What was different about this discussion, though, was that three of the candidates (riding of Carleton-Mississipi Mills) in Ontario’s provincial election attended, spoke and made themselves available for what turned into more than an hour-long discussion. [too bad the Progressive Conservative candidate declined, something that has become a pattern, especially when it comes to discussions on sustainable energy - but that's another topic.] It was great to see that Powerful was having just the effect/impact which motivated me to make the film in the first place: getting people thinking, debating and asking questions of our politicians and decision-makers.

However, a second big moment of the night was the fact that one of the candidates was hearing-impaired (“deaf”, in his words) and had an assistant who was “signing” so that he could follow the conversation and respond. At the end of the evening, he asked me if a “captioned” version of the film was available. I replied that no, owing to the costs of doing this I had neither produced a captioned version nor a French subtitled option when I produced the first version of the DVD. For my first film Be the Change (2008), I had incurred the additional $5000 or so expense of doing this upfront, thanks to having sufficient funds. In this case, I opted not to, but had every intention of “getting to it” in the future. Well, now here I am in the midst of getting the French subtitling done in time for a November 25th event that requires it. But, still no captioned version.

This candidate made the very helpful suggestion that I could/should prepare a copy of the transcript (with accompanying time codes), so that a hearing-impaired viewer could refer to this transcript before, during or after. As an interim measure, this is a great idea. Not as good as a true close captioned version, but a good start. So, for anyone who may desire such a transcript, please email me with this request at david[at]livinglightly.ca.  I will post this as an option on the Powerful page on this website, but that may take me a little while. And yes, I will aim to get that true captioned version done soon. Financial contributions towards this and/or the French versions are always welcome!

Cheers,

David

Click here to view the embedded video.

In the making of my film Powerful: Energy for Everyone, I had the occasion to visit many communities, see interesting projects and interview passionate people of all stripes. I shot over 100 hours of video. Not all could be squeezed into a 95-minute film. This is one of the stories that I would like to have included if I had the space.

The town of Almonte (part of the municipality of Mississippi Mills, Ontario) was in the process of rebuilding its “run of river” hydro generating facility to generate even more “green power”. The municipally-owned utility company will not only be generating renewable energy, but earning a return for the shareholder (the local citizens). At the same time, the town is in the middle of a locally-driven economic revival – one that is more diversified than ever, and which is driven by local entrepreneurs who care as much about the community as they do about making profit.

We talk about energy options, the pros and cons of each, and why I came to the conclusion that renewable energy is the way to go, not just for environmental and social reasons, but for economic ones and for reasons of “security” and “autonomy” as well. Check it out and send in your comments, please.

http://www.voiceamerica.com/voiceamerica/vepisode.aspx?aid=45637

My new film Powerful:Energy for Everyone is now weeks away from completion. In it, I explore all of these topics and more. I look forward to sharing it with the world.

David Chernushenko

Parts of this interview will be featured in the upcoming David Chernushenko film, Powerful: Energy for Everyone.

Parts of this interview will be featured in the upcoming David Chernushenko film, Powerful: Energy for Everyone.

“When convincing evidence refutes what I previously believed, I change my opinion. What do you do sir?” John Maynard Keynes

So, today President Barack Obama moved swiftly and decisively to chart a new course for American energy security, reversing eight years (or perhaps eighty years) of energy policy which has made oil, coal and nuclear the king, and renewable forms of energy, the peasant. The “New White House” policy emphasizes clean energy, renewables, green collar jobs and the health of humans and the ecosystem. Without seeing all the details yet, just the broadstrokes, I am impressed. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, this is your time to shine! Surprise us with something even better. Or at least something just as good, please! I know Keynes is not your favourite economist, but you might at least take a cue from his words above.

Without the details, I still have a niggling fear that nuclear energy will feature in President Obama’s version of clean energy. That would be a shame. History, and the present, show us that nuclear is not the way to go, being neither clean, resilient nor cost-effective. The following page from a Danish government website touches on why I feel this way, even if some green-tinged folk have been tempted by nuclear as a preferable option to other greenhouse gas-generating energy sources.

Have a look at this helpful summary. 10 big energy myths — renewable energy versus conventional energy. #mce_temp_url# 

It would make a useful guide to the structure of my next film: Powerful: re-energizing people, communities and democracy.

David Chernushenko

Click here to view the embedded video.

Jay Sinha and Chantal Plamondon launched their business LifeWithoutPlastic.com/vivresansplastique.com to provide people with healthier alternatives to common plastic products such as baby bottles and sports bottles. David Chernushenko and the Living Lightly team visit Jay and Chantal at their boutique in Wakefield, Quebec.

Video edited by Stan Boyle

Click here to view the embedded video.