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.

This upbeat film looks at how we can make energy more democratic and democracy more energetic. Come and see how the transition to renewable energy can renew us as individuals and society.

Tuesday June 8, 7-9pm (FULL)

9:10-11pm (NEW)

Museum of Civilization, Gatineau (Hull), Quebec

Entry is by invitation. To receive one, email david[at]davidc.ca

Cost: There is no admission price. However, donations are most welcome. Cash donations will be accepted, and cards will be available for major donations (eligible for tax receipt) to the Films for Change programme administered by the Tucker House Renewal Centre.

Parking for bikes and cars is available on site. Consider carpooling, cycling or coming by bus (OC Transpo #8 and multiple STO routes)

Support for this special screening comes from Sustainable Ottawa Energy Co-operative,

and the Tucker House Renewal Centre.

For those of us who try to keep up a blog, but never seem to have the time to post on a regular basis, it’s great to receive material that you can pass on, almost as if it were your own. Well here I go, passing on a recent message from Cam Mather about the great work that he and wife Michelle are doing. There are more of us out there doing this kind of stuff than the mainstream media and advertisers would have us believe!

Enjoy.

David Chernushenko

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Hi There

I’d like to let you know about my new website http://cammather.com. When I get requests to speak to groups, I am usually asked to provide my bio and other information and so this website will provide this information in one easy location. Michelle and I also feel that this will be a good forum for keeping everyone up to date on the things we’re up to. I’ve included a list and details of the topics that I enjoy speaking about. I’ve outlined my offer to consult on topics such as renewable energy and transitioning to a low carbon future. We’ll post information about workshops that we’re going to offer here at Sunflower Farm, similar to the workshops that I’ve been presenting at colleges across Ontario. We’ve often provided tours of our place for our college workshop participants. Now we’re going to offer the actual workshops right here so that the tour can be part of the learning experience.

We’ll also be offering renewable energy retreats here. Over the past few years, we’ve allowed a few groups to come for a weekend and learn about renewable energy, organic gardening and living sustainably by seeing it all in action. Our guesthouse provides accommodations for people wanting to stay overnight here at Sunflower Farm.

In the last 12 years of living off-grid we’ve upgraded our solar panels 4 times, built two trackers, put up two wind turbines, replaced batteries, upgraded our inverter, continued to increase the size of our vegetable garden, sold vegetables, heated sustainably with wood cut from the property, installed a solar domestic hot water heater and started and maintained a publishing company dedicated to selling books and DVDs about sustainable living. We’d like to promote ourselves as excellent resources to help other people who are about to take on some of these tasks.

You’ll even find a section on “Self-publishing books” as one of our consulting subjects. After 7 years in the business we’ve learned a great deal and with our recent move into “e-Books” publishing we can guide anyone you know who may be interested in publishing a book through this challenging industry.

My first passion continues to be public speaking so if you are involved with any organizations or your business is looking for someone with a genuine enthusiasm for sustainable living and using renewable energy and other techniques to navigate challenging times ahead, please introduce them to the website. I enjoy the challenge of motivating individuals to take positive action, especially when presenting to a large group.

Please share our website with friends and associates. We’re hoping to broaden the audience for our message.

Thanks.

Cam

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* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
AZTEXT PRESS  Publishers of

Thriving During Challenging Times
The energy, food and financial independence handbook.” ISBN 0-9733233-6-8

“The Renewable Energy Handbook”
A guide to rural energy independence, off-grid and sustainable living ISBN 0-9733233-2-9

“$mart Power: An urban guide to renewable energy and efficiency” ISBN 0-9733233-1-0

“Biodiesel Basics and Beyond”
A comprehensive Guide to production and use for the home and farm ISBN 0-9733233-3-7

The Zero-Carbon Car: Building the Car the Auto Industry Can’t Get Right  ISBN 0-9733233-4-4

Available at bookstores or www.aztext.com
2622 Mountain Road, Tamworth ON K0K 3G0  Phone: (613) 539-2831   cam@aztext.com

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.

Powerful: Energy for Everyone 2-minute teaser

Enjoy the teaser/trailer for David Chernushenko’s recently-completed second film, Powerful: Energy for Everyone. By taking control of our energy appetites and reclaiming control of our energy supply, we can lead prosperous lives powered mostly by renewable energy, and less social and ecological harm will be done in the name of fuelling our energy needs. Who knew we had such power?

To be informed of upcoming screenings, sign up for the Newsletter

To learn about opportunities to book the film or help to broadcast or distribute it, send an email to info@livinglightly.ca

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SYNOPSIS OF POWERFUL

A documentary by David Chernushenko

Flick the switch, turn the key, press the button and then pay the bill. Multiply that by six billion and you’ve got a picture of energy consumption on Earth today. We’re hard-wired to a conventional energy system that drives our transportation, powers our communications and is the lifeline to industry and commerce. Despite the benefits, we know that this system is regrettably depleting our resources, polluting our air and affecting global climate change. Guaranteed access to energy is no longer being taken for granted and the quest for “energy security” has become the buzz-word behind global trade relations and even a justification for conflict.

Who has the power after all?

Short of moving “back to the land” and going entirely “off grid”, what’s an ordinary member of society to do?

Green economy educator, David Chernushenko isn’t quite ready to head for the hills, but he has taken the extra special step of installing solar panels to off-set some of the energy consumed by his family home. Now, if he could just be allowed to feed some of that energy back into the grid, perhaps others could do the same. But we’re not there yet and David wants to know what we can do about it. From the far side of the ocean to his own backyard, he’ll embark on a global journey to examine the alternatives to the conventional energy system and experience the critical resistance being met along the way. Tackling the spin of the big energy lobby and, equally, dispelling the myths of a “green utopia” envisioned by many, Powerful is a candid examination of what a sustainable energy-powered future may actually look like. From amazing innovators, eccentric eco-activists to average communities completely powered by renewable energy, David will begin to discover that the implications for political, economic and democratic change are right here, on our very doorsteps… or just above them.

Documentary, HD, 95 minutes

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.