IT TAKES A COMMUNITY by Kay Chandler
Kaye Chandler’s documentary, “It Takes A Community” is a tribute to the power of a community to define its values, express its hopes for a healthy place to live and work, and to fight for this vision. Filmed and edited by Kaye to communicate the knowledge gleaned and action taken by the Petaluma, CA community during the past 4 years as they oppose the powerful Dutra Materials Co. and its allies in County government.
Staring straight into the camera, we hear the reasoned, heartfelt, and determined voices of Mayor Pam Torliatt, Vice Mayor Dave Glass, Marin County Supervisor Susan Adams as they outline why Dutra’s Asphalt Plant will be bad for business, bad for housing values, and bad for residents’ health and well being. We hear from ordinary moms, who created an organization Moms For Clean Air, to inform other parents about the health risks this factory will pose to their families. We hear dedicated docents, (who guide schoolchildren through Shollenberger Park, a living laboratory, to learn about stewardship of our environment,) speak out about the inappropriateness of locating a toxic factory in full view of these lessons.
Excerpts from the Town Meeting in May 2009 called by Assemblyman Jared Huffman to educate the citizens about the Dutra Asphalt Plant’s ramifications, highlight Alan Pendley, chemist and materials engineer. His testimony on the toxic impact of asphalt by-products like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), Hydrogen Sulphide, and heavy metals rejects Dutra’s claims that the plant’s filtering technology is sufficient to protect the town’s air.
Longtime environmentalist, David Keller, and community activist and founder of Friends of Shollenberger Park, Joan Cooper, discuss the environmental degradation and dangers that a heavy industrial operation pose to this sensitive and nationally recognized wetlands.
Footage of great blue herons nesting, ducks swimming and birds flying in Shollenberger Park and the green vistas of the hillsides beyond are juxtaposed with the grinding engines of diesel trucks at a working asphalt plant and clouds of carcinogenic blue smoke rising from trucks loading up with hot asphalt. Point made.
“It Takes A Community” is one more effort to inform the community of what could happen to our park, our families and our future. It’s a call to action to get informed and speak up before its too late.. Don’t miss it. 55 minutes. Check the Petaluma Community Access and KRCB (Rohnert Park) for for schedule or request a copy for your organization.
Staring straight into the camera, we hear the reasoned, heartfelt, and determined voices of Mayor Pam Torliatt, Vice Mayor Dave Glass, Marin County Supervisor Susan Adams as they outline why Dutra’s Asphalt Plant will be bad for business, bad for housing values, and bad for residents’ health and well being. We hear from ordinary moms, who created an organization Moms For Clean Air, to inform other parents about the health risks this factory will pose to their families. We hear dedicated docents, (who guide schoolchildren through Shollenberger Park, a living laboratory, to learn about stewardship of our environment,) speak out about the inappropriateness of locating a toxic factory in full view of these lessons.
Excerpts from the Town Meeting in May 2009 called by Assemblyman Jared Huffman to educate the citizens about the Dutra Asphalt Plant’s ramifications, highlight Alan Pendley, chemist and materials engineer. His testimony on the toxic impact of asphalt by-products like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), Hydrogen Sulphide, and heavy metals rejects Dutra’s claims that the plant’s filtering technology is sufficient to protect the town’s air.
Longtime environmentalist, David Keller, and community activist and founder of Friends of Shollenberger Park, Joan Cooper, discuss the environmental degradation and dangers that a heavy industrial operation pose to this sensitive and nationally recognized wetlands.
Footage of great blue herons nesting, ducks swimming and birds flying in Shollenberger Park and the green vistas of the hillsides beyond are juxtaposed with the grinding engines of diesel trucks at a working asphalt plant and clouds of carcinogenic blue smoke rising from trucks loading up with hot asphalt. Point made.
“It Takes A Community” is one more effort to inform the community of what could happen to our park, our families and our future. It’s a call to action to get informed and speak up before its too late.. Don’t miss it. 55 minutes. Check the Petaluma Community Access and KRCB (Rohnert Park) for for schedule or request a copy for your organization.
Comments
Post a Comment