http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_Hlw_4vGQ8
My name is Riley Herman and I am the screenwriter of the short film above. As an intern for the Office of Student Engagement for Student Affairs, I was charged with a project by my boss, Hope Falk. She frequently works with mindful, sustainable, and performance activities for students at Penn State. She asked me to take on a project that would both relate to her work and help my professional development as a student double majoring in theatre studies and advertising. Having done a lot of work in the theatre and having an interest in sustainability, I knew I wanted to do a performance piece on sustainability. Through the help of Hope, Perry Dripps from the Sustainability Institute, some friends, and several drafts, I created the short film above.
Boardwalk is a short film that was written to start conversations about what it means to be sustainable. Having a sustainable world is not just having one where everyone recycles and composts. There is so much more. As the screenwriter, I wanted to explore these other, less popular efforts of sustainability.
It was not an easy, straightforward path to the final product.
I started with a letter to Mother Earth. At first the audience would think that it was just somebody writing to their mom thanking her for everything she has done and apologizing for not treating her the way she deserves to be treated. In the end, the audience would realize that the letter was to Mother Earth. There were a number of things wrong with this first attempt. It was way too dramatic. Like a really bad soap opera. Second, it only touched on one part of sustainability. In a meeting with one of my advisors on the project, Perry, he made me aware that I was only talking about how humans are destroying the environment. Don’t get me wrong. It is a big problem and something we can all get better at solving. However, I didn’t want to tell the same story that has been told a million times. I wanted people to realize that having a sustainable planet is so much more than having a green one. It deals with gender inequality, racial inequality, poverty, and more. We need all of these things to work together to move forward. So, I decided to pivot.
At my second attempt, I decided I would touch on responsible production, responsible consumption, and economic growth (SDGs 8 and 12). One thing that is so important to me and that I try to practice as much as I am able and know how in my personal life is using my money to support sustainable efforts. The character on the right side of the screen, Ava, chooses to use reusable straws not only so that she limits waste but also to support the manufacturing of reusable products. The character on the left, Jay, chooses to shop small. If we think of the few days after Thanksgiving — Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Artist Sunday (not recognized everywhere), Cyber Monday, and Giving Tuesday, there is ample opportunity to give towards smaller businesses so that your dollar can make a bigger impact. Our character Jay would choose to shop on small business Saturday opposed to Black Friday, closing the economic gap just a little bit by voting for small businesses with your money.
It is my hope that this piece of art I made with a small team of talented artists sparks conversations about sustainability and how we can make the world a better, healthier place.
Arts has the power to create community and sustainability takes a community.
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