The 19th annual Planet in Focus Film Festival might be over, but that doesn’t mean our work is done! This was a very moving year at PiF and we found a common thread running through all the events this year, brought up by so many of our special guests and filmmakers: that it is up to each and every one of us to take action and work together to make a difference. As Brian and Sandra Stewart – Rob Stewart’s parents – emphasized at the screening of SHARKWATER: EXTINCTION, we don’t have to accept the world we’ve been handed – we need to fight for the world we want
Did you see a film that really moved you? Was there an issue covered that you felt compelled to learn more about? This year for #PiF2018, we included action items in the schedule with each film. To make it easier for you, we’ve put all the feature films from the fest this year in a list below accompanied by their action items. Find a film, fall in love with an issue – take action with us! Together we will fight for the just, healthy, sustainable world we all deserve.
How can you make a difference?
If you would like to get involved in saving the giraffe, consider supporting one or more of the following research and conservation organizations:
*Save The Giraffes
*The Reticulated Giraffe Project
*The Wild Nature Institute
How can you make a difference?
- Reduce your own footprint: use public transport instead of taking the car or flying, reduce your meat consumption, use less plastic.
- Donate to the 3% Project to support climate change education projects in schools, empowering youth to take action.
- Get inspired by reading the book ‘How I Resist: Activism and Hope for a New Generation‘ by Maureen Johnson.
How can you make a difference?
- Explore the Climate Atlas of Canada, which combines climate science, mapping and storytelling to bring the global issue of climate change closer to home.
- Make polluters pay for their contribution to climate change: tweet the Canadian environment and climate change minister to put a price on carbon here.
- Stand up against the banks that keep funding pipelines that threaten Indigenous Rights, by signing this Greenpeace petition.
How can you make a difference?
- Join a local action group like 350Toronto.
- Say no to the $4.5 billion Kinder Morgan buyout, by writing to members of parliament here.
- Sign up for the ‘The Reluctant Radical’ newsletter, to receive updates on the valve turner trial and if the film will be released online.
- Get involved with Climate Action Network
How can you make a difference?
How can you make a difference?
- Stand with oil, gas and coal workers calling for upskilling in renewable energy by signing this petition.
- Donate to the First Nations Child & Family Caring Society of Canada, to support equity for First Nations children and young people, and reconciliation-based activities for all children in Canada.
- Follow MiningWatch Canada
- Volunteer for or support the canadian LGBT Youthline
How can you make a difference?
- Prevent the Siberian permafrost from melting by taking action against climate change: use public transport, waste less, recycle, and make your voice heard.
- Go on a sustainable fossil hunt yourself in Ontario, learn more about it here.
- Learn more about the Age of Mammals at the Royal Gallery of Ontario
How can you make a difference?
- Become a volunteer for Canadian elephant advocacy organization Elephanatics.
- Support the Big Life Foundation, which collaborates closely with local communities in East-Africa to protect wildlife, e.g. by providing employment and education.
- Help protect wildlife in Canada, by donating to or volunteering at Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary.
- Get involved with the Wildlife Preservation Canada
How can you make a difference?
- Read up on Canadian retailers’ seafood sustainability commitments and how they are performing against them here, to make a more sustainable choice when buying seafood.
- Sign the petition to protect BC’s old-growth rainforests
- Order a free shoreline clean-up kit here.
- Get involved with Blue Fish Canada and The Council of Canadians
How can you make a difference?
- Demand clean air and energy in your community by signing this petition.
- Go solar and put solar panels on your house or invest in solar energy at SolarShare.
- Explore the option to purchase renewable energy from your electricity provider or alternative providers like Bullfrog.
- Follow Ontario Clean Air Alliance
How can you make a difference?
- Bike instead of taking the car, and go to a Cycle Toronto workshop.
- Participate in a Sidewalk Toronto ‘public roundtable’, to brainstorm and discuss the future of the new Torontonian neighbourhoods that will combine forward-thinking urban design and new digital technology.
