Green Quad welcomes activist filmmaker

Chris Bedford, an award-winning filmmaker and activist on topics related to sustainability and design, will make presentations and speak to classes at Green Quad April 7-8.

Bedford will make a public presentation at 7:30 p.m. April 7 in the Green Quad's Learning Center for Sustainable Futures, introducing two of his films and leading a discussion afterwards. The event will feature "The Organic Opportunity," his most recent film about local organic food production as an economic growth strategy, and "The Next Industrial Revolution," which tells the story of the movement to bring together ecology and human design. All events are free and open to the public.

Bedford also will appear at 12:30 p.m. April 7 as part of the "Green Pedagogy" series, co-sponsored by the School of the Environment, on "Using Social-Issue Documentaries in the Classroom." He also will speak to classes in political science, media arts, and art history, and to the University's new Green Learning Community.

"Chris Bedford has created, organized, and directed some of the most innovative grassroots media campaigns of the last twenty-five years," said David Whiteman, political science professor at Carolina and faculty principal at Green Quad. "His work often deals with the toughest and most complex issues of our time.

"In the process, he has won numerous awards for creative excellence for his writing, filmmaking, and radio production, including awards from the Chicago International Film Festival, the New York Film Festival, the Sierra Club, and the Milan International Film Festival," Whiteman said. "Today he works as a filmmaker and strategic campaign/organizing consultant, helping communities meet the challenges of our rapidly growing economic, social and environmental crisis."

Mostly recently, Bedford has been producing advocacy films to help farmers and consumers promote the transition to a humane, sustainable local food economy. His work is used throughout the nation by activists to educate the public, elected and commercial decision-makers about the need for humane, organic, and bio-tech free food.

For more information, contact Jason Craig, program coordinator, at 7-1994 or craigjd@gwm.sc.edu.

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