Last weekend CMG's Founding Director, David Conover, had the pleasure to attend an event in Paris that featured an excerpt from CMG Action Grantee Shalini Kantayya's feature film, Catching the Sun.
According to David, "The event was the highlight of my time at the COP21 climate summit. It was encouraging to see what Shalini has captured as well as to hear from Atlanta's Mayor Kasim Reed and Salt Lake City's Mayor Ralph Becker, both of whom are focused on moving the ball down the field and not the politics of the game."
The event, "Cities and Regions at COP21: Leading from the Front with Equity and Inclusion," was hosted by the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF), in partnership with the National League of Cities (NLC) and the Assembly of European Regions (AER). The goal of the event was to bring together subnational leaders from Europe and the United States to share the opportunities and challenges of leading equitable and inclusive climate and clean energy policies that create vibrant cities and regions.
A clip of "Catching the Sun" was used to help set the tone for the evening's discussion and to encourage dialogue surrounding innovative regional approaches to climate change: "Shalini's work spoke clearly to many in the room," David reported. "I had the pleasure of sitting next to Stephanie Stuckey Benfield, Atlanta's Director of Sustainability, who recognized not only her city as one of the settings of the film itself, but also felt the potential for pointed relevance to Atlanta's citizens."
According to the session moderator Reta Jo Lewis, the Senior Resident Fellow of The German Marshall Fund, "The clip of Catching the Sun addressed many of the issues that are important to the climate movement ranging from inclusion to economic opportunity and innovation that require strong local leadership."
Shalini is using her CMG Action Grant to produce a short video campaign, "Suncatcher," that builds on the successes of her feature film to engage and empower local communities across the country and provide them with the tools to access and advocate for solar energy on a local level. Read more about her Action Grant project HERE.
Last weekend CMG's Founding Director, David Conover, had the pleasure to attend an event in Paris that featured an excerpt from CMG Action Grantee Shalini Kantayya's feature film, Catching the Sun.
According to David, "The event was the highlight of my time at the COP21 climate summit. It was encouraging to see what Shalini has captured as well as to hear from Atlanta's Mayor Kasim Reed and Salt Lake City's Mayor Ralph Becker, both of whom are focused on moving the ball down the field and not the politics of the game."
The event, "Cities and Regions at COP21: Leading from the Front with Equity and Inclusion," was hosted by the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF), in partnership with the National League of Cities (NLC) and the Assembly of European Regions (AER). The goal of the event was to bring together subnational leaders from Europe and the United States to share the opportunities and challenges of leading equitable and inclusive climate and clean energy policies that create vibrant cities and regions.
A clip of "Catching the Sun" was used to help set the tone for the evening's discussion and to encourage dialogue surrounding innovative regional approaches to climate change: "Shalini's work spoke clearly to many in the room," David reported. "I had the pleasure of sitting next to Stephanie Stuckey Benfield, Atlanta's Director of Sustainability, who recognized not only her city as one of the settings of the film itself, but also felt the potential for pointed relevance to Atlanta's citizens."
According to the session moderator Reta Jo Lewis, the Senior Resident Fellow of The German Marshall Fund, "The clip of Catching the Sun addressed many of the issues that are important to the climate movement ranging from inclusion to economic opportunity and innovation that require strong local leadership."
Shalini is using her CMG Action Grant to produce a short video campaign, "Suncatcher," that builds on the successes of her feature film to engage and empower local communities across the country and provide them with the tools to access and advocate for solar energy on a local level. Read more about her Action Grant project HERE.