AwareGuide - Your Guide to Life Changing Media

The central Pacific nation of Kiribati is expected to be one of the first countries to disappear as a result of climate change. Sea level rise and increasing salinity are threatening the homes and lives of 105,000 residents spread over 33 atolls. One of the least developed countries in the world, Kiribati has contributed little to worldwide carbon emissions, yet has the most to lose from global warming.

THE HUNGRY TIDE shows clearly the tragic impact of climate change on Kiribati, and exposes the stark global inequalities driving the global warming phenomenon. The film personalizes the story by following the life and work of Maria Tiimon, who evolves to become one of the most prominent advocates for the rights of Pacific Islanders.

This January, SYRCL’s (South Yuba River Citizens League) 11th Annual Wild & Scenic® Film Festival returns with another incredible selection of films to change your world. Each year, the Wild & Scenic® Film Festival draws top filmmakers, celebrities, leading activists, social innovators and well-known world adventurers to the historic downtown of Nevada City, California. The theme for the 2013 festival is “A Climate of Change”. Along with our usual line-up of beautiful, engaging and eye-opening films, we will have a particular focus this year on climate change, as well as highlighting the change makers who are creating a more livable future.

Celebrate the Moving Image Festival with screenings and discussions with filmmakers--designed to ignite dialogue and inspire action on the current issues that matter most. The 2012 Moving Image Festival features award-winning films that offer eye-opening glimpses of devastating destructionand optimistic solutions.

Harmony  Showcase Theater, at the Exhibit Hall | 6:30pm, Sat

For the better part of three decades, The Prince of Wales has worked side by side with a surprising and dynamic array of environmental activists, business leaders, artists, architects and government leaders, including former Bioneers’ presenters Janine Benyus and Jay Harman. They are working to transform the world, address the global environmental crisis and find ways toward a more sustainable, spiritual and harmonious relationship with the planet.

A short video with important guidelines from indigenous cultures to live by for a just, peaceful and sustainable planet.

Celebrate a decade of inspiring activism with SYRCL (South Yuba River Citizens League) this January. Now the largest film festival of its kind, this year’s films combine stellar filmmaking, beautiful cinematography and first-rate storytelling. Wild and Scenic Film Festival informs, inspires and ignites solutions, and creates positive probabilities to restore the earth and human communities.

Each year, the Wild & Scenic® Film Festival draws top filmmakers, celebrities, leading activists, social innovators and well-known world adventurers to the historic downtown of Nevada City, California.

Four Generations of the Lakota Wisdom Keepers, interviews with Nathan Chasing Horse, David Swallow, and Grandpa Wallace Black Elk.

The Pachamama Alliance is a partnership between conscious, committed people in the modern world like you, and indigenous peoples in the Amazon, for the preservation of life itself. Pachamama is a Kichwa word that means Mother Earth, and more fully means the Earth, the sky, the universe and all time.  Out of this partnership, we have learned how we, people of the modern world, are caught in a trance that is causing the destruction of not just the rainforests, but the health and wellbeing of the entire planet.

Halloween may be past, but chocolate is still on everyone’s mind.  However, few of us know the truth about our favorite Halloween treat.  Seventy percent of the world’s cocoa, the essential ingredient in chocolate, is grown in West Africa, a region plagued by abusive child labor, forced labor and trafficking on cocoa farms.

The Pachamama Alliance is based on the recognition that those of us in the modern world share a deep connection with the people who call the rainforest their home-each of us having a critical stake in the health and well being of this vital element in our global life support system. We also recognize that indigenous people are the rainforests' natural custodians, and therefore, key strategies of our alliance focus on strengthening their culture and empowering their ability to stand for and represent their own interests.

Another underlying principal of our alliance is based on the recognition of the pervasive role economics plays in the fate of our rainforests. It is generally agreed that the Earth's tropical rainforests are its most valuable ecosystem. Yet, in the economic equations which shape decisions regarding the use of the Earth's resources, rainforests seldom show up as adding any value simply remaining in their natural state. Also, the direct costs to society of having to use technology to replace the environmental services nature provides are seldom considered.
Pachamama has a commitment both to develop tangible, real-life projects through which rainforests provide more direct economic benefit standing than cut as well as to broaden the general economic view so that the value of standing rainforests and the costs associated with their destruction are measured and counted. Our work takes place in two distinct program areas: social and economic development projects in the South and education and awareness building in the North.

A consistent message that has been delivered by the leaders of indigenous groups is that one of the most powerful actions that can be taken in support of the rainforest is to "change the dream of the North." Projects that halt deforestation are timely and critical but only deal with the symptom of a more fundamental imbalance. Ultimately, to assure the survival of our rainforests-indeed of nature's ecosystems and even ourselves-causes which are deeply rooted in our modern worldview need to be addressed. Historically, our record of dealing with issues of environmental degradation provides little basis for optimism in the face of this challenge. Yet, the historical record is the product of a different time. Technology now supplies instantaneous feedback on the consequences of our actions and forces us to come to grips with the reality of living in the closed, interconnected system we call life on Earth. The growing sense of wonder and appreciation we feel for the very same natural systems that we now see our actions destroy provides the basis for hope. There is a new possibility that the future will not be an extension of our past. We have an unprecedented opportunity to live from a new vision-one formed from the intersection of our technological prowess and a new respect for the Earth.

Pachamama is committed to strengthen and clarify this vision and to being a clearinghouse of new ideas and information that will alter our perspectives and, ultimately, our behavior. The Pachamama Alliance is a place for individuals to take a stand of personal responsibility for the well being of the Earth's global commons. We invite you to join us.

Two Na’vi from James Cameron’s film Avatar today paid a visit to British mining company Vedanta Resources’ Annual General Meeting in Westminster, London.  The Na’vi joined tribal rights organization Survival in a demonstration against Vedanta, over its controversial plan to mine the sacred mountain of India’s Dongria Kondh tribe.