World Water Issues Film Fest starts Oct. 14

World Water Issues Film Festival — Oct. 14, Oct. 28 and Nov. 11, 6:30-8:30pm, Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences, Rooms 139 & 141

The Earth has vast amounts of water, yet less than one percent of the world’s fresh water (estimated 0.007 percent of all water on earth) is accessible for direct human uses. This is the water found in lakes, rivers, reservoirs and those underground sources that are shallow enough to be tapped at an affordable cost. Only this amount is regularly renewed by rain and snowfall, and is therefore available on a sustainable basis.

How is this precious resource being co-opted by the bottled water industry? Is our tap water safe or tainted with rocket fuel and pharmaceuticals? How should we manage our water supply in light of increasing scarcity and pollution?

Sierra Nevada College and the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center are excited to screen three award-winning, thought-provoking pieces exploring these and other questions. Preview the new local film Charting the Course to Clarity and talk with local experts about your own drinking water and water quality. The festival will conclude on Nov. 11 with presentations and panel discussion led by University of Nevada Reno’s Student Association for International Water Issues (SAIWI) to discuss what actions we can take today to help solve some of these problems in real and lasting ways.

Oct. 14th: Blue Gold: World Water Wars

http://www.bluegold-worldwaterwars.com/

Hosted by Professor Kate Berry, UNR

According to Blue Gold, winner of numerous film festival awards, future wars will be fought over water, not oil. As we pollute, divert, pump, and waste our limited supply of fresh water we are causing desertification of the earth. And as our population increases and industry expands, the demand for fresh water only grows.

Meanwhile, corporate giants and governments are using water for economic and political gain, setting the stage for battles over water. Blue Gold follows numerous examples of people fighting for their basic right to water, from violent revolutions to local protests at grade schools. A line is crossed as water becomes a commodity. Will we survive?

Oct. 28th: Poisoned Waters (PBS special)

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/poisonedwaters/

Hosted by Michael Rosen, research hydrologist, USGS and Madonna Dunbar, Tahoe Water Suppliers Association.

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and Emmy Award-winning producer Hedrick Smith dives headfirst into the contamination of America’s great waterways, in particular Puget Sound and Chesapeake Bay. A new wave of pollution is killing fish, causing mutations in frogs, and threatening human health. Diffuse sources of pollution are introducing chemical compounds into our water, from urban runoff to poultry farm byproducts to pharmaceuticals. These chemicals are endocrine disruptors, affecting metabolism and reproductive systems in both humans and animals. Poisoned Waters forces viewers to take a closer look at the state of our ecosystems and drinking water.

Join staff from the Tahoe Water Suppliers Association to discuss local issues related to our own drinking water. How safe is our drinking water? What are the issues and actions you can take to protect our local drinking water source? Michael Rosen, research hydrologist with USGS, has been studying endocrine disruptors in Lake Mead, organic contaminants in tributary streams to Lake Tahoe, and the Truckee River to determine their effect on the aquatic ecosystem.

Nov. 11th: Student Association for International Water Issues Presentations

http://www.unr.nevada.edu/~saiwi/

Hosted by Heather Segale, UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center.

The Student Association for International Water Issues or SAIWI (pronounced Say-wee”) is a student organization at the University of Nevada, Reno, working to develop an understanding of global water issues and promote community empowerment through education and water resource development.

This culminating event will include presentations by students and community members that have participated in water development projects around the world. Hear about these amazing project successes that make a huge difference in villages around the world. Find out how you can get involved locally and globally.

* World Water Issues with Margaret Shanafield

* Addressing Water Issues on a Community Level with Jacquie Brownstein

* Logistics and Benefits of Well-drilling with Cathy Fitzgerald

* Cameroon Past Project with Annie Lassaline

* Guatemala Future Project with Miles Becker

* How to Get Involved with Miles Becker

* Question/Answer Panel Discussion