"Gratitude for the Earth"
Video Contest
The Art of Symbiosis
Everyday Choices for Sustainability
You can make a difference! Create a video, participate in the contest, and share your vision for a new possible future.
Creativity Can Inspire Change
The Art of Symbiosis -- Everyday Choices for Sustainability Video Contest is an invitation to students, faculty, and staff on California college campuses to share their stories about the ideas, people, projects, technologies, and ways of living that could shift our direction toward a more positive future and to make the greater community aware of the ripple effect of daily choices. We selected a video contest because we believe it is an affordable and effective method to share these visions.
The Future is in Symbiotic Relationships
Through short video submissions, we are seeking the voices of campus communities to inspire awareness and catalyze choices. Our daily choices reverberate throughout all the human, animal, and ecosystems on our shared planet
Video Submissions
Marcela Oliva
Creative Statement: SAVE LA was based on an inter-disciplinary approach which facilitated a versatile interaction among the group participants. Through this interaction, students learned that every discipline is inter-connected to each other. The dialogues led to innovative ideas with interconnected solutions, what is best for our campus? What solutions can we come up with to help our community as a whole? The process had a clear framework that kept the project organized. Why? How? and What? were a few of the discussions students engaged in an effort to understand the issue at hand. As they learned and shared ideas, they were challenged to think holistically and focus on two concepts 1)how can each discipline improve sustainable practices 2) how can all of us make changes in the community. Through this process, the group learned that parallel thinking leads to innovative ideas. The movies, podcasts, reading and information about conferences and field trips helped confirmed the concepts learned in class and provided a clear understanding of current civilization crises; poverty, health, population, climate change, and most of all, the immediate need for social empathy. Today's mechanical reductive approach to life inhibits the growth and well-being of our nation. There is an urgency to implement a new type of holistic,environment, one that self-organizes through a loop and acts as a unit. Current sustainable environment movements have tendencies that are specialized, and as,a result social equity is frequently ignored or not understood. Social equity is a human right. All people should be able to create and invent through education, move through transportation, be protected through shelter, live healthily through medical resources and life standards, transform space through architecture, and become civilized through policy and legal systems. All present and future humans can be healthy, have their basic needs met, have fair and equitable access to the Earth's resources, have a decent quality of life, and preserve the biologically diverse ecosystems on which we all depend. This is a system based on,abundance and creation instead of scarcity and consumption. SAVE LA is a catalyst for current educational environments and transformations for our neighborhoods. It is a new place for learning, making, innovating, and manufacturing to meet local needs. SAVE LA trains the local talent and virtually connects them to NASA scientists, experts throughout the nation, and experts from around the world. Using the CyberONE integrated curriculum, innovative spaces for learning, nature templates, and universal principles, the community can design and digitally fabricate urgently needed storefronts, greenhouses, energy strategies, eco-centers, recyclable objects, fences, food gardens, pocket parks, mobile health clinics, business incubators, food gardens, mobile health clinics, and other spaces. SAVE LA solutions are individualized and customized, like a snowflake shaped and formed by local needs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zJ-9pVs5JI
Kenneth Reid & Architecture Professor Marcela Oliva
Creative Statement: Los Angeles Trade-Technical College (LATTC) has a yearly student population of approximately 30,000 students. However, the community is comprised of students, as well as faculty, staff and the community at large ranging from various socio-economic and political backgrounds. LATTC also works in conjunction with local unified school districts through different training programs and opportunities for young adults ranging from middle school to high school ages.,Sustainability was an eye-opening experience for me. My hope is that everyone who comes in contact with this video will consider that being sustainable is vital for future generations to survive. Through collaborative learning we can all discover innovative ideas and practices to become agents of change; thus creating a better tomorrow for generations to come. Along those lines, this video should be a tipping point to educating future generations that sustainability means more than just saving energy, but also utilizing our resources wisely and learning from previous experiences to change our actions to ways conducive to sound environmental practices. Let's hope that every community practices sustainability and it becomes a part of everyone's life as we live and work together for the greater good. As institutions update their facilities and equipment, and instructors update curriculum, it will be up to the students to carry on this mission. I would like viewers to have an eureka moment, whereby they are able to see that Los Angeles Trade-Technical College has demonstrated its commitment to employing sustainable practices and developing green education and training programs. The first impact that I want people to understand is that sustainability and innovation is mandatory in order to transform our communities and preserve our environment. The community will understand that sustainability is an integrated approach and that only by sharing ideas and working collaboratively, we will be able to transform the way we do things.
