Reflection

Our creative process was inspired by real consequences of climate change we witnessed happening in our community and the knowledge we gained from taking an AP Environmental Science course. Many people don’t realize or acknowledge that climate change impacts each and everyone of us, even if the impacts are subtle. Our film captured the seemingly mundane aspects of the world that are actually evidence of our changing planet. Specifically, our film captures events like polluted waterways impacting aquatic life and human health, litter, water restrictions resulting from droughts, extreme heat, and urbanization causing the destruction of forests. A featured part and contributor to our town and our project is Lake Quinsigamond. Although many people live and spend time on the lake, everyone knows to take caution because the lake is constantly being tested for safe water quality. Being some of the people directly affiliated with the lake, acknowledging the increasing issues with water quality was an obvious inspiration for our creative process. Our research on climate change taught us that human activity is the primary cause for the changing global climate. We felt that creating a video pointing out the environmental issues found in a standard American town would be a good display of what we have learned. Thus far, our community has built gardens at all of the public schools, banned the use of plastic bags and styrofoam, and made political headway by passing a Stretch Energy Code to improve energy efficiency. Together, the community is working towards a more sustainable, environmentally responsible future.