with that from an emotional perspective, I thought about the times that I just walk into the forest, whenever I’m by myself, and just stop and listen and just feel it, because you can feel the presence of some kind of nature power going on all the time.

There’s a little movie going on with the squirrels that are chasing around and the things are growing out of trees, and it’s always happening, and you can feel the presence of that.

So, my hope was that a kid would go out and see like, wow, those birds making all that noise, that’s not just a sparrow chasing a crow away from its nest, it’s Leafman and Boggins that are fighting, that would be it for me.  There’s magic out there that we just don’t pay attention to.”

Recommends Leigh: “When you leave the movie and you are talking to your kids about the theme of the movie and the environment, use it as a time to talk to them about other environmental issues like climate change. What if there was a big storm in the forest at the end of the movie and the moon was blocked? What can we do to make sure the forest stays the way it is?”

“Have your kids write their thoughts down to enter the Team Energy Star contest for a chance to win great prizes,” she suggests. “Kids are so thoughtful and have such great passion for the environment, let them share it in the contest. Even if they do not want to enter have them go to the Energy Star website and learn more about what they can do to help save the forest we live in.”

They can see what some other kids think about the movie and ENERGY STAR in this fun video produced by the Boys and Girls Club of America, who took their cameras and questions to the green carpet, too.

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Join Team ENERGY STAR & Get Ready for This Summer’s Eco Block-Buster

The post What Makes EPIC So “Epic”? Great Animation, Green Message appeared first on Big Green Purse.

 

Team ENERGY STAR works in large part because it makes saving energy easy and fun. Check out www.energystar.gov/team and you’ll see what I mean. Kids and their parents can download interactive
materials, including a comprehensive Action Kit and the ENERGY STAR Home Check-Up list. Kids are also encouraged to share their energy-saving stories on energystar.gov/team. If they do, they’ll become eligible to win all kinds of
great energy-saving electronics that reinforce the message that saving energy can change the world.

CHANGE THE WORLD? REALLY?

Yes! In fact, that “change the world” part is important. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in 2012 alone, consumers and businesses, with the help of ENERGY STAR, reduced utility bills by $24 billion and prevented 242 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions. Talk about impact!

IT’S FUN, TOO. 

Now for the fun part. This summer, EPA is teaming up with PTO Today (a national nonprofit that helps independent parent-teacher organizations) to reach more kids than ever before. PTO Today is working with the makers of the new eco-animated film EPIC, and bringing in the heroic characters of the film to make Team ENERGY STAR more fun than ever.

The film stars Steven Tyler, Colin Ferrell, Beyonce Knowles and Amanda Seyfried, a line-up that will surely excite the whole family. By joining the team kids will get the chance to earn cool prizes courtesy of PTO Today, LG Electronics USA and 20^th
Century Fox. The first 200 families to submit an energy-saving story will receive 2 tickets each to see EPIC, courtesy of Fox. Kids will also get the chance to earn some great prizes from LG Electronics USA and maybe even see their name in lights in Times Square. All the kids have to do issig up at energystar.gov/team and click on “Submit your energy-saving success story.’ Bloggers who blog about this could end up at the New York City red carpet premiere of EPIC.

ABOUT THE MOVIE

EPIC is sure to be this summer’s blockbuster. Here’s the story description:

 EPIC is a 3D CG adventure comedy that reveals
a fantastical world unlike any other. From the creators of ICE AGE and RIO,
EPIC tells the story of an ongoing battle between the forces of good, who keep
the natural world alive, and the forces of evil, who wish to destroy it. When a
teenage girl finds herself magically transported into this secret universe, she
teams up with an elite band of warriors and a crew of comical, larger-than-life
figures, to save their world…and ours.

 I’ve watched the trailer and it’s really captivating, with exciting animation and a
powerful storyline to teach kids environmental messages and come away thinking,
“Protecting the planet is cool.”

If you’re a parent…

Please sit down with your kids and together visit the Team ENERGY STAR web page.
Download any number of the educational activities, have fun doing them while you
talk about why saving energy makes sense for your family, and encourage your
child to tell his/her story so other kids will get inspired to do the same. Talk
about this on your Facebook page, pint tips on Pinterest, and encourage your
friends and schools to join Team ENERGY STAR, too.

If you’re a blogger…participate in our Carnival and maybe go to the red carpet premiere of
EPIC.

If you blog, please let your community know about Team ENERGY STAR and encourage them
to get their kids to share their stories. If you can get your post to me by May
15, it will be included in a blogging “Carnival” or round-up I’m hosting on May
16.

