Getting my film Powerful: Energy for Everyone down to 95 minutes was a slow and painful process. Just imagine how it felt being asked (told!) by my distributors to make versions of 52-minutes (for International television) and 48-minutes (for North American advertisement-filled television). But it was very much worth it. Being forced to cut the film to its core essence and messages made me rethink what it would take to excite, educate and entertain an audience in less than an hour.

The task also got me thinking about creating a version that would be used for public debate and discussion. If a teacher, city manager, environmental group, community energy co-op or utility outreach officer had just 90 minutes to show a film, lead a discussion and then take audience questions, what would be the key elements that should be in that film? With this objective in mind, I and my co-producer Michael Dobbin and editor Lisa Virtue completed these shorter versions and sent them out to our distributor Filmoption International to take to the major film and television markets.

And then the request started coming in to make Powerful: Energy for Everyone available to just the kinds of audiences I had envisioned. Colleges, universities and even high schools. Town energy planners, energy co-ops and more. So, I created a few DVDs with the 52-minute version and put it to the test. The feedback was great.

So now anyone can request the short or long-version of Powerful with a public screening license and use it to stimulate much-needed debate about our energy future on this special planet of ours. Energy security, waste-to-energy, green buildings, the pros and cons of wind energy, the real potential of solar power, green collar jobs, biodiesel, the economics of nuclear energy… Powerful is just the film for leading into a serious discussion about energy, and power.

To inquire about screening Powerful: Energy for Everyone in your cinema, city hall, campus … wherever, contact me by phone at 1-613-730-0870 or email david[at]davidc.ca

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.

It is easy for us, the people who have never known a life without easy access to cheap energy, to forget that as many as two billion people do not. Energy choices for many are limited and hard to come by. In many rural villages in Africa, South America and elsewhere, the only source of light is a burnable fuel like kerosene which can be scarce, expensive and polluting or batteries which are hard to come by and must be regularly replaced. Enter D-Rev — the design revolution entrepreneurs. Greg Lee and Amanda Gonzalez are two young entrepreneurs with engineering training and a social mission. They have developed a “solar concentrator” that generates electricity from the sun, using an elegant design and inexpensive materials. It has the potential to change lives, and even save lives.

David Chernushenko

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 Race Rocks Ecological Reserve — just off the southern tip of Vancouver Island, British Columbia — is managed by Pearson College, an international high school. Students learn about marine ecology and, increasingly, about energy. The facilities at Race Rocks, where some students spend a great deal of time, require energy to run. Typically this has been provided by diesel fuel, which is expensive and dangerous to transport. The transition to renewable power is well under way, with several arrays of solar panels in place and, now, a new tidal energy turbine in place several metres below the ocean surface in fast moving tidal currents. Some students have seen their future aspirations transformed by their work at Race Rocks and their introduction to renewable energy.

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.

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

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.

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.