Renewal (film) explained

Renewal
Director:	Marty Ostrow, Terry Kay Rockefeller
Producer:	Marty Ostrow, Terry Kay Rockefeller
Runtime:	90 minutes
Country:	United States
Language:	English

Renewal is a 2008 feature-length documentary film about religious-environmental activists.^[1] Directed and produced by American filmmakers Marty Ostrow and Terry Kay Rockefeller, the film includes eight stories that represent the growing religious-environmental movement. Each story is set in a different religious-tradition, addressing a different environmental concern. Renewal began airing on public television stations in the United States in April 2009.^[2]

Stories

The eight stories in Renewal are:^[3]

• A Crime Against Creation: Evangelicals bear witness to mountaintop removal mining and the destruction of Appalachia (11:20 min.)
• Going Green: GreenFaith in New Jersey helps congregations take the first steps to environmental action (14:20 min)
• Food for Faith: Muslim tradition and charity forge bonds between urban communities and sustainable farms in Illinois (14:50 min)
• Ancient Roots: The Teva Learning Center and Adamah in Connecticut bring environmental education together with Jewish tradition (17:30 min)
• Compassion in Action: Green Sangha, a Buddhist community in northern California, leads a campaign to save trees (11:10 min)
• Eco-Justice: The Holy Spirit inspires a battle against industrial contamination in small-town Mississippi (11:30 min)
• Sacred Celebration: Catholics and Native Americans embrace religious ritual in a struggle to protect New Mexico’s land and water (9:30 min)
• Interfaith Power and Light: Across America people of all faiths mount a religious response to global warming (9:25 min)

Presentation history

• In honor of World Environment Day 2008, Renewal was screened at the United Nations.^[4]
• Renewal is featured in Humane Society of the United States’ “All Creatures Great and Small Campaign.”^[5]
• Voted “Best of Fest” at the Hazel Wolf Environmental Film Festival in Seattle.^[4]
• Screened by over 1000 Interfaith Power and Light-affiliated congregations, in 29 states.^[6]
• Showcased as a workshop at Bioneers by the Bay, a conference dedicated to visionary and practical solutions for restoring the Earth and its inhabitants.^[6]
• An official selection of the Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival and National Tour, the largest environmental film festival in the United States, a festival for activists by activists.^[6]

DVD release

The Renewal DVD includes the 90-minute sequence of the eight stories, as well as uncut stand-alone versions of the stories. It is being promoted as a flexible tool for community action groups, congregations, religious and environmental organizations.^[7]

See also

• Religion and environmentalism
• Spiritual ecology
• Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology

External links

• Film Web Site
• Interfaith Power and Light
• GreenFaith

Notes and References

1. Web site: Renewal (2008) - Plot summary. Internet Movie Database. April 26, 2009.
2. Web site: American Public Television: Renewal: Stories from America's Religious Environmental Movement . American Public Television. April 26, 2009.
3. Web site: Renewal Project – About the Film. The Renewal Project. April 26, 2009.
4. Web site: RENEWAL- Faith and Environment - Sierra Club's Environmental Partnerships Program - Sierra Club. Sierra Club. April 26, 2009.
5. Web site: Food for Faith . Humane Society of the United States. April 26, 2009.
6. Web site: Renewal Project – What's Happening. The Renewal Project. April 26, 2009.
7. Web site: Renewal Project – Purchase DVDs. The Renewal Project. April 26, 2009.