On Thursday, February 20th, The Mayflower Community (Grinnell IA) hosted the third “Documentary & Discussion” in the Kiesel Theatre. This one, entitled “BLUE GOLD: World Water Wars,” was co-written and co-produced by Sam Bozzo and shown at the Vancouver International Film Festival.
The discussion was led by resident Harley Henry, PhD, a retired professor of English at Macalester College, St. Paul, Minnesota. During his 38 years on staff, Harley taught courses that included film studies.
Per the Des Moines Register (February 6, 2020), “Our State’s Jordan aquifer provides water to about a half-million Iowans, but it is a finite source. Therefore, the state intends to reject a northeast Iowa company’s request to sell 2 billion gallons of water from our aquifer, because it would have a negative impact on the long-term availability of Iowa’s water sources. The DNR said the water is for the greater beneficial use of Iowans, not for pure profit of the company requesting it to ship it by trains and sell it in western states.”
This Documentary and Discussion is an award winning film that examines the problems created by privatization and commoditization of water. A sobering discussion followed regarding our future challenge for adequate clean water.
Entitled “Matters of Conscience,” three documentaries have been presented in Mayflower’s Kiesel Theatre. They are designed to provide background on current topics. Presented in December, the first was “Sex Trafficking in America,” presented by PBS Frontline. The second was presented in January, “Rise of the Superstorms.” In this PBS Nova, the story is told how in just one month Houston, Florida, and the Caribbean were changed forever by three monster hurricanes.
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