Brennan Blazer Bird & Ayse (Isha) Gursoz
Creative Statement: Two years ago I learned about an idea that forever changed my life. A group in Central America called Erecicleje is building houses and school buildings out of bottles stuffed full of trash. Portable Landfill Devices, or bottle bricks, are plastic bottles stuffed with trash till they become compressed like a brick. They are then used as a construction material along with cement or cob, an earthen cement. This past Winter quarter I led a sustainable living research project at the Baggins End Innovative Housing, an intentional student community also known as the Domes on the UC Davis campus. The Domes is under threat of closure by the University, as the structures are outdated and need to be rebuilt. I wanted to highlight sustainable and natural building techniques, to show that we could completely rebuild the Domes for less than one-third of the estimated repair cost determined by the University. We built an earthen trash bench made out of almost entirely repurposed materials. The foundation is made from rocks and urbanite found on the side of the road. The mass of the bench is made from earthbags, sandbags filled full of clay, and the back of the bench is made with bamboo and bottle bricks. The entire bench is covered with cob, a mixture of clay, sand, and straw. 160 bottle bricks went into this bench and over 80 lbs of trash were diverted from the landfill. Over 300 students and community members were involved in the building of this bench. For nearly every participant this was their first natural building project, the vast majority had never heard of earthbags, cob, or bottle bricks. The power of experiential education was readily visible, one student would learn how to stuff an earthbag; how to apply cob; or how to stuff a bottle brick, and then immediately turn around and teach someone else. This project was the most amazing and transformative experience of my life. I have now been inspired to help lead what could be the largest natural building project in the world, 1000 Bottle Brick Benches for Peace. We want to inspire people all around the world to repurpose their waste into a bottle; start a community campaign to gather bottle bricks; organize work parties to build an earthen bench; then use the bench as a gathering space to share stories, play music, and foster community. We will not have peace on earth until we reclaim the commons, building a Peace on EarthBench will help towards this cause. The purpose of this project is to keep toxic plastic material out of the oceans and the environment, where it will photodegrade into millions of pieces. It also empowers people to landfill their trash themselves into a useful space rather than a wasteful space. And, most importantly, it reminds us that there is no "away", this plastic is here to stay, and we need to take responsibility for dealing with it. Throw away your trashcan, replace it with a bottle!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrtxwDp5Ptc
Carolynne Gamble and
Dinah Smith, Videographer
Creative Statement: Spinning Earth Prayer video submitted by:,Carolynne Gamble, Napa Valley College teacher and promoter Rosemary Partridge, Concept/writer,Dinah Smith, Videographer Primary viewing audience The viewing community includes people who pray or believe in prayer. It is also the community that realizes a shift in consciousness is required to create change in people?s relationship to the Earth. Viewers include artists, dancers, environmentalists, and concerned citizens. The video was posted on YouTube to reach a global audience in a short, concise, way to offer an inspirational message in prayer. How does this video motivate members of community to become more sustainable in their everyday choices? The wording of this prayer shifts the emphasis away from man having dominion over nature to cooperation and honorable co-creation. Prayer shifts consciousness, which then affects beliefs, one's decisions, and thus results in change. What first action could viewers take after seeing this video? We invite viewers to align and resonate with the prayer, through speaking it aloud, sharing it with others, creating their own dance, or writing their own prayer for sustainability. Intention/style for video This video creates a dance prayer that inspires and reverberates an energy of caring for the home planet. The style is simple, beautiful, clear and symbolic. The filming of the video was a ritual, and in it's simplicity, was the best use of our available resources. We chose the delivery system of a short video posted on YouTube because it is inexpensive, easily shared, and may be viewed multiple times. Series of Ten Videos This is a first video in a series of ten, which all have an environmental, sustainable theme. Other topics include Seeds, Water, Trees, Animals, Earth Friendly Inventions, and New Energy Developments. The tenth video dance prayer will be a synthesis of the previous nine prayers. Closing In the tradition of dancing our prayers, the spinning of the globe activates a resonance with the heavenly bodies, and has a catalytic effect on both dancer and viewer. This is a prayer of the Earth, for the Earth, and from the Earth.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vztoruyxmE
