This short film documents how the Monadnock region of New Hampshire is addressing the challenges of an increasingly unstable climate. The film opens with scenes from the Hurricane of 1938, the most dramatic meteorological event in recent memory. Towns like Peterborough came together, rebuilding flood-ravaged streets and supporting the construction of projects like the McDowell Dam. Today the threats we face are different. Human activities that release carbon into the atmosphere are causing temperatures to rise and episodes of extreme precipitation to increase. The film highlights a range of regional responses designed to adapt to this new norm and to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. Culverts are being resized; businesses are competing to introduce renewable energy; young people are growing crops and investing in farmers markets; and townspeople are working together to envision and implement community resilience. Integrating the voices of experts and ordinary citizens, the film offers a model of response for this looming environmental challenge for communities across New England and beyond.
Panelists include:
Doug Challenger, Film Director and Editor, Professor of Sociology, Franklin Pierce University
Dwayne Breger, Director of Clean Energy Extension, UMass Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment
Christine Hatch, Extension Assistant Professor of Hydrogeology & Climate Change, UMass Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment
Chris Mason, Energy and Sustainability Office, City of Northampton
Michael Sen, English Department, UMass
From Hurricane to Climate Change will be presented on Thursday, February 2 at 7:00 pm at the Hitchcock Center in Amherst. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion/Q&A with the audience.
The event is free. Registration is appreciated.
