50 States. 1 Year.  Zero Garbage?  The YERT or Your Environmental Road Trip film documents an extraordinary journey.  Come share the adventures, the innovations and the laughs! Cool Davis invites the public to a YERT showing at the Veterans Memorial Theater on Tuesday, March 20 at 6:15 pm. Space is limited; RSVP to guarantee your tickets at http://cooldavisYERT.eventbrite.com/

Called to action by a planet in peril, three friends hit the road – traveling America with hope, humor….and all of their garbage – to explore the good, the bad, and the weird across every state in search of the extraordinary innovators and courageous citizens who are tackling humanity’s greatest environmental crises.

As the YERT team layers outlandish eco-challenges onto their year-long quest, an unexpected turn of events throws the project for a loop in this award-winning docu-comedy.  Featuring Bill McKibben, Wes Jackson, Will Allen, Janine Benyus, Joel Salatin, David Orr, and music by Ben Sollee, Daniel Martin Morre, Mark Geary and more.

“Here’s a trip you’ll wish you’d taken and you’ll be glad you get to watch,” says Bill McKibben, author, environmentalist, and activist.  The YERT Feature Film received the Audience Award at the Environmental Film Festival at Yale, tied with Oscar-nominated Waste Land!, and has earned many other awards besides.  Check it out online at YERT.com.

Dan Wolk, a college buddy of Mark Dixon, the producer, reflects on the importance of the film for Davis.  “Over the next few decades, our economic, social, and environmental resilience will be challenged by the all-reaching effects of climate change and population growth. We are faced with the prospect of expanding landfills, water and energy shortages, the elimination of farmland, and other problems. Mark and a number of the individuals he captures in the film are forward thinkers, pioneers.  I’m glad they are out there trying to change our practices.  In that spirit, I encourage everyone not only to watch YERT to see what others are doing, but more importantly, to come away with a renewed commitment to bettering our environment here in Davis.”

“I encourage everyone not only to watch YERT to see what others are doing, but more importantly, to come away with a renewed commitment to bettering our environment here in Davis.” Dan Wolk, Davis City Council Member

“This film is a joy, an inspiration, and a call to change.,” says a deadCENTER Film Fest audience member,  “Largely apolitical, it documents in a very personal manner a wonderful mix of individuals and organizations who strive to live in more ecologically and psychologically sustainable ways, and who have real hope to change our current petro- and profit-drunken economy.  My sons, 9 and 12, enjoyed it because of the ample humor and hands-on approach, and I was moved to tears several times, both by the environmental peril we face and the courageous hearts and minds of those who refuse to give in or give up.”

Cool Davis is sponsoring the film to promote discussion here in Davis about how to reach the ambitious goals of our city’s Climate Action and Adaptation Plan:  a 15% reduction of the greenhouse gas emissions in 75% of households by 2015 as we aim for zero net energy by 2050.  The City recently entered the CoolCalifornia Challenge, a yearlong competition between California cities to reduce the carbon footprints of residents and to build more vibrant and sustainable communities. The program is funded by the California Air Resources Board.

Davis has already been accepted into the competition with Sacramento and several other cities in the area among the competitors so far.  In Davis, the Cool Davis Initiative is leading the response to the challenge working with the city of Davis, the Valley Climate Action Center, and other local non-profits, churches, schools, and many others.  An ongoing series of public events and publicity – such as this showing of YERT – is being planned to draw attention to the challenge.

Come to the film at the Veteran’s Memorial Theater, 203 East 14th Street, to learn how to sign up online, how to encourage others, and how to take a leadership role. Doors, open at 6:15 p.m. for a reception with producer Mark Dixon, and the film begin at 7:00 p.m.  A short question and answer period will follow the film.  The suggested donation of $5-20 is payable at the door.  Please bring your own water bottle; refreshments will be provided.  Space is limited; RSVP to guarantee your tickets at http://cooldavisYERT.eventbrite.com/