How far are you willing to go…to try to reduce climate change?
Ryan M*, Canberra and Region Quakers
In four of my school holiday breaks, when my friends were playing computer games, I was willing to spend time with my family contacting, and interviewing experts from NSW, Victoria, and all the way to the Great Barrier Reef, on “what us everyday people can do to reduce climate change”. I have to say it wasn’t all tedious work, as I got to meet one of my heroes, Craig Reucassel, the ABC presenter for series such as the War on Waste, who I did an inspiring interview with for the finale of my climate change movie.
Then in two other holidays, I sat in front of YouTube, (which again wasn’t too gruelling, as I love computers), learning how to make the interviews into a 53-minute movie, that I am selling to raise money for climate change groups. My Dad then helped me to make a website to sell it, (which I enjoyed learning, as I’m into tech stuff), (https://nowisthemovie.weebly.com), and my mum helped me make the movie available for sale with local shopfronts and at markets. This was a bit more challenging as I sometimes get nervous talking in front of strangers, but later I was willing to push myself even more…
Promotion
Why did a 10-year-old spend 18 months making the movie “NOW”: Climate Change Emergency, What we CAN all DO about it?
The shocking reasons of “why” I needed to make a climate change movie are in the first few minutes of my movie. From internet searches I stated that “the Guardian newspaper reported that when I am about 90, “(by 2100) we will have Earth’s 6th mass extinction, and we have already seen great loss of life too”.
Also that the Union of Concerned Scientists undertook research, showing that “97% of the climate scientists surveyed, said that global warming (or climate change) is real, and largely caused by humans“.
This is why I wanted to do something, and it spurred me on, even though my knees were trembling, to talk in front of 70 people at my “booked out” movie release, at Bundanoon Hall last November. I said at the release, that:
“I was inspired by stories on the ABC’s kids show BTN, and initiatives like Bundy on Tap (establishing the world’s first bottled-water-free town), that people could make a positive difference to the environment”. Also that I read some experts say “it is important to teach kids that we can do things to reduce climate change”, and I am showing by making the “NOW” movie, that we can do things.
What can we do to reduce climate change?
The bulk of my “NOW” movie focuses on giving us doable solutions. It is divided into five main sections of interviews, including interesting interviews asking questions like:
Reuse and Recycling: Bower Reuse & Repair: ‘What furniture is better to buy?”. Also “How can anyone start a Stuff Swap?”
Energy – Tim Buckley, Green energy analyst, “If gas is not viable, what other energies should we use?”
Homes & Transport -Award winning greeny flat: “What is passive solar design?” and “Buying hybrid or electric cars?”
Our Government – Cairns Environment Centre: “Easy ways to influence our Government.”
Food and Water – Moss Vale Community Garden: “Can growing plants capture carbon?”, and “Why wicking beds need little water?”.
Now nobody, including myself, is perfect, so even after learning everything I did in making this movie, I don’t always ride my bike to school, and I still often leave the light on in my room. But now I do realise why it’s important to try to work at these things, and other crucial changes to our lives. Plus, I hope in making this climate change movie I will encourage other people to do helpful stuff now, that will make our future more hopeful.
Meeting Craig Reucassel
Selling the message
What is the Future?
For me, my enthusiasm for making movies was re-ignited in March 2021, when I was awarded Finalist for my “NOW” movie, at the Global Liftoff Film Festival. So I am now saving up for a better camera, and want to film a screen play I have written, where in the dramatic finale, a disgruntled, handcuffed coal miner, is encouraged to work on a wind turbine instead!
Plus every day, I try to remember how I ended my climate change movie release event, by stating that “as Craig Reucassel said in the “NOW” movie, every little thing makes a difference…so…together we can actually make a BIG difference”.
So what are you willing to do, to make a positive difference to our future, to reduce climate change?
You can buy the “NOW”movie online as either a DVD, USB or downloadable copy at https://nowisthemovie.weebly.com with all profits going to climate change groups.
*Ryan’s mum says: “When we were distributing the movie or writing any article that might end up on-line, we used his ’screen name’ Ryan M. We didn’t know how far the movie would go, and as he was a child, for safety reasons, we didn’t put his surname in.”
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