 HOWEVER, if you can get your post written and posted by May 8, you could be chosen
to attend and blog from the red carpet premiere of the film EPIC in New York
City on May 18. Bloggers who attend the premiere will also be invited to lunch
at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel and blog from a press conference/round table
with stars from the movie, including Colin Farrell, Aziz Ansari, Amanda
Seyfried and Chris O’Dowd. (Transportation and lodging are not included, so I
understand if this only makes sense if you live in the Northeast area.)

In appreciation for your commitment to helping people save energy, anyone who blogs about
Team ENERGY STAR will receive:

·      Four free movie tickets to see EPIC, which will arrive in
theaters Memorial Day weekend

·      An energy efficiency gift bag, including a long-lasting, ENERGY
STAR-certified LED bulb from LG Electronics USA, and Team ENERGY STAR
educational materials and activity booklet

·      The chance to win a brand-new LG refrigerator recognized as
ENERGY STAR  Most Efficient 2013 (retail
value of $3,000)

·      Additional exposure through the Big Green Purse-hosted blog
carnival May 16

·      More exposure through ENERGY STAR’s social media channels (they
have over 19,000 Facebook fans and over 25,000 Twitter followers)

 If your kids submit a story, please feature it in your blog post. You can write a
blog post about Team ENERGY STAR, submit a story, or both.

 It’s All About Saving Energy

It’s apt that this outreach is TAKING place at the beginning of summer – the
season when energy consumption goes through the roof, and perhaps many days
when the air is so polluted we’ll have to keep our kids indoors. As you know,
these problems are getting worse the more the climate changes.  

Your actions, in addition to making saving energy seem like it’s fun and worthwhile,
will also help new audiences understand how serious climate change is and what
they can do to make a difference.

Thanks for joining Team ENERGY STAR!

The bloggers listed below are already planning to post about team ENERGY STAR and the EPIC premiere. Please join them!

Climate Mama
Condo Blues
Crunchy Savings
Eco Baby Mama Drama
Eco Friendly Link
Eco News Network
Eco-Novice
Environmental Booty
Flour Sack Mama
Good Girl Gone Green
Green and Clean Mom
Green Child Magazine
Green 4 You
Groovy Green Livin’
Healthy Home Magazine
In Women We Trust (already posted)
Mindful Momma
Modern Eco Life
Moms Clean Air Force
Mother Nature News (MNN) (already posted)
Non-toxic Kids
Spit That Out The Book
The Green Parent
The Smart Mama
Ways 2 Go Green

Raising Green Richmond Kids

Plus:

That’s Amasian
Asian Mommy (already posted)

And of course, yours truly, here at Big Green Purse.

Want to add your blog to the list? Just let me know that you plan to join us for this important effort to educate kids and families about climate change and saving energy. Thanks!

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ENERGY STAR Essay Contest Shines Spotlight on Energy-Saving Kids

The post Join Team ENERGY STAR & Get Ready for This Summer’s Eco Block-Buster appeared first on Big Green Purse.

In Donald Trump’s world it is. Trump is in the process of trying to bulldoze one of Britain’s very last stretches of wilderness and turn it into not one but two golf courses. You’ve Been Trumped, a powerful new film shown on opening night of the D.C. Environmental Film Festival, tells the tale from the moment Trump’s jet lands in Aberdeen, Scotland with the Donald and his coterie on board, to the sorry affair that exists today: wilderness gone, wildlife habitat destroyed, and the lives of local villagers irreparably harmed by the development.

Here’s the back story, taken from the movie’s synopsis: Billionaire Donald Trump has bought up hundreds of acres on the northeast coast of Scotland, best known to movie-lovers as the setting for the 1983 classic film Local Hero. And like the American oil tycoon played by Burt Lancaster, Trump needs to buy out a few more locals to make the deal come true. In a land swimming with golf courses, Trump is going to build two more – along with a 450-room hotel and 1,500 luxury homes. The trouble is, the land he has purchased occupies one of Europe’s most environmentally sensitive stretches of coast, described by one leading scientist as Scotland’s Amazon rain forest. Local residents don’t want it destroyed.

Initially, the project was rejected by the region’s government. But mysteriously, the national Scottish Government overturns its own environmental laws to give Trump the green light. Bulldozers spring into action. Water and power are cut off; it takes some homeowners ten days to get the developers to restore these basic amenities. Land disputes erupt while the developers destroy the homeowners’ private property. In one mind- boggling incident, bulldozers pile up thousands of tons of dirt next to the homes of private citizens who oppose the project.

