American Desert on Film: U-Idaho President’s Sustainability Symposium Helps Bring Documentaries to Campus
Monday, March 21 2011
MOSCOW, Idaho – The University of Idaho President’s Sustainability
Symposium will co-sponsor screenings of two documentary films in support
of the annual event slated for March 30 - April 1, 2011.
Both films explore environmental activism in the American west,
particularly the intersection of human culture and the natural
landscape. Each screening will be accompanied by a discussion with the
film's stars and producers.
• “The Return of Navajo Boy”
Saturday, March 26, 7 p.m.
Kenworthy Performing Arts Centre
508 S. Main St. in Moscow
The PSS has joined with the Sapatq’ayn Cinema Film Festival to screen
“The Return of Navajo Boy,” a documentary about the contamination of
Navajo lands in Monument Valley from uranium mining as revealed through
an extraordinary history in pictures, and the subsequent campaign to
fund clean-up efforts by the five agencies responsible for the
poisoning. Elsie Begay, whose family has lived in Monument Valley for
more than six decades, will visit Moscow to discuss her pivotal role in
the film and clean-up campaign.
• “Canyonlands: Edward Abbey and the Great American Desert”
Thursday, March 31, 5:30 p.m.
SUB Borah Theater
709 Deakin Ave. in Moscow
The PSS and the university’s English department will screen
“Canyonlands,” a documentary about the deserts of Utah and Arizona – a
landscape shaped equally by the forces of nature and of human
intervention – as told through the writings of Edward Abbey. Abbey gave
voice to the environmental movement of the 1970s through seminal books
such as "Desert Solitaire" and "The Monkey Wrench Gang." The film
includes new interviews with Abbey, along with interviews with Ken
Sleight, Kim Crumbo, Katie Lee, Jack Loeffler and Jim Stiles. The
screening will be followed by a discussion with director Roderick Coover
and co-producer Lance Newman.
These documentary screenings support the overall mission of the
President’s Sustainability Symposium to create a forum to identify and
discuss sustainability issues as they relate to the triple bottom line
of environment, economics and social justice.
For more information about “The Return of Navajo Boy,” see
www.NavajoBoy.com.
To learn more about “Canyonlands,” visit the director’s website at
www.roderickcoover.com or contact Jennifer Ladino in the English department at
jladino@uidaho.edu.
For more information about the 2011 President’s Sustainability Symposium, visit
www.uidaho.edu/sustainabilitysymposium.
As increasing environmental awareness drives interest in sustainable
practices, the University of Idaho continues to seek carbon reduction
initiatives to meet the current and future needs of society and to
contribute to the quality of life and the natural resources in Idaho,
the nation and the world. The University of Idaho emitted 38,981 metric
tons of carbon dioxide equivalent greenhouse gases into the atmosphere
in 2007, which equals 3.59 tons per student. The university has set a
goal to be carbon neutral by 2030 and has begun the work to reduce
carbon emissions across operations. For more information about the
university’s sustainability efforts, contact the University of Idaho
Sustainability Center at
uisc@uidaho.edu or visit
www.uidaho.edu/sustainability.
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About the University of Idaho
Founded in 1889, the University of Idaho is the state’s land-grant
institution and its principal graduate education and research
university, bringing insight and innovation to the state, the nation and
the world. University researchers attract nearly $100 million in
research grants and contracts each year. The University of Idaho is
classified by the prestigious Carnegie Foundation as high research
activity. The student population of 12,000 includes first-generation
college students and ethnically diverse scholars, who select from more
than 130 degree options in the colleges of Agricultural and Life
Sciences; Art and Architecture; Business and Economics; Education;
Engineering; Law; Letters, Arts and Social Sciences; Natural Resources;
and Science. The university also is charged with the statewide mission
for medical education through the WWAMI program. The university combines
the strength of a large university with the intimacy of small learning
communities and focuses on helping students to succeed and become
leaders. It is home to the Vandals, and competes in the Western Athletic
Conference. For more information, visit
www.uidaho.edu.
About the University of Idaho
The University of Idaho helps students to succeed and become leaders. Its land-grant mission furthers innovative scholarly and creative research to grow Idaho's economy and serve a statewide community. From its main campus in Moscow, Idaho, to 70 research and academic locations statewide, U-Idaho emphasizes real-world application as part of its student experience. U-Idaho combines the strength of a large university with the intimacy of small learning communities. It is home to the Vandals, and competes in the Western Athletic Conference. For information, visit
www.uidaho.edu.