Logan Franken and
Bill Shelor
Creative Statement: This presentation provides an overview of the crucial "Zero Net Energy" sustainability initiative currently underway at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). Discussions concerning sustainable energy often detour into broader, political discussions about the severity of global warming. However, Zero Net Energy is grounded in stark economical fact: the Student Affairs division of UCSB simply cannot afford rising energy costs, fueled by inflation and a decreasing supply of fossil fuels. In fact, UCSB Student Affairs will overtake their fixed energy budget cap in 2016, requiring them to pull resources from other areas, including staff wages and funding for student services. Many organizations attempt to solve the problem of rising energy costs merely through energy efficiency enhancements. In contrast, Zero Net Energy addresses these issues by combining energy efficiency enhancements, such as variable speed pool pumps and office lighting efficiencies, with onsite energy generation, including the installation of a half a megawatt solar panel array. By combining these two approaches, UCSB Student Affairs will reduce their net energy costs to zero and eventually produce an energy surplus. However, a sustainable energy plan requires more than just the installation of new hardware: to be truly sustainable, an energy plan requires the support and commitment of staff, students, and faculty. With Zero Net Energy, the organization is viewed as a complex, interrelated system. Educating staff, students, and faculty about responsible energy consumption habits and soliciting their outspoken support for sustainable energy will provide momentum for Zero Net Energy and allow the initiative to adapt to the evolving needs of UCSB Student Affairs in the future. Zero Net Energy's holistic approach to sustainability intertwines the often disparate perspectives of organizational holism and fiscal practicality into a cohesive solution that acutely addresses the current needs of UCSB Student Affairs, while providing a maintainable platform of support for the plan into the future.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdwigsXis2c
Matt Hirota and
John Elliott
Creative Statement
Recycling is Good, Reusing is Better! The members of our community are comprised of the staff, faculty and students of the University of California, Merced. UC Merced strives to be a leader in sustainability and we have committed ourselves to the Triple Zero Commitment; Zero Waste, Zero Net Energy and Climate Neutrality by 2020. This huge goal can only be achieved with everyone at the University doing their part. Students, staff and faculty all need to be educated, work together and take action. Therefore, this video is a comical way to promote the use of reusable water bottles, recycling and sustainability on the UC Merced campus. It will motivate the UC Merced community to stop using plastic water bottles and start using reusable water bottles. In the video, the student who doesn't practice green habits has horrible luck, similarly the student who practiced being Green has a great day. The message that we are trying to get across to our community is that being Green is the right thing to do; it can also be very rewarding! In addition, the video also highlights to the viewers that chilled filtered water is easily accessible at UC Merced. The hydration station shown in the video is located in our Kolligian Library. This summer we will be adding three more hydration stations in various buildings on campus and in the coming years, hydrations stations will be in all of the buildings at UC Merced. We are also using this video to advertise and market to our students about the various reusable water bottles that can be found at our campus store. After watching this video, I hope that the viewers will think twice before they buy plastic water bottles, and instead opt to purchase a reusable water bottle. In the future, we hope that our efforts will trickle down to the entire Merced Community and encourage the citizens of Merced to make more sustainable choices. Karma is Green!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QE7g5VmvzNM
Brett "Mr. Eco" Edwards
Creative Statement
I am a rap energy superhero that goes by the name of Mr. Eco. When I am not fighting "Energy Hogs" I attend school and am a project intern for the Alliance to Save Energy's Green Campus at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. What are my superpowers? Rapping. Through my music I include energy tips and try to make being sustainable fun and funny. I wear a cape and a CFL necklace for crying out loud! The video I am submitting is Public Service Announcement, "PSA" in which I am boxing my arch nemesis the energy hog.
