What If We Changed Film Series with John D. Liu
Santa Barbara Permaculture Network Presents: What if… We change Let’s Fix This Earth! Join Santa Barbara Permaculture Network for an award winning documentary film series featuring John D. Liu Highlighting Ecosystem-Restoration projects around the world Sunday, August 19, 4-6:30 pm 2018, FREE Children Welcome! Informal potluck in the park following Location: South Coast Watershed Resource Center 2981 Cliff Drive, Santa Barbara, CA 93109, at Arroyo Burro County Beach Park (also known as Hendry’s Beach) Together, we can help to restore Paradise on Earth - John D. Liu It all started in 1995 when John D. Liu, an award winning journalist and cameraman working for CBS News, got an assignment to film the Loess Plateau in China, one of the poorest regions in the country. He observed how the local Chinese people transformed a massive degraded desert area the size of Belgium, into a verdant and productive green oasis. Liu was stunned by what he saw and, and with the realization this ecosystem restoration model could be replicated all over the world, he was inspired to become a soil scientist. Of course there was a message to be shared, so as a talented storyteller and filmmaker, Liu spent the next 30 years documenting large scale restoration projects around the globe , eventually creating the award winning What if … We Change documentary series. The series covers large scale restoration projects in Portugal, China, Ethiopia, Sweden, Rwanda, Mongolia, Uganda, Australia and more. Because Liu considers Global Ecosystem Restoration the great work of our time, with others he helped launch Ecosystem Restoration Camps, a grassroots NGO that engages people of all ages to come and live for an extended time, and help transform damaged landscapes into thriving, biodiverse ecosystems. The first camp is located in the Spanish Altiplano region, where one of the largest dryland deserts is growing, threatening the health of Europe. In an era when the world, including our own Santa Barbara community is facing many daunting environmental challenges, including droughts, fire, floods, and an increasingly erratic climate – we know innovative solutions are needed. Santa Barbara Permaculture Network is excited to have John D. Liu join us online LIVE via ZOOM platform to explore some of these possible solutions. Please bring your ideas and questions for John, so jointly, with all our hearts and minds, we can help fix this earth! John D. Liu is a soil scientist and an American filmmaker who has lived in China for over 30 years. His early career with CBS News as a producer and cameraman had him covering the major geopolitical events of the time, but after an assignment with the World Bank covering the Loess Plateau Watershed Rehabilitation Project, he became an ecological filmmaker. Liu is the founder and director of the Environmental Education Media Project. In addition to the What if We Changed documentary, Liu’s other films include Hope in a Changing Climate; Rwanda---Forests of Hope; and Emerging in a Changing Climate. Liu is Senior Research Fellow with IUCN, and Visiting Fellow with the Critical Zone Hydrology Group; Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences at the Vrije University Amsterdam. John D. Liu Chairman of Board of the Advisory Board of Ecosystem Camps Foundation The event takes place on Sunday August, 19, 4-6:30pm, at the South Coast Watershed Center at the Arroyo Burro County Park, 2981 Cliff Drive, SB, CA 93109, no reservation required. Bring a brown bag lunch or favorite potluck appetizer or dish for an informal outdoor picnic and time for conversation following the event. Children welcome! For more information, www.sbpermaculture.org, or margie@sbpermaculture.org A Community Event Sponsored by Santa Barbara Permaculture Network www.sbpermaculture.org Facebook Event Page https://www.facebook.com/events/408730009534426/ Learn more: Ecosystem Restoration Camps - a grassroots non-profit organization that is engaging people to transform damaged landscapes into thriving, biodiverse ecosystems. The organization was founded in response to a groundswell of support from people worldwide who see the amazing potential of soil restoration. http://www.ecosystemrestorationcamps.org John D Liu Hope & Ecosystem Restoration Camps https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hg3xtok8Xqs Price: Free
