LEARN MORE. TAKE ACTION. MAKE CHANGE.
We hope the films at the Festival will inspire you to action.

If you are motivated by a film and want to know more, this page will help connect you to additional information, resources and action opportunities.  By no means is this a comprehensive listing. Utilize this as a jumping off point and feel free to do additional research on your own!

The American Conservation Film Festival welcomes diverse voices to the conservation dialogue.  We establish partnerships with and seek support and sponsorship from a range of artists, individuals and organizations expressing varied perspectives on the complexities of human and environmental conservation.  While we greatly value these relationships, they do not necessarily reflect the views or values of the ACFF board or staff, nor do they influence the selection and programming of ACFF films, performances or other engagements.

2016 Films


An Acquired Taste

Read more in this Slate article.

Beneath Paradise

Scroll way down to the “Want to Help” section on the film’s website: http://www.beneathparadise.com/welcome

Bluebird Man

Learn how to set up your own bluebird trail by clicking on links here.
You’ll find helpful factsheets here along with additional information about protecting bluebirds.

Catching the Sun

Learn more here.

Forget Shorter Showers

Try Start to learn how to gather a group of people to better understand what is wrong with our world, develop a vision of a better society, and figure out effective strategies for moving from here to there.

How to Change the World

Greenpeace’s Greenwire connects with volunteers, activists and groups working on environmental campaigns all across the country.  It’s the place to start groups, host events, run campaigns, share photos,videos, blogs and join with other interested activists eager to help.

Medieval Monsters

Further reading: Biodiversity in England’s New Forest

Monarchs: The Milkweed Mission

Order free milkweed seeds to grow in your yard and help the dwindling monarch population.

Two pages of action suggestions, from asking highway departments and utilities to reduce mowing of road edges, power lines, and other areas where milkweed grows to monitoring monarchs as a citizen scientist .

Petition the US Fish and Wildlife Service to add monarchs to list of endangered species. 

Pangolin

7 ways to help save the pangolin 

Racing Extinction  

Take time to explore Racing Extinction’s website  to find petitions, such as Rainforest Action Network’s (below), to sign up for challenges to help you make changes to benefit threatened species, to learn how to green your city, to see incredible PhotoArk images of endangered species and learn more about each one of them. Be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom of the page, too.

Click here to join Rainforest Action Network in calling on palm oil companies to work with their suppliers to immediately halt the destruction of the Leuser Ecosystem.

Saving Mes Aynak

Sign a petition to the President of Afghanistan.
Two other actions at Saving Mes Aynak’s website are:

  1. Contacting the Afghan embassy to tell them you support the protection and preservation of Mes Aynak.

The Honorable Dr. Hamdullah Mohib
2341 Wyoming Ave., NW,Washington, DC 20008
Tel: 202-483-6410
[email protected]

2. Sending the same message to the UNESCO Office in the U.S.

UNESCO – NEW YORK
Liaison Office with the United Nations, D.C. II Building, 2 UN Plaza, Office No. 900,
NEW YORK, N.Y. 10017, United States of America
Tel.:(1) (212) 963 59 78

Seed: The Untold Story

Grow GMO-free, open pollinated seeds.
Save and swap seeds  http://www.seedsavers.org/join
Explore the broad-missioned Organic Consumers Association to learn about its campaigns and actions.

Sonic Sea  

Learn more about the Center for Biological Diversity’s advocacy of ocean wildlife and efforts to fight ocean noise.

Make a contribution to the NRDC to support their efforts to reduce ocean noise. Click here.

The Burden: Fossil Fuel, The Military and National Security  

Ask that your member of Congress lift the burden of fossil fuel dependence – http://www.theburdenfilm.com/lift_the_burden

The Messenger  

Cornell Lab of Ornithology in partnership with The Messenger presents 7 ways to help songbirds, including tips on how to make windows safer for birds.

The True Cost  
Check out the dropdown box “Learn More” on the film’s website including what you can do to reduce the environmental impact of the clothing industry.  Be sure to read the Take Action pledge statement. You can see the a few of the brands the filmmakers like:

Consider joining the Fashion Revolution  Get involved in Greenpeace’s campaign to transform the fashion industry so it stops polluting the environment.

Thirty Million  

Learn more about the science and impact of rising sea levels .

Myclimate, cited on the film’s website, educates, develops climate protection programs, and sells carbon offsets (in Euros and Francs). To learn more about reducing your footprint through carbon offsets, see “Should You Buy Carbon Offsets?”

