Needless to say, leaving the 80 degree smoggy town of LA for the slopes of Park City was a thankful change to the daily grind. The economic situation and housing bubble burst has pushed an additional 40,000 people into the streets. Ironically, I've noticed and influx of quite nice large "family" tents into the area known as Skid Row in LA. Let's just say that the demographics of homeless in LA have begun to switch turning to entire FAMILY's being sent to the streets!
Ready to forget about LA and all it's social ills, I was ready head to Utah where the air was clean, water pure and people open (yeah right!) to attend the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, one I thought was going to be at the cutting edge of Green Living and Sustainable Design. Boy, was I in for a surprise. Needless to say as the NY Times pointed out "The Films May be Green, but is the Festival?"
Surrounded by Hummers, Plasmas, Fur Coats, and A hundred thousand bottles of everything...I really began to wonder the same thing! Repurpose Compostables fortunately had partnered with us to help out the Queer Lounge Sponsored by Absolute as well as the Wire Image Puma Lounge, in addition we supplied a ton of cups until late in the morning at the infamous Ed Hardy Mansion Party!
Needless to say with back to back events and everyone trying to cram the entire festival into the first weekend to avoid overlap with President Obama's inauguration, the festival was a great Lineup of incredible films including my favorite the Only Good Indian among many others of substance and merit.
The festival had a number of green events and green themed venues, none of which screamed Green to me, some of which used styrofoam cups and plastic disposable plates. Needless to say, we do have a long way to go to get to authentic sustainable living.
Sundance was as you know the Film Festival founded by Robert Redford at the Original Sundance resort, which BTW is extremely Green, beautiful and thoughtfully preserved. I just didn't see much of that original vision built on respect for the planet and ecosystem in Park City - maybe it's because not much of the planet was visible beneath the Hummers, Plasmas and Plastic!
Following this amazing escapade in the land of Stars, Sunshine and Skiing, I headed to DC with acclaimed photojournalist Tish Lampert to capture history as Barack Obama was to become our next president!
Arriving in DC late on the 19th to bitter cold, I had missed a day with Tish shooting the images of shoes being thrown at Bush, but was going to be at the Mall at 4AM to capture the sunrise on the dawn of a new beginning for the United States of America.
The day was incredible, filled with sunshine and beauty! Unlike the DNC in Denver, where battering rams and riot gear were the norm, the Iraq Vets against the war caged with the college kids and hippies, over 400 Arrests and hundreds of injuries...including Tish's nose being broken (more to come)....the Inauguration in DC was incredible peaceful, joyous and amazing! It was truly remarkable that over 2 million people were gathered without a single arrest or injury...that's practically a miracle!
2009 is going to be an totally different year with a renewed approach to solution creating to get us out of the mess the last 8 years, the last 80 years of unsustainable extractive capitalism have created!
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