The local police ignore citizens’ complaints and instead arrest the film’s director, Anthony Baxter. Donald Trump is awarded an honorary doctorate from a local university while his tractors turn wild, untouched dunes into fairways.

Donald Trump could not appear less sympathetic, especially in this “Occupy” era. He insults local residents like Walter Forbes, right, calling them “pigs” and worse, while claiming his project will bring strong economic growth to this part of Scotland – even though the region is prospering and has less than a 2% unemployment rate. He worries far more about his helmet of hair, which is getting blown about in the wind, than about the women and men whose heritage the development is destroying. He ogles Miss Scotland, who is on hand for a press event, embarrassing her by telling her how pretty she is, as if he has sized her up for a job in one of his casinos.

It takes a long time for the citizens to mount a community protest against the project. “It’s not in their blood,” said Anthony Baxter, when he spoke with the audience after the screening. Baxter is appealing to Americans to help raise awareness that will stop further development by helping him get the film into more theaters. He’s also posted links on the film’s Take Action page that make it easy to tweet the Donald or send a letter to the Scottish minister who approved the project.

This being Washington, D.C., the audience offered some additional ideas to Baxter. One person suggested that people write to the Scottish ambassador to the U.S. and urge the project to be shut down. Another suggested Baxter organize and “Occupy Trump Tower” in New York.

Baxter appreciated the suggestions while warning Washingtonians to beware: Donald Trump has just gotten the contract to redevelop the historic Old Post Office in D.C. It’s located on Pennsylvania Ave, right in between the U.S. Capitol building and the White House.

“You could be Trumped yourselves,” he cautioned.

Don’t miss other great films in the D.C. Environmental Film Fest.
Here’s a calendar of showings between now and March 25.

The post “You’ve Been Trumped” – the Donald Occupies Wilderness appeared first on Big Green Purse.

You can’t miss the message: don’t sacrifice nature and our quality of life to greed, plain and simple as that.

Though the book was written in 1971, it’s as relevant today as it was forty years ago. In fact, the new movie based on The Lorax that’s premiering this weekend couldn’t be more timely. More than ever, we have to protect forests from clearcutting. And we have to protect the planet from the environmental and health impacts that accompany the manufacture of a whole lot of “stuff” we really don’t need.

That’s the big picture. Here at home, it’s also our resonsibility to stop buying so many “thneeds” – things we don’t really need. I’m looking around my house right now and I hate to admit it, but I see a lot more “thneeds” than I wish I did: stacks of books I know I’ll never read but just felt like I had to have, three different rain jackets (one would have been plenty), two different leashes for my dog, an electric breadmaker I thought I’d use but almost never do, a rice cooker I’ve never used, a sushi making kit I unwrapped but never tried, an accordion I really intended to learn to play…

Sure, I can pack all this stuff up and take it to Value Village or list it on freecycle.org. But I never should have bought it in the first place. I sure didn’t need it.

What about you? Do you have any “thneeds” you wish you hadn’t bought? Or is the Lorax inspiring you to think twice before buying a new “thneed” you don’t really need?

If so, let me know. In fact, thanks to Universal Pictures, I will provide a $25 Fandango Gift Card, which should cover two tickets to see the Lorax, to whomever reveals his or her most embarrassing “thneed” in the comments below.

So ‘fess up. What’s your “thneed”? And what are you going to do about it?

(The winner will be announced on Saturday, March 4).

The post Do You Have Any “Thneeds?” Win Free Tickets to the Lorax if You ‘Fess Up. appeared first on Big Green Purse.

“African Cats,” Sita’s star vehicle and this year’s Earth Day release by DisneyNature, doesn’t at first seem like an obvious nail-biter. Gorgeous shots of Kenya’s extraordinary Masai Mara grasslands open the film before it homes in on the animals that steal the show: Sita and her mischievous cubs, and Fang, the patriarch of a large pride of lions and their playful offspring. But you know what’s coming next: The breathtaking scenery is only a backdrop to the life-and-death struggles that play out between these cat “families” and the animals that prey upon them. It’s the “Lion King” in the flesh.

The Mara is one of the few remaining places in Africa where lions, cheetahs and leopards live in large numbers and in close proximity. The River Pride, a dominant group of lions led by “Fang,” roams the hills south of the Mara River. A second group of male lions—a powerful father and his four sons—rules the area to the north. The River Pride is threatened by these lions from the north who are awaiting the perfect opportunity to move in, depose Fang, and take over his pride. Meanwhile, Sita must defend her babies against the lions, as well as ravenous hyenas and even other cheetahs.

