REDFORD CENTER STORIES
Grades 1–8
The winners of the Redford Center’s inaugural environmental storytelling contest for middle school students have just been announced! Designed to build youth environmental leadership through interactive learning and collaborative storytelling, the contest challenged students around the country to produce 30-90 second videos reimagining materials production, use and waste.

Selected by Director of Education, Joanne Parsont:
“We were really looking forward to premiering these hot-off-the-presses short films in our new Immersive Media Studio at EYF, but we are so grateful that the contest was not affected by school closures and that these inspiring students from Texas, California and Illinois were able to let their conviction and creativity shine!”

View the winning films for free here.

Things to think and talk about after watching the film:

• What improvements could your school cafeteria make to lessen its negative impact on the environment?
• What are some ways you can make your own home more eco-friendly?

YOUNG VOICES FOR THE PLANET
Grades 3-8
This collection of films features youth speaking out, creating solutions, changing laws, changing minds and changing society as they reduce the carbon footprint of their homes, schools and communities. These short documentaries reach our hearts and inspire action—and action is the antidote to fear. 

Selected by Education Program Manager Melanie Nichols:
“Young Voices for the Planet shares with us the fears, dreams, concerns, commitment and actions of youth all over the world.  Our world is full of adult voices—let the youth speak loud and clear!”

View the films for free here.  

Things to think and talk about after watching the film:

• Which film was especially impactful to you? Why?
• Is there an environmental problem in your town, or nearby, that you are concerned about? What are some ways you can join with others to improve the situation?

INVENTING TOMORROW
Grades 5-12
Take a journey with young minds from around the globe as they prepare their projects for the largest convening of high school scientists in the world, the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). Watch these passionate innovators find the courage to face the planet’s environmental threats while navigating adolescence. Director: Laura Nix (US 2018) 104 min

Selected by Director of Education, Joanne Parsont:
“I am so inspired by the work these young people are doing to protect and preserve the environments of their home countries and local communities. At a time when we are facing so many global challenges, their efforts are the perfect examples of hope and perseverance we need to see.”

View the film on Amazon

Things to think and talk about after watching the film:

• Why are keystone species important in a healthy ecosystem? 
• Using examples from the film, what can happen if they are removed from an ecosystem?

@415PLUMBER’S OBSSSIONS
Grades 4-12
Grabbing a few rays at the beach could get you stuck by a used needle, though it rarely leads to a lifelong environmental preoccupation. But that’s what happened to Aaron, a plumber and accidental activist who now spends a couple of hours a day scouring San Francisco’s Ocean Beach for plastic. Director: Jeff den Broeder (US 2016) 7 min

Selected by Education Outreach Manager Shakira Refos:
“I love Jeff’s passion and energy for the environment. He takes a serious conversation and turns it into something quite playful by the way he sorts objects he finds on the beach, sometimes even turning them into art. I also love the beach and wish we could collectively be more mindful about how we treat our shores.”

View the film for free here.

Things to think and talk about after watching the film:

• Jeff is very passionate about Ocean Beach. What is something that you are as passionate about as Jeff is about our waters?
• Have you ever found plastic washed up on the beach? Have you ever left trash on the beach? Name a few things you can personally do to help take better care of the ocean.

THE SERENGETI RULES
Grades 7-12
Beginning in the 1960s, a small band of young scientists headed into the wilderness, driven by an insatiable curiosity about how nature works. Immersed in some of the most remote and spectacular places on Earth—from the Serengeti to the Amazon to the Arctic—they discovered a single set of rules that govern all life. These five heroes of modern ecology reveal how their pioneering work flipped our view of nature on its head, and give us a chance to reimagine the world as it could and should be. Director: Nicolas Brown (US 2018) 80 min

Selected by Education Program Manager Melanie Nichols:
“This film taught me why keystone species are a mandatory element in a healthy ecosystem.”

View the film on iTunes or Amazon.

Things to think and talk about after watching the film:

• Why are keystone species important in a healthy ecosystem? 
• Using examples from the film, what can happen if they are removed from an ecosystem?

A REINDEER’S JOURNEY
Grades 3-6
Follow a young reindeer’s first year, filled with moments of wonder, struggle, and delight, as he navigates the icy landscapes of Lapland. Sharing the terrain are a wily stoat, a curious red-eared squirrel, and sharp-eyed wolves, in this snowy story narrated by Donald Sutherland. In English. Director: Guillaume Maidatchevsky (France 2019) 78 min
Available to rent or purchase on Vudu and Amazon Prime