- Take a tour of Evergreen Brick Works, where a collection of deteriorating heritage buildings have been transformed into a global showcase for green design and an award-winning public space.
- Get involved with the Toronto Tool Library & The Sharing Depot, circular economy initiatives that aim to reduce waste by encouraging people to share, upcycle and make.
- Follow TAS DesignBuild
How can you make a difference?
- Listen to these podcasts about Brexit: Brexitcast and Remaniacs
- Get involved with Canadian organization Solidarity Across Borders, to fight unjust immigration and refugee systems.
- Read more about ‘invisible refugees’ in Saskia Sassen’s book ‘Expulsions: Brutality and Complexity in the Global Economy’.
How can you make a difference?
- Participate in an Young Urban Farmers Toronto farming workshop.
- Become a member of a local food cooperative.
- Garden in your own backyard, learn how at BUFCO.
How can you make a difference?
- Recycle your electronic waste at Shift Recycling.
- Learn more about e-waste recycling in Toronto in this blog from Toronto Tool Library.
- Donate electronics to Free Geek Toronto
- Invest in products that last longer, instead of buying products with a short life-span over and over again, and read up on other tips on how to start a zero waste lifestyle.
- Have a household item that’s broken? Don’t toss it! Bring it to Repair Cafe Toronto where you can get help fixing it for free.
For The Birds
How can you make a difference?
- Volunteer at the Carroll Organics farm sanctuary.
- Read up on what steps you can take if you suspect somebody is hoarding animals here.
- Donate to the Animal Welfare Foundation of Canada.
How can you make a difference?
- Go to a Canadian Organic Growers workshop.
- Shop for organic seeds at Hawthorn Farm.
- Donate to USC Canada to support 30,000 small-scale farmers around the world, and subscribe to their newsletter.
How can I make a difference?
- Call on the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship to support a generous and robust resettlement program for refugees in Canada.
- Volunteer at, or donate to, Matthew House Toronto or become a mentor for newcomers in Canada at the Peer Project (or the Together Project)
- Protest against australian off-shore detention of refugees by signing this petition.
- Attend then JAYU Human Rights Film Festival
How can you make a difference?
- Donate to the Philippine Eagle Foundation to help save the Philippine Eagless
- Buy and taste coffee that is produced without harming bird habitats at Birds and Beans in Etobicoke.
- Take action against deforestation: avoid palm-oil and eat less meat
How can you make a difference?
- Read David Abram’s book ‘Becoming Animal: An Earthly Cosmology‘.
- For children: join one of the outdoor immersion programs at the Guelph Outdoor School or a program through The p.i.n.e Project.
- Take part in a nature healing yoga retreat, like this one.
How can you make a difference?
- Buy fair trade products when you can, and pay attention to certification and labels, learn more here.
- Become an urban farming and garden volunteer at Evergreen Brick Works.
- Volunteer at Black Creek Community Farm, to learn and teach others about organic farming, and sustainable food.
How can you make a difference?
- Make a donation in memory of Rob Stewart, in order for his conservation work to be continued.
- Sign this petition to ban shark fin trade in Canada.
- Pick up garbage and litter near beaches, or join a Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup event to clean up your local beach with others.
- Tell friends and family to go see Sharkwater:Extinction while it is in theatres.
How can you make a difference?
- Join the Toronto-based action group ‘No One Is Illegal‘
- Call on Canada to help refugees fleeing Trump by signing this petition.
- Learn more about the experiences of Central American Immigrants in the US, by reading one of these books, all set at the Mexican-American border.
How can you make a difference?
- Explore the ESRI Ground War Story Map to learn more about pesticides and regulations in North America.
- Sign up for the Prevent Cancer Now newsletter to stay up-to-date on the latest cancer prevention news, research and events
- Learn how to make your own organic pesticides here
Sign up for the Planet in Focus Film Festival newsletter to stay up-to-date on the environmental film scene and to receive updates about our year round programming. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to continue the conversation.
