Healing the Planet Starts at the Local Levels
I have Emmy-nominated filmmaker Carolyn Scott with us today talking about the damage happening to the ecosystems and wildlife around us when we allow unchecked urban sprawl at the local levels. Across the world, we need to become advocates for what is happening to the environment in our own backyards.
Sylvia: What are your concerns regarding the challenges of urban sprawl where you live?
Carolyn: As a long-time environmental educator and lover of this region, my primary concern is the endangerment of the wildlife corridor that is located within the Sonoma Developmental Center. The destruction of this crucial wildlife passage will be devastating to the regions bio-diversity. Thousands of species depend on movement between these regions … from the ocean to Lake Berryessa and beyond. I interviewed several leaders, including three veteran firemen (two of who are fire Battalion chiefs for more than 3 decades each in this region) … they were extremely disturbed and upset about this development being placed right at the base of Sonoma Mountain. Which has the nickname FIRE KEG and hasn’t burned in over a century. The climate driven wildlife's we have seen in the past decade illustrate just how serious this is and the SDC is located on a narrow two-lane RURAL road - which became a parking lot in the last 3 fires … adding thousands of more cars to this and the other five developments planned for the valley is simply insane.
Sylvia: How do you feel a balance between progress and preservation can be found, both locally and globally?
Carolyn: The title of the film Small is Beautiful - comes from the book of the same name by E.F. Schumacher whose work goes against the ethos of more is better - and that more intelligent design in relationship to the land is far more productive and beneficial for communities. Schumacher makes it clear that by protecting our environment- we are safeguarding our food sources and our very survival. As many people know, pollinators are endangered due to man’s toxic pollution and habitat destruction. We must strike the right balance between caring for our earth and living in harmony with it. Small is Beautiful explores the challenges facing a rural community as it battles urban sprawl. The documentary transitions seamlessly from the local to statewide perspective, shedding light on new legislation's sweeping impacts across California. Disguised as "Affordable" housing mandates - these new laws bypass local authority and circumvent environmental and land use regulations. People are far more engaged in what impacts them locally - and so fostering local economies of scale that have a real relationship to the land is critical at this time on our planet. And the biggest eye-opener in the film- is that despite the mandates being marketed as “affordable” they consist of 88% or more luxury housing, exposing the facade of inclusivity.
Carolyn M. Scott is an Emmy-nominated, award-winning filmmaker, visual storyteller, creative director, and environmental educator with over 25 years of experience in education, environmental, and film endeavors. Recognized for her significant contributions, Ms. Scott received the National Women’s History Project's “Women Taking the Lead To Save The Planet!” award, a distinction shared with luminaries such as Jane Goodall, Rachel Carson, and Helen Caldicott.
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