OntheWilderSide

New Film ‘The Great Warming’ Uses QuestionsForCandidates.org as Way for Faith Audiences to Push Politicians on Climate/Energy Issues

Preview Screenings Now Taking Place at Churches, Synagogues Around U.S.; Web Site Allows Users to Create Customize

WASHINGTON, Oct. 12 /U.S. Newswire/ — People attending preview screenings of the new climate-change film “The Great Warming” at churches and synagogues will be able to go home, sit down at their computers and urge candidates for the U.S. House and Senate to spell out their views on global warming and energy issues. QuestionsForCandidates.org — http://www.questionsforcandidates.org — was selected by the producers of “The Great Warming” to give audiences a way to take direct and concrete action.

Narrated by Keanu Reeves and Alanis Morissette, the documentary examines global issues of climate change and offers real-world solutions. It will open on Nov. 3, in the top 50 U.S. markets at the Regal Cinema chain. Through Oct. 20, the film is being promoted at special advance previews at churches, synagogues and other locations across the U.S. (See partial list below.)

Visitors to QuestionsForCandidates.org can create a customized questionnaire for House and Senate candidates in their local races. Candidates are notified of the questionnaire and responses are tracked online. Visitors can also press unresponsive candidates for answers by sending e-mail reminders. The questionnaire elements on QuestionsForCandidates.org are broken down into six categories: “Your Pocketbook,” “New Jobs & Investments,” “America’s National Security,” “Health and Safety,” “Stewardship and America’s Natural Heritage” and “Your Democracy.” To see the QuestionsForCandidates page for “The Great Warming” movie, go to http://www.questionsforcandidates.org/node/1499.

Karen Coshof, producer of “The Great Warming,” said, “Our hope is that ‘The Great Warming’ becomes a true catalyst for action on climate change. We’ve noticed that the first thing people say when they see the film is: ‘What can I do? What can my church or synagogue do, to make a difference?’ One thing everyone can do is to make action on climate change a major plank in the political agenda — because this truly is the ‘overarching’ issue. That’s why ‘The Great Warming’ is teaming up with Questions for Candidates to make this really easy to do. We believe it’s important to give people an easy way to get from awareness to action, and this is the best way we’ve seen to get these concerns in front of the people who will be making the decisions on these important issues.”

QuestionsForCandidates.org Coordinator Molly Rooke said, “The energy choices our nation makes, and the consequences of global warming, affect all Americans and our collective future. Elections should be an opportunity for a national discussion about these issues, but as any voter knows, we mostly just get stump speeches and soundbites. The tools on this Web site were designed to give voters help in changing this dynamic. The questions in the broad questionnaire illustrate how seemingly abstract issues like energy policy and global warming are actually related to the day-to-day experiences of nearly all Americans — from our pocketbooks to our jobs; from our family’s health and safety to our nation’s security; and from stewardship to our country’s natural heritage.”

Sample questions featured on the QuestionsForCandidates.org Web site include: “A 10 year commitment to invest as much as $30 billion to research and develop homegrown, energy-saving and renewable technologies could result in expanded domestic employment opportunities. Do you support or oppose making such a commitment?”; “Scientists warn that the United States must begin to cut global warming pollution during the next ten years and reduce it by 60-80 percent by 2050 in order mitigate the most severe impacts of global warming. What are your views on global warming, and do you support or oppose this pollution reduction goal?”; “A growing number of faith leaders are expressing the view that scripture calls on mankind to be stewards of God’s creation, a responsibility that means limiting pollution and other harms to the environment. What is your opinion on this?”

More than a science lecture or just an alert, “The Great Warming” is aimed at bringing average citizens up to speed on the issues that are and will continue to affect them. Its overall emphasis offers hope through real-world solutions that, if implemented, can make a difference now and into the future.

In recent weeks, the film used grassroots screenings to mobilize members of hundreds of churches, schools, town halls and community organizations across the county. For more details about “The Great Warming” and updates on advance screenings, contact Tom Tanno at 818-907-9950.

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About Sustainable Future

QuestionsForCandidates.org is a project of Sustainable Future Inc., a non-partisan, 501(c)(3) organization. Sustainable Future’s mission is to increase public awareness and understanding of environmental issues. Its goals are to create new ways for people to learn about the challenges they face, and what they can do to solve them.

Filed under: Action Alert!, activism, Anti-War, Ballot issues, counter-recruiting, Ecology, Education, elections, film, Global Warming, grassroots democracy, Green Party Websites, Our Favorite Radio Stations, Political Websites, Press Release, reform, US Politics, video Tagged: | book of the month