Green Movie Night: Sand Wars

From the First Unitarian Universalist Church, Green Sanctuary Committee –

Sand Wars is an epic eco-thriller by director Denis Delestrac.

To view trailer:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAPfwwb59uY

The film premiered on the Champs-Elysées in 2013 and was first broadcast in May in France and Germany, where it became the highest rated documentary for 2013. A Gold Panda Award winner, Sand Wars is distributed worldwide by PBS International.

After fresh water, sand is the most consumed natural resource on the planet. As a logical consequence of this exploitation, sand’s limited reserves are threatened today. “Sand wars,” triggered by building booms, are raging everywhere in the world and 3/4 of the planet’s beaches are in decline and bound to disappear, victims of erosion and – as hard it might be to comprehend – smuggling. Most of us see sand as a free material, a staple of holidays spent on the shore, in unlimited supply. Sand is everywhere around us, be it beach, desert or town. Every house, every skyscraper with a dazzling glass front, all our bridges, airports and sidewalks – are basically made of sand. We use it as well to make fiber optic cable, mobile phone components and computer chips.  But is this omnipresent material inexhaustible?  What will be the consequences of intensive sand extraction on the environment and life on the planet? In tracking sand’s “new” smugglers, corrupt politicians, unscrupulous property developers, and the ecologists trying to halt the erosion and disappearance of beaches, this investigation will take us around the world to witness this new gold rush firsthand.

Join us for this surprising investigation into one of the most consumed natural resources on the planet.  Due to the high demand for sand, the planet’s reserves are being threatened.  Yes!  Triggered by building construction, smuggling bands, or “Sand Mafias”, plunder beaches and rivers for this highly prized commodity.

Admission is free, as is the popcorn (donations accepted).