One Earth Environmental Film Festival Comes to Elmhurst

Submitted by Elmhurst College.

Thanks to a partnership between the Elmhurst Cool Cities Coalition and Elmhurst College, the 2015 One Earth Film Festival will show one of its environmentally themed movies at Elmhurst College on March 7.

The One Earth Film Festival utilizes compelling environmental films and programming to bring about an understanding of climate change, sustainability and the power of people. Elmhurst Cool Cities will screen the feature-length documentary “Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret” on Saturday, March 7, at 11 a.m. in Illinois Hall, on the Elmhurst College campus (190 Prospect Ave., Elmhurstwww.elmhurst.edu/campusmap).

Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret follows filmmaker Kip Andersen as he explores large-scale factory farming, which the film describes as the most destructive industry facing the planet today—and why the world’s leading environmental organizations are too afraid to talk about it.

A short question and answer period with environmental consultant Shyamala Rajan will follow the film. Besides her work as a consultant, Rajan is an adjunct professor at Roosevelt University, where she teaches a course on Global Climate Change.The moderator will be Gurram Gopal, a professor of business administration at Elmhurst College and a member of the College’s Sustainability Committee.

Tables will be set up in the lobby for attendees interested in learning more about sustainability issues. Table participants include Bob’s Fresh and Local, ChicagoVeg, Elmhurst Cool Cities Coalition and Elmhurst College.

The movie screening is sponsored in part by Q Design, a product design and development firm in Oak Brook.

One Earth Film Festival audiences have grown from 500 in its 2012 inaugural year to 2,400 in 2014, drawing from more than 88 ZIP codes across five states. This year, the Festival anticipates attendance of 4,000 as it expands into more neighborhoods and communities in the Chicagoland area.

For a full schedule of Film Festival movies and events, visitwww.greencommunityconnections.org/one-earth-film-fest/. The festival runs from March 6 through March 8. Tickets for all films are free, but a $5 per person contribution is recommended to support the Festival. Tickets for Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret are limited, and advance online purchases are recommended. For more information, contact Elmhurst Cool Cities at ecoolcities@gmail.com or (630) 426-9789.

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