Bechtel2012TimeForChange

** Director: **Joao G. Amorim ** Release year: **15 October 2010 (USA)   As the title clearly conveys, this movie is about the multitude of problems that present day society faces and what action we must take to avoid disaster. This movie was not on the suggested class list, but it aligns all too well with what we have been discussing this semester. It begins with the religious and historical predictions of what will happen in the year 2012; most notably, the end of the Mayan calendar. These prophecies obviously don’t have much credibility due to their lack of factual evidence, but the next things the movie talks about are the scientific clues that we may be in for trouble. The multitude of sustainability problems that the director addresses is very impressive! (see next section) Hearing about all of this, one would think that the tone of the movie is very dark and foreboding, but it is actually quite the opposite. After a quick, yet very informative, discussion of the consequences of the way we live, the movie proceeds to focus on what we can do to solve the problems. The best thing about this movie and what makes it different from other films we have, is the nature of the solutions which are suggested. Whereas most movies look for small individual actions people can take, this one considered the more grand cultural and spiritual changes that we need. The uplifting tone and factual presentation of this movie makes it an excellent documentary about sustainability.
 * Title: **2012 Time For Change
 * What is the central argument or narrative of the film? **

** What sustainability problems does the film draw out? **  The movie outlines a wide variety of sustainability problems that modern society is facing. Most of these problems are explained concisely and not given too much depth. It isn’t until final, more all inclusive problems, that the film goes deeper.  __Water Crisis __ One clear problem which we are facing today is that we are on the brink of a water crisis. Many third world countries barely have enough drinking water to stay alive; much of which is caused by human changes to the landscape. This is often due to pollution, diversion of rivers and streams, and excessive water use elsewhere. Water is trucked into some areas, but others are forced to drink polluted water because it is all that is available. One expert is quoted in the movie saying, “Water will be the next oil” because it is essential to life and slowly beginning to run out. It simply doesn’t make sense to flush our toilets with clean water as we do. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> __<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Consumer Culture __ <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">The way that industry is being run today is clearly a problem because a few small groups of people are benefitting enormously from causing destruction to the planet. Companies are mass overproducing everything that we use in our daily lives and we are still encouraging more of it by going out and buying these things. This has become so thoroughly engrained in our culture that if you are not actively purchasing things on a regular basis you are not seen as a valuable member of society. It is actually “cool” to own way more stuff than you could possibly use. This is far from sustainable. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> __<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Monocultures __<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">There are several areas of our society where we believe that a single, homogeneous culture is the best possible way to manage resources; this is anything but true. Monocultures may appear simple and easy to maintain, but they cause an enormous amount of problems and are ultimately an enormous risk. The problem is that even a slight disruption to any monoculture is likely to cause catastrophic failure of the system. Experience has shown this to be true numerous times. The best example of one of these risks to our current society is farming. Monoculture farms have allowed some companies to see an economic boom, but to maintain they are terribly expensive and the largest expense is to the environment. Another monoculture which sees far less attention is the economy. America, for example, is run economically using a single form of currency, which to make things worse is built upon debt. Banks continue to print money all the time, but where is its value coming from? A national government with billions of dollars in debt. This is obviously a problem. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> __<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Population __<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">All across the globe, the human population continues to increase at an alarming rate. As we have seen from other populations, it is impossible to live outside of you region’s carrying capacity for an indefinite amount of time. It is hard to say what the global carrying capacity is for humans and we likely won’t know that we have passed it until it is too late. One way or another, our linear model of progress simply won’t last. One perfect example is the Mayan civilization. These people were incredibly advanced for their time but still did not manage to survive. There is no universal answer to why this happened, but as the movie points out, it was likely result of over population. A similar collapse happened to the Roman Empire after it grew outside of its limits. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> __<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">City Design __ <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Another serious problem that we face is the design of our cities. The architecture is simply not sustainable. As part of this earth, we should be connected to nature in our everyday lives, but yet our cities don’t reflect that. The best that you can find in most urban places is simulated nature, such as a small park surrounded by asphalt. This is not truly a connection to nature. One of the effects of this is global warming, which has been partially contributed to the amount of solar reflection and radiation from cities. Also, the director points out that this is a likely cause of other more elusive things such as physical and mental health problems that are becoming more prevalent in our urban societies. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> __<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Psychology __ <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">A large part of the movie focuses on problems of conscience that modern society faces. Most simply, the way we think about and view the earth and our connection to it is flawed. We are part of nature, not separate or above it in any way. We need it to survive! Yet the way society acts is disrespectful to nearly any form of life that is not human. As the movie puts it, this is a crisis of human conscience that we are facing. Furthermore, it is psychologically difficult for us to make change, especially if we do not make a conscience shift first. The problems that society is facing today are incredibly difficult to grasp. This is because most of us, including those with the most control over what is happening, are not directly affected by the problems yet. However, without a deep understanding of these, there is no motivation to sacrifice anything now in order to save the future. It is nearly impossible to understand the value of you current actions when the future is so unclear. However, it is crucial that we make an educated effort and not simply have faith in the future. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> ** <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">What parts of the film did you find most persuasive and compelling? Why? ** <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">This film was very persuasive because it included many experts, was very clear about the problems and solutions, and looked at things from multiple angles. It included many facts about environmental problems while also looking at spiritual and cultural factors.

