Join Graham Kent, Heidi Buck and the Forest Guard Students. This documentary presents a whirlwind year in the life of six home-schooled children the foothills of Northern California who have developed an ingenious invention for the early detection of forest fires. What starts as a local environmental solution evolves into an idea that could have a major global impact after they win top prize at the Global Children’s Climate Competition and with it, the chance to have their dream become reality.

Their invention is a network of cameras located around forests that send real-time pictures to hundreds and thousands of desktops, turning people all over the world into Forest Guards. Their Forest Guard concept catches the eye of a top R&D specialist at Sony who invites the kids to work with some of the best engineers and designers in the business to help the Forest Guards develop their concept into a workable prototype. Real-world experience at the forefront of technological design is contrasted with the everyday lives of the kids at home in Meadow Vista, a picture-perfect foothills community of rolling hills, farms, forests, and lakes. But during the worst summer in California history for fires, a major blaze rages dangerously close to their homes – many of them are forced to evacuate. With no sign that things will get any better in summers to come, it couldn’t be a better time to raise awareness of forest fires and what we can do to prevent them.

As the first prototypes are tested near Tahoe National Forest, the Forest Guards are invited to the UN’s Global Environmental Conference in Copenhagen to present their idea to global environmental and world leaders – and they become ambassadors for the innovations of young people in the ongoing dialogue about the future of our planet.

Learn about this project

Date: May 4

Time: 6pm (No-Host bar 5:30-6pm)

Location: Assembly Rooms 139 & 141, Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences, 291 Country Club Drive, Incline Village (on the campus of Sierra Nevada College)