“We the Power" at the Figge Art Museum -- February 25.
Sunday, February 25, 3 p.m.
Figge Art Museum, 225 West Second Street, Davenport IA
With the screening of the 39-minute documentary hosted by Augustana College's Student Sierra Club, director David Byars' short film We the Power will enjoy a February 25 screening at Davenport's Figge Art Museum as the fifth presentation in River Action's 2024 QC Environmental Film Series, the release sponsored by the outdoor-apparel company Patagonia, recognized internationally for its commitment to environmental activism and its contributions of more than $110 million in grants and in-kind donations.
Imagine upending the traditional energy system and giving the power of clean electricity production back to your neighbors. We the Power follows friends, families, and visionaries as they break down legislative barriers and take power back from big energy companies to put in the hands of locals. The film chronicles local cooperatives from deep in Germany’s Black Forest to the streets of ancient Girona in Spain and the urban rooftops of London, England, as they pave the way for a renewable-energy revolution and build healthier, more financially stable communities.
Included in We the Power are stories of community energy pioneers such as Dirk Vansintjan, the founder and president of Europe-wide federation of community energy cooperatives REScoop. Other leaders of the movement include Sebastian Sladek, whose parents started EWS Schönau in the 1980s, as a direct response to the potential nuclear dangers exposed by the Chernobyl disaster. Agamemnon Otero OBE, founding director of Repowering London and Energy Garden, is also featured alongside Nuri Palmada, board member of Spanish energy community Som Energia. We the Power was directed by David Garrett Byars, the award-winning director of Patagonia's documentary Public Trust, which has been watched more than 2.5 million times since its launch in September of 2020.
We the Power will be shown in the Figge Art Museum's John Deere Auditorium on February 25, admission to the 3 p.m. screening is $7 with students admitted free, and more information on the 2024 QC Environmental Film Series is available by calling (563)322-2926 and visiting RiverAction.org/filmseries.
