Dear Earth-talk: What is the new documentary film A Fierce Green Fire
about and what does the title refer to? — Gloria Howard, Washington,
A Fierce Green Fire is a new film documenting the rise of the modern
environmental movement from the 1960s through the present day. It
premiered at last year’s Sundance Film Festival and will be playing at
select theaters across the country beginning in September 2013.
Educators, environmental groups and grassroots activists also will be
showing the film at small and large events from coast to coast over
the course of the fall. Written and directed by Mark Kitchell, Academy
Award-nominated director of Berkeley in the Sixties, A Fierce Green
Fire (the film) is based on the 1993 book of the same name by
environmental journalist Philip Shabecoff.
The phrase “a fierce green fire” refers to a longer passage in one of
the seminal environmental books of the 20th century, 1949’s A Sand
County Almanac. In the famous “Think Like a Mountain” section of that
book, author Aldo Leopold relates his experience as part of a predator
extirpation team that shoots a wolf in the New Mexico desert: “We
reached the old wolf in time to watch a fierce green fire dying in her
I realized then and have known ever since that there was something new
to me in those eyes, something known only to her and to the mountain.
I was young then and full of trigger-itch; I thought that because
fewer wolves meant more deer, that no wolves would mean hunters’
paradise. But after seeing the green fire die, I sensed that neither
the wolf nor the mountain agreed with such a view.”
Kitchell’s film shows how this passage and other writings were
instrumental in raising awareness about the importance of wise
stewardship of the natural environment and as such played a crucial
role in the re-birth of the environmental movement in the 1960s.
Featuring five “acts,” each with its own central story and character,
the film depicts a central environmental conflict of each decade since
the 1960s. The first act, narrated by Robert Redford, focuses on David
Brower and the Sierra Club’s battle to halt dams in the Grand Canyon
in the 1960s. Act two, narrated by Ashley Judd, tells the story of
Lois Gibbs and other Niagara Falls, New York residents’ struggle
against pollution buried beneath their Love Canal neighborhood in the
1970s. Act three is all about Greenpeace and efforts by Captain Paul
Watson to save whales and baby harp seals, as told by Van Jones. Chico
Mendes and Brazilian rubber tappers take center stage in Act four, as
narrated by Isabel Allende, in their fight to save their Amazon
rainforest. Lastly, Act five focuses on Bill McKibben, as told by
Meryl Streep, and the 25-year effort to address the foremost issue of
our time: climate change.
Intertwined within these main stories are strands including the
struggle for environmental justice, getting “back to the land,” and
sustainability efforts in the developing world. The film ends on an
optimistic note, driving home the point that environmentalism is
really about civilizational change and bringing industrial society
into balance with nature and that each of us can make a difference
with a little effort.
Those interested in seeing the film should check out the schedule of
theatrical releases at the film’s website, afiercegreenfire.com. The
website also features more information on the film and features
historical photos of some of the scenes and events depicted in it.
Anyone who wants to find out more about the makings of the modern
environmental movement should be sure to see A Fierce Green Fire.
* * * * *
Dear EarthTalk: Is it true that American kids are going through
puberty earlier today than in previous generations, and are there any
environmental causes for this? — Paul Chase, Troy, NY
Research indicates that indeed Americans girls and boys are going
through puberty earlier than ever, though the reasons are unclear.
Many believe our widespread exposure to synthetic chemicals is at
least partly to blame, but it’s hard to pinpoint exactly why our
bodies react in certain ways to various environmental stimuli.
Researchers first noticed the earlier onset of puberty in the late
1990s, and recent studies confirm the mysterious public health trend.
A 2012 analysis by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) found that American girls exposed to high levels of common
household chemicals had their first periods seven months earlier than
those with lower exposures. “This study adds to the growing body of
scientific research that exposure to environmental chemicals may be
associated with early puberty,” says Danielle Buttke, a researcher at
CDC and lead author on the study. Buttke found that the age when a
girl has her first period (menarche) has fallen over the past century
from an average of age 16-17 to age 12-13.
Earlier puberty isn’t just for girls. In 2012 researchers from the
American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) surveyed data on 4,100 boys from
144 pediatric practices in 41 states and found a similar trend:
American boys are reaching puberty six months to two years earlier
than just a few decades ago. African-American boys are starting the
earliest, at around age nine, while Caucasian and Hispanics start on
average at age 10.
One culprit could be rising obesity rates. Researchers believe that
puberty (at least for girls) may be triggered in part by the body
building up sufficient reserves of fat tissue, signaling fitness for
reproductive capabilities. Clinical pediatrician Robert Lustig of
Benioff Children’s Hospital in San Francisco reports that obese girls
have higher levels of the hormone leptin which in and of itself can
lead to early puberty while setting off a domino effect of more weight
gain and faster overall physical maturation.
Some evidence suggests that “hormone disrupting” chemicals may also
trigger changes prematurely. Public health advocates have been
concerned, for example, about the omnipresence of Bisphenol A (BPA), a
synthetic chemical in some plastics, because it is thought to “mimic”
estrogen in the body and in some cases contribute to or cause health
problems. BPA is being phased out of many consumer items, but hundreds
of other potentially hormone disrupting chemicals are still in
Dichlorobenzene, used in some mothballs and in solid blocks of toilet
bowl and air deodorizers, is also a key suspect in triggering early
puberty. It is already classified as a possible human carcinogen, and
studies have linked prenatal exposure to it with low birth weight in
boys. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recently made
screening Dichlorobenzene for hormonal effects a priority.
Parents can take steps to reduce our kids’ so-called “toxic burden”:
Buy organic produce, hormone- and antibiotic-free meat and dairy and
all-natural household cleaners. And keep the dialogue going about
healthy food and lifestyle habits so kids learn how to make
responsible, healthy choices for themselves.
Dear Earth-talk: What is the new documentary film A Fierce Green Fire