AU is, in many ways, a font of untapped resources. Imagine for a minute how much money is just sitting, rotting away in unused AUCC accounts, unspent dollars from inactive clubs. Someone should really check that out. It's got to be a ton of cash.
But AU, small as it seems, in fact has many a good hidden gem. Take, for instance, the Bender Library's "Green on the Screen." Every Thursday afternoon at 12:30 p.m. in the Media Services Center in the basement, the AU community can come together to watch environmental documentaries.
Media Librarian Christopher Lewis coordinates "Green on the Screen" films. The film series is part of the Library Green Team, which is responsible for the library's various eco-friendly initiatives, including its new recycling program.
"Our initial target audience was the library staff," Lewis said, who began the program this semester. "But it made sense to promote the screenings to anyone on campus who might be interested."
The films are shown in the media classroom in the Media Services Center, which boasts a "large high-resolution video projection and a decent sound system," Lewis said.
"We also relax the food restrictions for people who want to bring their lunches," he added.
The atmosphere is laid-back and cordial - a pleasant break in an otherwise busy week. And the films are all under an hour, allowing even the busiest of students a potential respite.
"I attend the Green on the Screen each week because I learn something new each week," said "Green on the Screen" regular Marie Stratton, a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences. "They did a great job at picking a wide range of videos."
The films represent a wide array of environmental topics, including everything from hot issues like global warming ("Baked Alaska") and water conservation (this week's "The Power of Water") to less sexy issues, like the fundamental problems of sewers ("Crapshoot"). Lewis admits the current schedule consists mostly of lesser known, although provocative and important, films, which don't attract as many students as more widely known features would.
"Although some of them are a little old, they at least generate some discussion," Stratton said. "The footage, interviews, and material they cover is also a great break from reading assignments and provides a different way to learn."
Attendance is small but growing steadily, hovering around five to 10 audience members, but Lewis hopes word of mouth and the increase in more recognizable films will start to attract a larger audience. That said, the program exposes audience members to lesser known but equally important issues, as well as diverse voices on the subjects that are not normally heard in larger media outlets. Though this is a great strength of the program, Lewis vowed to continue to improve the program and bring in more new releases as it grows. "I hope to keep the screenings going indefinitely during the fall and spring semesters," Lewis said.
The "Green on the Screen" series is a very inclusive and feedback-oriented affair. For this project, Lewis first compiled a list of relevant films and consulted his colleagues in the library to see what they wanted to see. Lewis invites interested students to join the library e-mail list or drop him a line to offer feedback on how to better the library at clewis@american.edu.
