Eco film series shines a light on saving ‘Mother Earth’

WOULD YOU “sell your own mother”?

The expression means to betray or exploit someone close to you for your own gain. When put next to the warm-hearted phrase ‘Mother Earth’, our treatment of Earth as real estate valued only for what we can extract and consume comes into focus.

This was the theme in The rights of nature, the first in a series of three environmental films at Visual this autumn, hosted by County Carlow Environmental Network (CCEN).

CCEN works to connect our community around environmental issues and is run by volunteers.

Following the recent screening, a discussion was held to highlight the fact that as a society we are not ready to put nature on an equal footing to our kin, because our definition of success is still about consumption.

But CCEN points out that change is happening. Several countries have legislated to give nature rights, including Ecuador, Iceland, India and parts of the USA. Ireland’s Citizens’ Assembly Report on biodiversity loss (2023) recommends giving nature rights as a legal mechanism to protect nature. The UN General Assembly has recognised the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment as a human right – a right that can only exist if we take responsibility for making it happen.

CCEN says that environmental films help us to broaden our thinking and engage with the complex issues that the upcoming generations face.

The network’s next showings are Once upon a forest on 6 November and Planet soil on 3 December.

CCEN is very grateful for the gorgeous raffle prizes donated on the night from Carlow Beekeepers, Sheila Nurseries and the Organic Corner, and to all who supported the raffle.

 It also offers a hearty thanks to Visual Carlow and to cllrs Will Paton, Daniel Pender and Paul Doogue for directing discretionary funding towards making the environmental film screenings free to the public.

To see the upcoming CCEN events and join its mailing list, go to ccen.ie.