DREFF Celebrates Environment Week in Partnership with APEC University

DREFF Celebrates Environment Week in Partnership with APEC University
Santo Domingo, May 30, 2014

On June 3-6, GFDD and FUNGLODE will partner with APEC University in celebration of Environment Week, 2014.  This is part of the Foundations’ initiative, Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival (DREFF), to disseminate awareness of environmental challenges and to promote protection of the natural world and its resources.

The 4-day series of events, theme titled, “Small Island States, Oceans, and Climate Change”, will commence at the University’s Leonel Rodríguez Rib Auditorium in Santo Domingo. The varied activities will provide ample opportunities for students, teachers and the general public to participate in screenings, seminars, and workshops, including a contribution of two of DREFF’s initiatives: Year-Round Environmental Screening Program, and the ReCrearte program.
The 6 DREFF supported activities will explore various connected themes aimed at protecting our environment. A total of four environmental documentary and short films screenings including the following films; 1) What Would Darwin Think? Man vs. Nature in the Galapagos, Jon Bowermaster, (doc. 48 min,); 2) With Our Backs to the Sea, Armando Larrauri (short, 9 min.); 3) Planet Ocean, Yann Arthus-Bertrand, (doc. 94 min) and; 4) Garbage or Resource? A Dominican Republic Experience, Natasha Despotovic (short, 17 min.).
See full Schedule here

The complementing two ReCrearte workshops, which will be conducted by Bertha Santana, aim to raise awareness of the “3Rs” of solid waste management: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. The workshops also emphasize and demonstrate how recycling waste into art form can empower individuals and communities alike by demonstrating the value in trash tips. In turn, GFDD and FUNGLODE hope to engage students and educators into reformulating the way they think about garbage and raise awareness of the plastic pollution problem.

Links:
www.dreff.org
www.dominicanscreenings.org
www.r3crearte.org

See full Schedule here

GFDD and FUNGLODE Screening and Workshop Schedule

Tuesday, June 3, 2014
11:00 am-1 pm: ReCrearte Workshop with Bertha Santana
2:30 pm: Planet Ocean, directed by Yann Arthus-Bertrand

Wednesday, June 4, 2014
2:30 pm:  With Our Backs to the Sea, directed by Armando Larrauri

Thursday, June 5, 2014
11 am- 1 pm: ReCrearte Workshop with Bertha Santana
2:30 pm: What Would Darwin Think? Man v. Nature in the Galapagos, directed Jon Bowermaster

Friday, June 6, 2014
10:30 am: Garbage or Resource? A Dominican Republic Experience

Films Synopsis:

What Would Darwin Think? Man vs. Nature in the Galapagos, (USA, 2010):  After Charles Darwin first visited the island archipelago of Galapagos in 1839, it took him another twenty years to decipher what he’d witnessed – the most perfectly preserved biodiversity on the planet. His theory of evolution, published 150 years ago, pulled back the curtain on a debate that had been simmering for years. Today, Darwin would be surprised by the tourist mecca Galapagos has become – 200,000 visitors a year and 40,000 permanent residents. The impact has been heavy….What would Darwin think of how Galapagos has evolved in the twenty-first century? (Doc. 48 min.)

With Our Backs to the Sea, (Dominican Rep., 2012):
This short film looks at major threats facing our coasts and oceans: overfishing, especially the parrotfish and sea turtles, and the negative role of invasive predators, like the lionfish, that inhabit coral reefs. One solution lies in catching and consuming the lionfish, which have no natural predators – a good option for fishermen and consumers seeking a delicious source of nutrition. (Short, 9 min.)

Planet Ocean, (France, 2012):
Filmed by directors Yann Arthus-Bertrand and Michael Pitiot and their team, Planet Ocean captures the extraordinary images of our remarkable oceans and highlights how essential it is that mankind learns to live in harmony with them. (Doc. 94 min.)

Garbage or Resource? A Dominican Republic Experience (Dominican Rep., 2013):
The Dominican Republic has more than 340 open-air landfills without any type of management or control, which have become highly-concentrated areas of air and water pollution. They are an unseen danger for every Dominican. Fortunately, the country is witnessing cultural changes which are creating initiatives that convert this “problem” into an opportunity for development. The message is clear: trash is no longer just trash, rather it has value. As long as trash can be utilized, it is not trash. The appropriate term is “discarded material,” a resource which is raw material and then turned into a new product. Garbage or Resource? A Dominican Republic Experience, a film produced by GFDD/FUNGLODE, depicts how recycling has become an important economic opportunity for Dominicans. Through various corporate and educational projects, the viewer observes how– aside from the obvious environmental benefits– recycling
enables economic development through the generation of new companies and industries. A short film which inspires, moves and calls to action. (Short, 17 min.)