I am also giving a public service announcement in the video to my back up dancers and the energy hog. The reason that the auditorium is empty is because I am trying to emphasize the fact that nobody is taking the fight against climate change seriously and therefore nobody is listening to my PSA. My primary viewing audience is 4h grade to college kids. I do believe that Mr. Eco can be entertaining to almost all ages. I am trying to educate the members of my community and inspire them to make changes in their everyday lives to be more sustainable. The first action I want people to take after seeing this video is to share it with their friends and family so that more people can see my PSA which will hopefully result in more changes being made. The song lyrics themselves are structured to introduce who Mr. Eco is, what the issues around climate change are and what listeners can personally do to make a difference. For example the first lyrics are "Allow me to introduce myself Eco.. E to the CO.. CEO of the environmental." The second verse starts with "The ten hottest years have appeared since 98" which is evidence to show we have a serious problem on our hands. I also say "I aint saying take a cold shower in the dark just take a shorter shower hommie do your part." That is inspiring personal changes that listeners can make. I have attached the lyrics below and hope you all enjoy my PSA. PSA Lyrics "this is a public service announcement sponsored by green campus cal poly and the good people at the alliance to save energy "My name is Mr. Eco your listening to the "Brita up in the air" mixtape "Hov what up dj lex haha ya " VERSE 1: allow me to introduce my self ECOOO E to the C O C E O of the environmental 'cause these bros dont know what they in for, i can read the futures signs like a kindle ECOOO greener than the jolly giant houstin we gotta problem naw im reliant but weall in trouble timeout gotta fight for earths corner till the times out i aint sayin you the one to blame?well you are if you dont decide to change i aint saying take a cold shower in the dark ?just take a shorter shower hommie do your part get a brita and a bita common sense ?dont litta or itah be ur last offense (cause) i see it all even in the dark at the rate glaciers melting we might need another arc VERSE 2: the ten hotters years have appeared since 98 we cant wait to break the seal of our fate gotta act now on the inconvenient truth gore sent me to alert all the youth earthquake, hurricane, flood, drought clean water will be what world war threes fought about pig gets fat pig gets slaughtered we all energy hogs but noones really bothered got a problem child that noones really fathered mother earth hurts thinkin we forgotabouther ?thats why im here to make things clear if you dont know by now im mr E C O C E O of the environmental green campus slo behind me so you should know what u in for so i was at this energy competition kick off meeting and this kid was like yoo mr. eco isnt their mercury in your necklace isnt that bad.. i was like man. thats a cfl on my neck dont disrespect the neck thats a symbol its bad enough i got the world on my back u tryin to clown me.. the light bulbs not going off in your head son.. Deuces!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGagLbrfi0Y
Brett "Mr. Eco" Edwards
Creative Statement: I have taken an innovative approach to educate the public that combines sustainability with rap music. Mr. Eco is a rap energy superhero that spreads sustainability tips through the lyrics in song parodies. So far I have eight songs on the Brita Up in The Air mixtape and three music videos. I am very serious in my messages but try to promote them in a humorous way if you couldn't tell by the cape and CFL light bulb necklace. I decided to make a parody to LeBron James The Decision where he announced his decision to play basketball for the Miami Heat last offseason. The video is comical way to show who Mr. Eco is and what he is doing and was created specifically for this video contest. The first action I want people to take after seeing my video is to share Mr. Eco with their friends and to make changes in their everyday lives. The great thing about Mr. Eco is that the audience can be almost anyone in the world because of technology. My target market is younger kids because if we can get them thinking about sustainability from a young age there is hope for the future. Mr. Eco's first task was to be a promotional marketing tool for a Green Campus dorm energy competition at Cal Poly. We showed the Power (Energy Remix) to the residents at kickoff meetings and the competition doubled its savings compared to previous years. I even had a fan make a tribute song and video about me. I have teamed up with the Week of Welcome (WOW) freshman orientation program at Cal Poly and created a rap about sustainability that will be shown to the entire incoming freshman in the program! I had the privilege to perform my rap to 700 plus leaders in training, my largest performance to date by a long shot! My most recent video was Green Life that featured my good friend Travis Brown who plays linebacker for Fresno State. It was great to collaborate with Travis because that shows people and young kids especially that you don't have to be a wimpy guy with glasses to be green, you can be a stud college linebacker and still live the Green Life. Not everyone can grow an organic garden on their small parcel of land, not everyone can afford to install solar panels on their house. However, everyone can make the personal choices in their everyday life to live sustainably and I believe that message that Mr. Eco promotes can be a catalyst for the must needed changes the human populations need to make. I can?t quantify the savings that have resulted from Mr. Eco but I know that they are happening and I?m going to give it my best shot to keep improving and reach as many people as possible.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gv-2rjwZl34
