Concerned residents paying for free showing of Al Gore movie
Posted on Wednesday, July 12, 2006
A collection of people have teamed to put their money where their mouths are on global warming concerns.
The documentary "An Inconvenient Truth"will be shown for free on a firstcome, first-served basis at 7: 15 p.m. Tuesday at Fiesta Square 16 Cinemas in Fayetteville.
Funds for the screening came from a group made of business owners, at least one local politician, and members from Audubon Arkansas, the Sierra Club and the OMNI Center for Peace, Justice and Ecology. They share the belief that the Al Gore film presents the issue and a solution in an easily accessible package.
"Saying this movie just might save the world is a broad statement, but it just might be the catalyst to start taking the topic seriously," said Kelly Mulhollan with the OMNI Center. "It's a matter of will. We have the resources to turn this around; we just haven't made it a priority."
The idea to purchase tickets for an entire showing came while Mulhollan and Donna Stjerna were working a table last week at the Fayetteville Farmers'Market. Several passersby stopped to discuss the documentary, and one person posed the idea of supplying free tickets.
Stjerna gauged potential interest by sending out emails, which were met with enthusiasm and some financial contributions. Sixteen organizers met Monday night and began moving forward the following morning.
"It was one of the simplest little projects to ever get off the ground," Mulhollan said.
Regal Entertainment Group, which operates the Fiesta 16, provided a discount price of $ 6 per ticket, meaning the group must raise more than $ 1, 000 for a nearly 180-seat theater. If more money is raised, the screening will be relocated to a room with more than 300 seats.
Fayetteville Mayor Dan Coody was among the first to pledge support for the effort. He saw the film about two weeks ago. Now he hopes his elected peers on the Fayetteville City Council will do the same, and he offered free tickets to any of them willing to accept the offer.
Population concentrations in cities create large amounts of greenhouse gases entering the atmosphere, and Coody hoped more municipalities would initiate programs to limit their impacts on the environment.
He listed a few alterations made in Fayetteville, including LED traffic signals that he estimated were 85 percent more efficient than their predecessors. An upcoming modification will be the city fleet utilizing biodiesel once the new fuel farm is online this fall.
Fayetteville also is among the cities that have signed onto the U. S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, which advances the goals of the Kyoto Protocol, which the U. S. Government has failed to ratify. Little Rock and North Little Rock are the other participating cities in Arkansas.
"If we wait on federal legislation to reverse the path we're on, then I'm afraid we'll be waiting too long," Coody said.
Fayetteville residents heard a similar message in April during a series of presentations with Bill Chameides, chief scientist with Environmental Defense.
Chameides called for carbon caps and predicted Americans could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by driving more fuel-efficient vehicles and replacing regular lightbulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs.
Critics largely have praised "An Inconvenient Truth"for its message not only of mankind's contributions to global warming, but also for providing the potential answers.
Adversaries contend the film is yet another account of the fallacy of global warming as well as a political platform for Gore.
Nancy Varvil has altered her daily habits since viewing the movie a few weeks ago in Tulsa, Okla. She now walks or rides her bike most days to work, and she limits the number of times she mows her lawn.
The film left her seeing signs of global warming in news articles about floods, droughts and climate changes, but like others who viewed the movie, she walked away uplifted and with the feeling global warming caused by human activity could be thwarted.
She now implores her friends and acquaintances to see the film as well.
"I think that everyone comes away or will come away with the feeling they have a responsibility to get others to see it because it is more convincing than anything I could say about the subject," Varvil said. "We should be trying to create a buzz about it so our leaders will realize it's everybody's concern."
Arsaga's Block Street Bakery also has been advocating the movie. It and other Arsaga's locations already have offered a free drink to anyone possessing a ticket stub from "An Inconvenient Truth."
"We're encouraging people to see this because the research is impeccable," coowner Cindy Arsaga said. "It's a wonderful movie as far as the information goes, and it creates a lot of hope and tells us what we can do."
Gore is scheduled to bring his version today to Bentonville, where he will show "An Inconvenient Truth "and field questions at Wal-Mart headquarters. The presentation will take place during a quarterly meeting of the company's environmental group, which was formed after Chief Executive Officer H. Lee Scott pledged the retailer would invest at least $ 500 million annually to accomplish the environmental missions of zero waste, 100 percent renewable energy and ecofriendly products.
While Gore's visit doesn't provide the public a viewing opportunity, the group with Mulhollan, Coody and others does. They plan to spread symbolic vouchers throughout Fayetteville, but those will serve only as announcements. The first people in line on Tuesday will be the ones awarded free entry.
"Some may think this is a reckless way to spend $ 1, 000, but this shows the kind of passion this movie evokes," Mulhollan said. "Everybody thinks if we can get 180 people to see it, then they will seek 180 more people to see it, and so on."
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