Arts & Culture

National Geographic film ‘Human Footprint’ to be shown Oct. 20

Wednesday, October 19, 2011, By News Staff

The Syracuse University Sustainability Division will be showing the National Geographic Channel film “Human Footprint,” on Thursday, Oct. 20, at 7 p.m. in Watson Theater in the Menschel Media Center. Admission is free and open to the public. Moviegoers should use the Waverly Avenue side building entrance.

This must-see film delivers a straightforward look at how we tread on the planet. It uses a series of remarkable visuals and features several experts to showcase the amount of consumption that goes into an average human lifetime today. The movie also offers a variety of simple changes we can all make to reduce our negative impact on the world.

“Human influence on Earth can be positive or negative, benign or catastrophic,” says Eric W. Sanderson, director of the Human Footprint Project Wildlife Conservation Society/Columbia University. “Recognizing this responsibility is the first step each of us can take to transform the human footprint and save the last of the wild.”

The “Human Footprint“ is part of the National Geographic Society’s Preserve Our Planet initiative, and was produced in association with the National Geographic Missions Program and the Wildlife Conservation Society.

The screening will be a “waste-free” event and attendees are encouraged to bring their own “mess kits” (Tupperware, re-usable silverware, re-useable water bottles, etc.) to eat snacks, which will be provided by the Sustainability Division. “We are aiming to create zero trash at this event,” says Hannah Morgan, Sustainability Division research intern.

Throughout the academic year, the Sustainability Division will be showing other documentaries to create awareness about sustainability issues. The next film in the series is “Blue Gold,” and will be shown on Thursday, Nov. 10.

This event is a part of the Sustainability Division’s recycling campaign. Students who would like to become involved with the recycling campaign should contact Morgan at hkmorgan@syr.edu. Students who wish to become more involved with sustainable issues on campus should contact Brooke Wears at bkmorley@syr.edu.

For more information about sustainability visit the Sustainability website, follow @SustainableSU on Twitter, and check out Syracuse University Sustainability Facebook.