Become involved with organizations fighting climate change:
350.org
Greenpeace
Sierra Club Move Beyond Fossil Fuels
Sierra Club WV Energy Efficiency Campaign


A Penguin’s Life in the City

About the Little Penguin
Little Penguin info from the Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife

Aerial America:  Wilderness
The Wilderness Society explains the Wilderness Act
Contact Congress regarding current wilderness bills
For more Aerial America Episodes

America’s Amazon
Alabama Nature Partners lists numerous resources regarding the Mobile-Tensaw Delta
Weeks Bay Foundation

America’s Wilderness (short films)
View more NPS America’s Wilderness shorts

Big Men
Rachel Boynton’s journey behind the scenes of Big Oil interview
Additional interviews and press at the Big Men website

Carpe Diem:  A Fishy Tale
Asian Carp information from the National Wildlife Federation
Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee
Stop Carp Coalition

Come Hell or High Water:  The Battle for Turkey Creek
Bridge the Gulf Project – a Gulf Coast community media project working towards justice and sustainability
Teaching Resources based on the film
Reel Power – films addressing climate change and the long term impact of resource extraction
Dollars & Sense interview with Derrick Evans

DamNation
Petition to Crack Down on Deadbeat Dams
Yvon Chouinard on Dams – NY Times
Anti-Dam Movement of International Rivers

Earth, Water Woman
Curriculum Guide based on the film
Water.org
World Health Organization on water issues

Emptying the Skies
Committee Against Bird Slaughter Action Letter
Projects of improved protection from the Committee Against Bird Slaughter
Emptying the Skies by Jonathan Franzen in The New Yorker

From Billions to None
Project Passenger Pigeon -Lessons from the past for a sustainable future
The Diane Rehm Show on the topic of de-extinction
TED talks on de-extinction
Revive  & Restore – genetic rescue for endangered and extinct species
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology – passenger pigeon blog post

Ground Operations: Battlefields to Farmfields
Take Action via the Ground Operations website
Farmer Veteran Coalition
Beginning Farmers – Military Veteran Farmer Training article

Growing Cities
Learn more via the Growing Cities website
Capital City Farming – 10 Urban Agriculture Projects in Washington D.C.
Farm Alliance Baltimore City
Fritz Haeg’s Edible Estates

Invasive
VA Dept. of Game & Inland Fisheries – FAQ Northern Snakehead
USDA National Invasive Species Information Center on Northern Snakeheads
Northern Snakehead monitoring by the USFWS Maryland

Island of Lemurs: Madagascar
Lemur League Activities via the Island of Lemurs: Madagascar website
Education opportunities via the Island of Lemurs: Madagascar website
Duke Lemur Center

Love in the Tetons
Beyond the Edge- National Geographic Adventure blog post on Love in the Tetons
The North Face Ambassador profile of Juan Martinez
Sierra Club Outdoors – Inner City Outings
Appalachian Mountain Club – Youth Opportunities Program

Love Thy Nature
A selection of Nature Organizations via Love Thy Nature website

Mapping the Blue
Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation Education and Outreach
NOAAs Coral Reef Conservation Program
Protect and Save Coral Reefs – The Nature Conservancy

Nokhoi Zeekh: In Search of Wolverine
The Mongolian Wolverine Project – How to Help
Defenders of Wildlife blog – Wolverines Need Protection Now

Postcards from Climate Change
View more Postcards and learn about the project HERE
Take Action – The UN and Climate Change
Smithsonian Environmental Research Center – Take Action to Fight Climate Change

PSA: What does it take to restore and protect the Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay Program website
NWF protecting the Chesapeake Bay

School’s Out
Forest School Association website
Forest Schools Education website
Natural Start Alliance article – Forest School in Public School – is it possible?

Snows of the Nile
About Snows of the Nile
Connect4Climate – Climate Change Resources
takepart – Take Action in Climate Change

Sticky
Article via WIRED
Lord Howe Island article via NPR
Australian Broadcasting Corporation- The Science Show- Second chance for the Lord Howe Island Stick Insect
Rediscovered after being declared extinct article

The Green Ninja: Styrofoam Man
The Green Ninja website for additional episodes and educational info
takepart – D.C. bans plastic take-out containers
Groundswell – Which cities have banned plastic foam?

The Hailey Community Climate Challenge
City of Hailey Climate Challenge
Solar Holler – Repowering Appalachia with Hometown Energy

The Last Ocean
Take Action via The Last Ocean website
Antarctica and Southern Ocean Coalition – Ross Sea Preservation
PEW Charitable Trusts – The Need to Protect the Ross Sea

The Meaning of Wild
Sitka Conservation Society – protecting the Tongass
About The Meaning of Wild

The New Green Giants
The New Green Giants Facebook Page
Food and Water Watch for info on safe and sustainably produced food
The Non-GMO Project

The Phantom Wolves of Sun Valley
Wolf Conservation Center
Defenders of Wildlife – Protecting Native Animals and Their Habitats
Predator Defense

The Race to Save Pennsylvania’s Bats
White-Nose Syndrome – Information Resources
Bat Conservation International

Ticked Off: The Mystery of Lyme Disease
CDC – Lyme Disease
National Geographic News – What is Lyme Disease article
Info for Lyme Disease Support Group Eastern Panhandle WV
American Lyme Disease Foundation

Trash Dance
Article of Austin Sanitation Workers featured in Trash Dance documentary 
Environmental Justice in Action blog – Tales from our Trash: NYC’s Sanitation Workers
WV joins National Movement Protecting Sanitation Workers

Unacceptable Levels
Great list of Resources at the Unacceptable Levels website
Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families Coalition

We Are the Land
Save our Sacred Chief Facebook Community
Blackfeet Women Against Fracking – a conversation with Pauline Matt

Wrenched
Grand Canyon Trust – how you can help
Peaceful Uprising – Defending a Livable Future Through Empowering Nonviolent Action
Earth First! – Monkeywrenching Article