Media Edge

"The Story of Broke" (8 minutes)

The United States isn’t broke; we’re the richest country on the planet and a country in which the richest among us are doing exceptionally well. But the truth is, our economy is broken, producing more pollution, greenhouse gasses and garbage than any other country. In these and so many other ways, it just isn’t working. But rather than invest in something better, we continue to keep this ‘dinosaur economy’ on life support with hundreds of billions of dollars of our tax money. The Story of Broke calls for a shift in government spending toward investments in clean, green solutions -- renewable energy, safer chemicals and materials, zero waste and more -- that can deliver jobs AND a healthier environment. It’s time to rebuild the American Dream; but this time, let’s build it better.

"The Story of Bottled Water" (8 minutes)

The story of manufactured demand -- how you get Americans to buy more than half a billion bottles of water every week when it already flows from the tap. This film explores the bottled water industry's attacks on tap water and its use of seductive, environmental-themed advertising to cover up the mountains of plastic waste it produces.

"Dakota 38" (78 minutes)

In the spring of 2005, Jim Miller, a Native spiritual leader and Vietnam veteran, found himself in a dream riding on horseback across the great plains of South Dakota. Just before he awoke, he arrived at a riverbank in Minnesota and saw 38 of his Dakota ancestors hanged. At the time, Jim knew nothing of the largest mass execution in United States history, ordered by Abraham Lincoln on December 26, 1862. "When you have dreams, you know when they come from the creator... As any recovered alcoholic, I made believe that I didn't get it. I tried to put it out of my mind, yet it's one of those dreams that bothers you night and day."  Four years later, embracing the message of the dream, Jim and a group of riders retrace the 330-mile route of his dream on horseback from Lower Brule, South Dakota to Mankato, Minnesota to arrive at the hanging site on the anniversary of the execution. "We can't blame the wasichus anymore. We're doing it to ourselves. We're selling drugs. We're killing our own people. That's what this ride is about, is healing." This is the story of their journey - the blizzards they endure, the Native and Non-Native communities that house and feed them along the way, and the dark history they are beginning to wipe away.

"Peak Moment" (19 minutes)

Farm coordinator Scott Behmer gives us a tour of a derelict lot transformed into a small urban farm. In an area with widely diverse demographics, work trade volunteers help in the garden and take vegetables home with them. The children's garden has "See, Touch, Taste, and Mint" beds with plants highlighting these themes. In the "Verma Composting" bin, kids get to be up front and personal with bugs and worms! Scott's advice for others: Be flexible. Adapt the garden to peoples' food preferences and time schedules. Seattle Community Farm is a project of Solid Ground in Seattle, Washington.