The rapid growth of the Chinese economy has caused a popular disregard in China of the environment, but China is taking steps in the correct direction, and the West is largely unaware of the work that China is doing to combat environmental degradation. International attention was focused on Beijing during the month of August for the 2008 Summer Olympics; the Olympics are an established framework for positive interactions between China and the rest of the world. The city of Beijing cleaned up for the Olympics; after exposure for years to Western media Sino-skeptisism and then spending time in China in 2005, I questioned the sustainability of this clean-up.

Jeff Arak and I shot a short film about the clean-up effort. We attempted to show that the new environmentalism in China relies largely on environmental education, and this pattern of environmentalism does not effect change in the short term. During the production process, we are attempting to show the hopefulness inherent in this pattern of environmentalism. From Beijing, Jeff wrote at one point: “China’s environment is bad, but it’s getting better.” Our movie attempts to tell the second part of this story.

The Green Reason is made possible by a Baker Grant. Read our project proposal.

Credits

Producer: Tessa Venell
Editor: Ben Fundis
Director: Jeff Arak
Research Director: Tessa Venell
Composer: Daniel Duffy
Translator: Quan Zhou
Web Design: Andy Venell
Illustrations: Matt Witham
Photography: Jeremy Sisselman
Composer: Dan Harris