Being the Change
Rescheduled to March 6
More about Peter Kalmus's book, Being The Change, and a link to order a copy...
60 minutes
Live well, and we might just spark a climate revolution!
The 60-minute film, Being The Change, complements the 2017 New Society book of the same name, written by Peter Kalmus, a Caltech/Jet Propulsion Laboratory atmospheric scientist. The documentary delves into Peter's daily life, showing how a change in his life philosophy and mindset enabled him to cut his fossil fuel use to 1/10th of the average North American. As he makes these changes, Peter begins dramatically boosting his happiness quotient, along with his partner Sharon Kunde and their family of two boys, two dogs and some backyard chickens in a typical California suburb.
In both the film and book, Peter talks about how he stopped trying to convert climate change deniers with facts and figures and instead set out upon a mission to become the change he wanted to see in the world. Along the way, Peter shows how he brought together his head (the science), his hands (food growing, bicycling, and lifestyle change), and heart (meditation and community building), to find new direction in his life.
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Inspirational, hopeful, and doable by anyone, Peter's message is clear: we can all change our minds and actions and live happier, more satisfying lives while reconnecting with our ourselves, our communities, and the biosphere that sustains us all. And in the process we might just spark a climate revolution that truly changes everything.
So who is Peter Kalmus?
If you've ever felt despair about climate change - much more common than most admit - come give yourself a big lift on January 30, and 'meet' Peter Kalmus, a special breed of climate scientist - and Dad! - who's the subject of our first eco-film of 2019.
Here's why Dr. Katharine Hayhoe, a Canadian climate scientist now living & teaching in Texas, is a big fan of Peter's :
“When it comes to climate change, our biggest problem isn’t that we don’t think it’s real. It’s that we don’t think we can fix it. That’s why Peter Kalmus is my favourite type of person – a pragmatic idealist. He’s a scientist, so he doesn’t minimize the nature of our predicament. Yet he runs headlong towards that challenge with a joy and an infectious enthusiasm that buoys the spirit.
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So often, we feel that nothing we do will make a difference. Peter doesn’t just dispel that myth, he buries it. These gut-wrenchingly honest yet obstinately hopeful reflections provide a roadmap to building our own personal bulwark against the storm we face today.”
Katharine Hayhoe, Climate Scientist