Decorate, Water

I really wanted to write about this first episode a week ago, before it first aired on The Sundance Channel, but it was just impossible to get to. Still, you can view it online at http://www.sundancechannel.com/films/500317026 - the episode is entitled "Decorate."  (Next Television Showing: Sun day, April 13, 3:00PM on the Sundance Channel)

Decorate follows the base format of the "Big Ideas For A Small Planet" series, using three examples of people following the principles it teaches. First, we see an interior designer who utilizes low-VOC paints, post-consumer re-manufactured tiles, recycled wood, appliances, furniture, and even knick-knacks to remodel three vacation "cottages" for a couple wanting to do a green re-do before opening for business. The results are a stunning showcase of what is possible using these methods.

Next, we turn to a world of natural cork - literally, if these designers had their way. From soft, comfortable lounge chairs to large salad bowls, the depths of this wonderfully renewable and recyclable material are explored and will amaze you.

Finally, one designer turns to nature for inspiration, with exotic results that are organic, graceful, durable, and recyclable.

In "Water," the Sundance Channel brings home the issues with water that are starting to loom larger and larger in this world. From severe droughts in California and the lower Mississippi Basin states to epochal drought in Australia and China's remote provinces, clean, fresh water is fast becoming one of the most precious resources on the planet. The situation is only made harder as human populations climb ever-higher.

Water takes a look at solutions, from an ingenious mobile desalination plant that can turn sea water into fresh where ever in the world it is needed, (Remember Katrina?) to rainwater systems that could potentially catch billions of gallons of fresh water that are now just running off our roof tops. Additionally, there is a young entrepreneur who is cleaning up the water we do have, in our streams and rivers across the USA.  The film airs this Tuesday evening on the Sundance Channel at 9pm Eastern & Pacific, and also can be seen online at http://www.sundancechannel.com/films/500317044 .

What really felt good to me about these short documentaries (30 minutes each) was the upbeat, can-do attitude you get right away, and are left with. There are solutions to these problems, and we can tackle them together. It can also be financially and emotionally rewarding and soul-satisfying to do so. That is the message of these early Green-Age films, and definitely, watch these films!

Watch this space for further reviews of films in this series.

Dan Stafford
Publisher - The Great Lakes Zephyr - Wind Energy & Hydrogen Journal
http://www.whizzyrds.com/Windblog.html