Carbo2n Nation Film Review

I was privileged to attend the world premier of a new energy and climate documentary, Carbo2n Nation last night at the DC Environmental Film Festival. For disclosure purposes, I was an early technical adviser to the film, though I have not been involved with the production or editing of the film and this is the first time I have seen the film.

As the film’s director Peter Byck said last night, this film was inspired by Vice President Al Gore’s documentary An Inconvenient Truth. Peter indicated that while Gore’s film made a compelling case for why climate change is real, it did little to provide guidance on what the United States could do to address the problem. Carbo2n Nation alternates between presentations of the manifestations of climate change and compelling profiles of individuals that are making a real difference in reducing GHG emissions. Among the opportunities for reduction profiled were energy efficiency, including interviews with ACEEE’s founder Art Rosenfeld, energy efficiency visionary Amory Lovins and industrial energy efficiency entrepreneur Sean Casten. Among the most memorable scenes are those with Rocky Mountain Institute staff working on the greening of the Empire State Building and the profile of Van Jones and his efforts on green jobs, which included a very touching joint interview with his late father.

I, like many of those in attendance at the screening were left with a sense of optimism that there is something that we can do about climate change, and that the entrepreneurial spirit of the United States can us concerns about climate change as an opportunity to innovate and prosper in the future. I would recommend this film to all interested in energy efficiency and concerned about climate change, and look forward to further projects on this topic by Peter Byck and his Earth School Educational Foundation Inc.