Lynn Hartung, a volunteer working with the Southeast Michigan Group on Climate Action, provides the following review of two inspiring films addressing climate change impacts on our food systems and the opportunity for agriculture to begin to turn these impacts around.
Last spring, I watched the “Kiss The Ground” documentary, which explains how regenerative farming can help stabilize the earth’s climate, restore lost ecosystems and significantly increase our food supply. I was excited to learn about another opportunity to slow down global warming while helping farmers produce healthier food and reducing the use of pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers that cause harm to the environment and humans. The movie is inspirational, providing hope for saving the planet and ideas on how farmers can be more profitable.
“Kiss The Ground” is available to subscribers of Amazon Prime). The trailer for the movie can be viewed here.
An excellent follow up to “Kiss The Ground” is a YouTube video webinar by Interfaith Power and Light with farmer Gabe Brown discussing the movie and its sequel, “Common Ground.”.
The Roco Films’ website explains that “by fusing journalistic expose’ with deeply personal stories from those in the front lines of the sustainable food movement, Common Ground unveils a dark web of money, power, and politics behind our broken food system. As the highly anticipated sequel to Kiss the Ground, the film profiles a hopeful and uplifting movement of white, black, and indigenous farmers who are using alternative “regenerative” models of agriculture that could balance the climate, save our health, and stabilize America’s economy – before it’s too late.”
“Common Ground” documentary (2023) - Official Trailer can be viewed here.
“Common Ground” has won awards at the Tribeca Film Festival, the Boston Film Festival, the Golden Lion International Film Festival and more. A showing of “Common Ground” is tentatively planned for the Birmingham Unitarian Church in January, set up by the Climate Team of the Southeast Michigan Group. Details to come. The producers will provide free access to the movie to nonprofit groups like churches, schools and community organizations as long as it is being used for educational purposes. To arranging free screenings in Michigan, click here.