film

Green

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Producer(s)	Laura Dunn
Director(s)	Laura Dunn
Release Date	2000
Runtime	50 min
Youth Media	n
Educational Materials	y

Film Description

Green begins with an aerial shot of Baton Rouge. Just Beyond the state Capitol we see Exxon, the largest refinery and chemical plant complex in the world. The stunning Technicolor hues of the chemical vats mask the shocking truth that exists on the ground along the Mississippi River, where one group of people pay the price for the nation's
rampant consumerism.

The stretch of the Mississippi River between Baton Rouge and New Orleans reports the nation's highest concentration of toxic emissions to the air, land and water. The population living adjacent to this area is largely black. Many of the residents
interviewed in the film have concluded that the
situation amounts to environmental racism.
“They don't care about us as human beings, as black human beings, all they care about is green, and you know what green is? M-O-N-E-Y,” reveals one affected resident.

One after another, residents share their stories: a 13-year old girl with cancer, a photographer who has documented local pollution for 20 years, government officials who deny any problem exists, a chemical worker who witnessed illegal dumping, and a father struggling to find hope for his critically ill son. These heartbreaking tales bring home the situation's urgency, and give a face to mind-numbing statistics that detail how these chemical plants have diseased so many people. Green is a courageous and important film- a testimony to the suffering endured by innocent people in the name of needless consumption.