Weber_The+11th+Hour


 * Ashley Weber, Annotation #10, Date: 11/7/10 **
 * The 11th Hour **

The documentary The 11th Hour was directed by Leila Conners and Nadia Conners and released in 2007.
 * Film, Director, Release Year **

This documentary focuses on detailing the grave problems our world faces addressing the fact that our humanity is in jeopardy. It explores how we have arrived at the final hour when change is still possible, how we have already impacted the environment, and how we can go about correcting this course. The film discusses the balance needed between humans and nature in order to co-exist. There is a fundamental misunderstanding that humans and nature are separate, but we are nature and not superior. We are now witnessing revenge of nature with the occurrences of droughts, flooding, extreme heat, wildfires, tornadoes, and hurricanes. This film places blame on our consumer culture, our government, and corporate economy by showing why these environmental disasters are occurring. Then, the film does an excellent job of addressing what is being done about these issues and what could be possible plans to create a balance between nature and society. The film goes about discussing how the involvement of everyone is necessary to correct our destructive behaviors.
 * What is the central argument or narrative of the film? **

Our society has become too focused on economy and after the industrial revolution too much of nature is being converted into resources. With the exponential growth of our population, we are producing too much, using too much, and using it too fast. CO2 being recycled is reduced because trees are being burned from wildfires and droughts are preventing the growth of new trees. The melting in the Arctic reduces the amount of sun reflected into space and currently 20% of sea ice in Arctic is melted. Environmental problems throughout the world are being depicted as isolated incidences by media when in reality; they are all connected with our ecosystem. This problem can be fully viewed when taking a look at the cultural level relating individuals to consumers. A continuous cycle of working in order to make money to shop in order to buy new products only feeds the environmentally instability of culture within society.
 * What sustainability problems does the film draw out? **

There are many different forces this film points out that are blocking change. Corporate economic globalization and the definition of property relating to natures such as lakes and streams being categorized as either a person or property are factors. Companies like Exxon Mobil are worth more than all their competing companies creating an indestructible, invincible power hungry company that cannot be regulated. The political system is failing us regulating these corporations. Low income communities are becoming dumping grounds and cities like one in Louisiana is nicknamed Cancer Alley. The structure of higher education is also contributing to the resistance to change. Current MBA programs are suited to training for growth among large companies. These programs rarely provide knowledge on sustainable business practices or startups because they focus on a different ‘type’ of businessperson.

I came across this film to be very compelling in many aspects. One of the most compelling was the large number of people from all different areas and backgrounds that were present in the film used to show and explain the vast number of issues present with sustainability. Many activists, scientists, politicians, and journalists made a contribution to this film providing insight from many different areas of study all showing one conclusion that the future of the human life is in jeopardy. The contribution of the actor Leonardo DiCaprio in co-writing, narrating, and acting in this film shows the strong dedication and belief of this environmentalist.
 * What parts of the film did you find most persuasive and compelling? Why? **

Many films tend to show the view that the world will end because what we are doing to it and fail to provide actions to help the issue. This film differs in that it provides many varying examples of issues that are leading to the environmental instability of lifestyles, but it also provides an exhaustive list of potential solutions on correcting the problems.

After watching this film, I realized that the approach to this film that makes it compelling, also hurts the film. The film provides so many different examples from varying sources that it seems to be too scattered to be effective. The film borderlines on the boring lecture style of teaching. It seemed too repetitive and depressing to hold most audiences who are watching it for leisure and not purely to be used solely for educational purposes.
 * What parts of the film were you not compelled or convinced by? Why? **

The 11th Hour is a film that would best address an audience who are educated middle aged people. This film provides an exhaustive list of issues and solutions throughout the film that would make it difficult to hold the attention on younger viewers. However, the multitude of interviews and factual information would be relevant to the more educated class who would make better use of this type of data or information.
 * What audiences does the film best address? Why?**

The film provides many practical examples of solutions to help recover our planet’s ecosystem. However, it would be interesting if the film would have provided past examples of efforts to restore the environment that failed to work. Then go about analyzing these attempts for their mistakes or for the reasons that they failed to work. Taking the reasons for the current attempts inability to correct the issues will help make new solutions stronger and to prevent using methods that have been unsuccessful in the past.
 * What could have been added to this film to enhance its environmental educational value?**

The film draws out the need for the industrial system to be reinvented and the need for a change in consumer democracy. Any regime has to give people what they want. The product has to be a cultural symbol in order to be profitable and sold. So, the solution lies in changing the object of desire to more sustainable ones. People believe in choice, so it would be completely ineffective to tell people what to purchase or what they are purchasing is wrong.
 * 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. **

Changing the way media presents knowledge is also a necessity as well as letting people know that they are not “King of Nature”.

Another method is combining technology and culture in a sustainable fashion. - One example given of incorporating sustainable design within our culture was the example of the dance club that was powered by motion/movement conversion. This type of combination implementation can serve as models for future implementations. - The film also draws attention to the coexistence between nature and design with the example of relating the design of a building to a tree and a city to a forest.

I was interested in learning more information about this film as well as the type of work that Leonardo DiCaprio did relating to sustainability.
 * What additional information has this film compelled you to seek out? (Provide at least two supporting references.) **

I found this website called 11th hour action and it is a “web community” that was inspired by the film and it was created to help individuals and communities take sustainable action at different levels. []

I also came across information relating to DiCaprio’s environmental activism. He takes commercial flights, drives a hybrid car, and has solar panels on his home. I found it interesting that DiCaprio and Al Gore teamed up and announced that the 2007 Academy Awards had incorporated environmentally intelligent practices for the planning and production processes. This year, he was nominated for the VH1 Do Something Award for his environmental work and was a winner. I also looked into his foundation’s website and it is doing some incredible work all around the globe.

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