Throughout this week (2/26–3/4), activists have the opportunity to participate in film screenings, climate walks and student summits. Read on if you want to get involved in the community regarding voter suppression, waste reduction and environmental efforts.
Wednesday, Feb. 26–Saturday, Feb. 29
Visions of Nature/Voices of Nature Environmental Film Festival
@ 7 p.m. nightly
Miller Auditorium – Eckerd College – 4200 54th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, Fla.
Join film scholars and environmental activists alike for Eckerd College’s 22nd annual Environmental Film Festival. This festival features films created by both emerging and renowned filmmakers from the St. Petersburg area and beyond. On Wednesday Honeyland will explore beekeeping in a Turkish community; on Thursday The Green Lie will question sustainable consumerism; on Friday River and the Wall will examine the ecology of building a border wall; on Saturday Anthropocene: The Human Epoch will explore a new world of human-driven change. All films are free and open to the public.
Friday, Feb. 28
Celery Fields Climate Walk
@ 9:30 a.m.–12 p.m.
Celery Fields – 999 Center Road, Sarasota, Fla.
Learn the story behind one of Florida’s most popular birding destinations at Sarasota Audubon Society’s Celery Fields Climate Walk. The Celery Fields, a publicly owned 400+ acre nature site, is used for both recreation and public safety, functioning as Sarasota County’s primary flood mitigation zone. While the fields began as wetlands and still are wetlands to this day, this site has a long and complex environmental history that is worth uncovering. Tickets to this event are $20 each and can be purchased at sarasotaaudobonsociety.org.
Friday, Feb. 28
Afro.Deutschland Screening and Discussion
@ 6 p.m.
Sainer Auditorium – New College of Florida – 5800 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota, Fla.
Conclude this year’s Black History Month with Afro-German filmmaker Jana Pareigis at New College’s Afro.Deutschland screening and following discussion. Pareigis, who acts as the primary anchor of “Mittagsmagazin,” a German national news program, is a journalist whose work centers the lived experiences of Black people in Germany. With Afro.Deutschland, Paregeis seeks to break down the perception that Germany is an all-white country through speaking openly about race, empowerment and social change. This event is free and open to the public.
Saturday, Feb. 29
South Coast Regional Beyond Waste Student Summit
@ 8 a.m.–8 p.m.
University of South Florida St. Petersburg – 140 7th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, Fla.
Discover the systematic impacts of waste with fellow environmentally-minded students at the Post-Landfill Action Network’s annual South Coast Regional Beyond Waste Student Summit. Students of all experience levels are encouraged to collaborate on simulated zero-waste campaigns and discuss the best ways to implement waste reduction in their own communities. For those interested, visit postlandfill.org to fill out an interest form and get more information on buying tickets, coordinating travel and securing housing. This event is open to all students in the South Coast area.
Monday, Mar. 2
Suppressed, the Fight to Vote Screening
@ 5:30–7 p.m.
Gulf Gate Library – 7112 Curtiss Avenue, Sarasota, Fla.
Join Professor of Political Science Frank Alcock for a screening of Suppressed, the Fight to Vote, a 2019 documentary by Robert Greenwald regarding voter suppression in the 2018 Georgia midterm election. The film will be followed by a discussion on voter suppression efforts in Florida, both in the past and potentially the future. This event is free and open to the public.