One Earth Collective Green Community Connections

One Earth Film Festival (OEFF), our flagship program, showcased thought-provoking environmental films and provided audience memebers with opportunities to engage in productive dialogue and take concrete action for our planet. During the 12th annual run of our March festival, the organization served approximately 3300 attendees at 19 in-person screening events and 12 virtual screening events, and during the April 19-23, 2023 Earth Week festival we served an additional 1,172 attendees at 10 in-person screening events and 5 virtual events. The festival's objective is to reach new audiences across the city, region, country and world with stories (films) to help them understand and connect with our climate crisis, in order to be spurred to take individual and collective action in such areas as environmental advocacy, alternative transportaion, conservation, and waste/recycling.

One Earth Local ("OEL") works collaboratively to build and develop replicable models for environmentally sustainable and socially just communities in the greater Chicago metropolitan area. This year, OEL worked to create, from the ground up, an alliance of approximately 15 member organizations called Climate Ready COOP (Climate Outreach Oak Park), to support Oak Park's climate action plan with outreach, communications, events and invitations to take action. OEL also developed and delivered 30-minute environmental educational programs for 35 block parties across Oak Park, IL, reaching hundreds of residents with action-sparking information about green energy, conservation, and waste/recycling. OEL also led the planning and implementation of two Food & Film Showcases highlighting African American food traditions and sustainable urban agriculture and local food systems for Austin Eats, a consortium of 22 organizations woking in the west side of Chicago.

One Earth Youth Voices engages young people directly in the climate and social justice movements through art and activism. Our Youth programs include the Young Filmmakers Contest (YFC), which saw a notable increase to 405 total submissions of solution-based short films on issues surrounding climate change and sustainability (more than double the contest's pre-existing peak number of submissions). Our Youth Advisory Council (YAC), saw highly active participation from 10 youth, who led and facilitated a youth-planned, youth-focused One Earth Film Fest screening drawing 188 attendees at two sold-out events. We also partner with other community organizations on additional youth programs, such as It's Our Future, in partnership with Seven Generations Ahead, and Austin Grown, in partnership with Build Chicago and After School Matters.