The young cheetah and lion cubs are gosh-darn cute, and the filmmakers make the most of their playful antics and mewling cries to set the stage for the inevitable clashes between protective mothers and their hungry adversaries. The films’ directors insist on building suspense by creating a very human story line intent on driving home the point that a mother will do anything to protect her babies. But the story and its corny script get in the way of the pictures unfolding on the screen. The movie would have been wonderful to watch with music alone, sans narration.

That said, I loved the film’s high definition cinematography and “you are there” shots. I’ve been on two safaris, including one in the Masai Mara. I saw first-hand lions eating their way through the steaming belly of a zebra they’d just killed, and watched a cheetah kill an eland then effortlessly haul it up into a tree for safe-keeping. The filmmakers show the animals exactly as I remember them in the wild, foregoing special effects, animation, and other cinematics in favor of spellbinding close-ups of animal eyes, rippling muscles, and jaws dripping with fresh blood.

DisneyNature hopes “African Cats” will do more than entertain. The company is partnering with the African Wildife Foundation in a campaign to “Save the Savanna” where these big cats live. Throughout Earth Week, April 22-28, a portion of the proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to support AWF’s program to protect the Amboseli Wildlife Corridor. The corridor is the expanse of land that stretches across the Savanna between three national parks in Kenya. Lions, elephants, cheetahs, zebras, and other wildlife traverse it when they migrate and look for food and water. AWF’s work will help insure that the corridor stays open and wild enough to help these animals thrive despite the pressures put upon them from tourism and encroaching development.

NOTE: “African Cats” is sometimes graphically violent and may not be appropriate for children younger than 13. The scenes of predators chasing down and devouring their prey are totally realistic – which means they’re brutal and bloody. At one point, the little girl sitting next to me in the theater just put her head down and covered her ears.

African Cats is DisneyNature’s third Earth Day feature. Here’s a review of last year’s film, “Earth.”

The post “Inception” and “The Adjustment Bureau” Ain’t Got Nothin’ on the New Disney Movie appeared first on Big Green Purse.

Despite its “G” rating, the film is more suspenseful than a James Bond movie — and more stressful, too. As it follows three animal families through a year of their life, tension reigns: will they live, or die?

It is not easy going for any of the animals: two adult polar bears and their baby cubs; a baby elephant and its mother; a young humpback whale and its mother. All face the treachery of Nature as they search for food and water.

The whales need to beware the potential attack of a great white shark as they migrate from the tropics to Antarctica in search of krill. Though the shark never attacks them, the footage of a Great White jumping 32 feet into the air as it devours a seal is absolutely spine-tingling. On screen, the Great White seems as big as a T-Rex. Clearly, in the ocean, it is just as deadly.

The gorgeous blue waters the whales ply contrast starkly with the ghostly, parched African desert the elephants must cross to reach drinking water in the Okavango delta. The baby and its mother manage to dodge the hungry jaws of a pride of starving lions – but one of their companions is not so lucky. At several points during their arduous journey, the little one, blinded by dust storms and weary from lack of food, appears on the verge of collapse. An aerial shot of the spreading desert and the shrinking Okavango leaves the disturbing impression that, even if the elephants make it this time, they may not be so lucky in the future.

The polar bear cubs couldn’t be cuter as they emerge from their den to a snow day every child can relate to. But miles away, their father struggles to find food. Polar bears use ocean ice as “hunting platforms” to snag seals. But as climate change melts ice faster, it is becoming harder and harder for the bears to find food. Papa bear eventually must take to land to avoid drowning. His desperate attempt to kill a walrus backfires as the walrus spears him with his tusk.

The cinematography is breathtaking, especially the shots of thousands of birds in flight. The filmmakers worked from hot air balloons and helicopters fitted with specially-made stabilized cameras to capture their subjects as they exist in the wild. One of the side stories in the film shows baby mandarin ducks emerging from the hole in a tree high above the ground that served as their nest. Each one tests its tiny wings in the same way: it leaps into the air, flaps a few times, and falls soundly to the ground – fortunately into a cushioning pile of leaves. It’s absolutely adorable.

The film leaves no doubt about the beauty and value of Nature. But it makes almost no mention of the threats the natural world faces due to pollution or toxic chemicals, beyond some slight, passing references to climate change as the polar ice melts and as the desert spreads. This seems like a lost opportunity. The survival of all the animals featured in “Earth” is in question due to the impact people are having on the planet. The filmmakers made a beautiful movie – but they could have made an important one if they’d included information on how the audience affects the lives of the subjects on screen — and what they can do to make a difference.

The post Disney’s Earth Movie Is Breathtaking – but Misses an Opportunity to Educate appeared first on Big Green Purse.