GFDD and FUNGLODE Collaborate with United Nations System in DR to Screen Documentary Surviving Progress in Honor of Earth Day Celebrations

Santo Domingo, April 18, 2013

As part of the follow up on the II DR Environmental Film Festival (DREFF), which took place last September, Global Foundation for Democracy and Development and its sister organization, Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo, in collaboration with United Nations System in the Dominican Republic, will present an Earth Day screening of the documentary Surviving Progress. The program, which will include opening remarks by UN Resident Coordinator Ms. Valerie Julliand, will take place on April 22 at 7:00pm at FUNGLODE Headquarters in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Surviving Progress is astory of human advancement and evolution from cave-dwellers to space explorers, inspired by Ronald Wright and his best-seller, “A Short History Of Progress.” With rich imagery and immersive soundtrack, filmmakers Mathieu Roy and Harold Crook lay stark evidence in front of us about civilizations that are repeatedly destroyed by “progress traps” — alluring technologies serve immediate needs, but ransom the future. In the past, we could use natural resources and move on. Today it does not work this way. If global civilization collapses from over-consumption, that will be the beginning of the end.

About Earth Day
April 22, 1970 marks the birth of the modern environmental movement when the US Senator, Gaylord Nelson, witnessing the ravages of the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill, called for an environmental teach-in, later called “Earth Day.” The April 22 date was later designated as International Mother Earth Day by a consensus resolution adopted by the United Nations in 2009. Earth Day is now coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network, and is celebrated by more than one billion people in over 192 countries around the world.

Become An Agent of Change!
Every single person on the planet can contribute to the safekeeping of our environment by following these suggestions:

1. Reflect upon your daily choices in food, clothing and transportation. Learn about how you can reduce waste in your home by following the 3R’s: reduce, reuse and recycle;
2. Plant a tree or decorate your home with ornamental plants;
3. Choose glass over plastic;
4. Reuse paper, and avoid single use plastics (ie: plastic bags, cups and other disposables);
5. Educate and teach younger generations to value and protect their natural environment;
6. Save water and energy by turning off lights and faucets;
7. Use public transportation, walk or use a bike;
8. Support your local parks systems by visiting parks and enjoying the outdoors;
9. Respect every living being on the planet.

About Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival
While celebrating the beauty and diversity of the Dominican natural heritage through film screenings, the Festival seeks to foster dialogue and to inspire Dominican audiences to adopt practices for the sake of health and environmental sustainability of the country.

Join us in celebrating the Third Edition of the Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival, to take place September 4-8, 2013!

For more information www.dreff.org | info@dreff.org

Related Links:
www.un.org/en/events/motherearthday/
www.earthday.org/
www.globalfoundationdd.org