** <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">What parts of the film were you not compelled or convinced by? Why? ** <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">I was not convinced by the psychedelic suggestions of the film. The director made the clear point that one of the best ways to shift someone’s conscious beliefs was through psychedelic experiences (a.k.a. drug use). This is certainly a different angle to approach solutions, but certainly shouldn’t be necessary. I don’t believe that anyone needs any form of mind altering drug to become more connected with nature. I do believe the people need to wake up and take their heads out of the clouds sometimes, but it doesn’t need to happen this way.

** <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">What audiences does the film best address? Why? ** <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">The best audience for this film would definitely be open minded young adults. Several of the ideas presented are radical concepts and not something most people would consider. This would likely discredit the film to someone who was more close minded. This film does, however, directly address the revolution of the 60’s and would fit anyone who was a part of this. Older people who were not a part of this would not be the best audience though. I would also not recommend it to anyone who is not an adult because it is somewhat suggestive of drug use.

** <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">What could have been added to this film to enhance its environmental educational value? ** <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">The best thing that could have been done to enhance the film’s environmental education value is to remove some of the psychedelic suggestion (not completely though) and include more about other ways to connect with nature. I believe that the best way to connect with nature is to be close to it. This means taking a small amount of time to tend a garden, go camping in the woods, go for a hike, or some other activity as far away from urban society as possible, on a regular basis. Many people still view nature as nasty and brutish, but the only way to get a true understanding for it is to experience it (although this should not be life threatening as it was for many ancient people). We need to open our eyes to the world around us and this doesn’t have to happen because we use drugs.

** <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">What kinds of action and points of intervention are suggested by the film? If the film itself does not suggest corrective action, describe actions that you can imagine being effective. ** <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">This film does an excellent job of presenting a variety of solutions to the problems described above. The movie’s central argument is that we need to change our ways of life. This may seem like an impossible feat, but the director does an excellent job of explaining exactly what we must do to see it happen. First, it begins with finding a higher consciousness on an individual level. This can be through a psychedelic experience (which may work for some people) or through closer interaction and a better understanding of nature. From here cooperation can begin and we can work together to find solutions to the problems. The metaphor the director uses is the mycelium networks in fungi (similar to connections in the brain or the internet), which are an incredibly important part of the ecosystem and can even help clean and filter sewage waste. With the collaboration we can begin redesign our built environments. The way we live today is clearly unsustainable and we need to make design changes in every aspect of our lives to reconnect ourselves with the ways of the earth. The film suggests an entire design revolution and often eulogizes the work of Buckminster Fuller. Bucky Fuller was truly a man far ahead of his time. He was known for his fantastic inventions particularly regarding practical, inexpensive, and efficient shelter and transportation. For example, Mr. Fuller was the inventor of the geodesic dome and an automobile called the Dymaxion, which could carry 11 people and still get 30 mpg and attain up to 100 mph. More contemporary examples included in the movie are permaculture and new monetary systems. The new monetary system advocated by the film is time banking. The example given is the system currently in place in Japan known as Fureai Kippu. In this system, credits are given to people for providing a service to an elderly person based on how many hours they serve. These credits can be saved for when a person becomes sick or elderly themselves or can be transferred to another friend or family member in need of some assistance. This movie also notes that our way of life today is very linear, but nature is entirely different. Many systems in nature are cyclic and thus our systems should match these. This kind of thinking is what will lead to better sustainability. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> ** <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">What additional information has this film compelled you to seek out? ** <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">This film compelled me to seek out more information about time banking and if it is happening anywhere other than Japan. A quick internet search brought me to []. Time Interchange New York is a group of people who have become part of a time banking system. Anyone can join for free. All you have to do is post your own service offers and requests and then schedule when you can help out anyone interested in your service and vice versa. This is a revolutionary way to think about interacting and working with your community. Time banking does away with the social injustices of our current monetary system. I believe that it will become hugely popular in the future if our government cannot find a way to better stabilize the current system. Other Time Banks across the country can be found on [].