Haroon Rahmani
Creative Statement: Smart Strip Infomercial, This video was created for the Green Campus program at California State University Fullerton to serve as a promotion for an upcoming project of ours this summer. With this project, our campus received 5000 Smart Strip surge protectors that we will be installing in offices and labs across the campus. The members of our community would include Faculty/Staff, students, and residents on the California State University, Fullerton campus. Our hopes are that this video will be a short informative and entertaining introduction to the concept of a Smart Strip. We are planning to make promotional cards and place them in locations where the smart strips have been installed. The cards will have Barcodes that can be scanned using a cellphone, which will then go to our YouTube channel and play the accompanying Smart Strip Video. Our goal is that through this video, the community will gain a basic understanding of what a Smart Strip is, how it is making their campus more sustainable, and most importantly how they can use this technology to make their homes and offices more sustainable. Smart Strips are a great way for everyone to save energy by automatically cutting power to devices not in use. For example when a computer, printer, speakers, and monitor are all plugged into a single Smart Strip, with the computer in the control outlet, the Smart Strip will automatically cut power to all the devices when the computer is off or idle. Not only will the consumer save energy, it will also be a great convenience to them by not having to manually shut off all the other devices. Our hopes are that the members off our community will realize this and as a first form of action will incorporate this technology into their daily lives.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eN7ivCz_is
Wen Lee
Creative Statement: And now... a break for a word by the environment. A reminder that everything we use, buy, and throw away is a part of nature - yes, seriously. It is so easy to fall into the dual mindset of "human world" versus "natural world" - but the fact of the matter is that the two worlds are one and the same. With this short, entertaining, and fast-paced video, I hope to communicate this concept in a clear and compelling way. Enjoy the blip!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHDbSLMz4lY
Megan O'Connor and Brian Parent
Creative Statement: The goal of this video is to inspire more cyclists to commute to work, helping those who already know it is a good idea, and have the desire, but who are stymied by fear for their safety, which is likely the most common road block. We think what prevents most would-be cyclists from commuting by bike, aside from habit, logistics, and perhaps time, is fear of cycling on the roads with motorists. But it can be vastly less risky for anyone willing to put in a few hours to learn more about the details of the risks involved, and how to mitigate them. After attending such a class, and practicing what was taught, Brian now cycles confidently, comfortably, and courteously, choosing routes based on distance rather than avoidance of motorists. Now, what scares Brian is seeing so many other cyclists riding in ways that they probably believe is making them safer, but actually contributes to a higher risk factor. Taking a class might help them conquer their fear and get enjoy the rewards of cycling. As Brian says, "I reduce my carbon footprint, I consume fewer non-renewable resources, I require less space to be dedicated to parking and roadways, my improved fitness reduces my impact on health care providers and insurer, and in turn on people who buy health insurance and use health care providers. I get to feel good about all the positive aspects like these. But mostly? I enjoy bicycling!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZLlgYJSd6E
Origins
BeyondFire Institute and Alive! with Creating
The Art of Symbiosis -- Everyday Choices for Sustainability video contest has evolved from the collaboration of energy and sustainability consultant, Karl Johnson, co-founder of BeyondFire Institute and artist and creativity coach, Carol Lorraine, founder of Alive! with Creating.
While admiring the rooftop garden at the Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, they discussed the mutually important topic of bringing a timely message to their communities on the importance of creating a sustainable world. Their discussion led to inspired ideas on combining art with science to illustrate how choices we make every day can foster sustainability. This grew into motivation to begin a collaborative effort that focuses on the positive creative potential in the world.
 http://www.beyondfireinstitute.org |
 http://www.alivewithcreating.com |
For many years, the BeyondFire Institute has sponsored popular post-conference workshops at the Sustainability Conference. This year the Institute and Alive! with Creating proposed this video contest as a different way to contribute. The objective is to make art and creativity an ongoing part of this conference and other venues.