Move the Metal
What will motivate everyday Americans to buy into a better global ethic?
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Since 2017, I’ve been researching traffic stop data, policing trends, and the communities most affected. This is where I share some of what I’ve learned and how it shapes civic education at the national and international levels.
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In this issue: It’s been a busy few weeks at forums that explored the intersections of infrastructure, the media ecosystem, sustainable policy change, and collective action. It got me thinking about the dominant creative approach to stories about environment and survival and how imagery impacts perception.
These were just a few of the films that came up: Dante’s Peak. Don’t Look Up. The Day After Tomorrow. Fern Gully. Interstellar. The Road. An Inconvenient Truth. Hoot. It helps to qualify why 75% of global youth (ages 16-25) experience climate anxiety. A recent study from the IT University of Copenhagen found that U.S. highways are proven to limit social connection. In contrast, Paris has put priority on being more pedestrian-friendly, instituting a car-free policy across 500 city streets. The challenge is how to effectively measure the extent to which doomsday narratives and similar data approaches mobilize action in, or stagnate, communities affected.
When speaking of hope and climate futures, Jane Goodall emphasizes the need for a better global ethic. Similar to how seatbelts were incorporated into films to motivate more active driver and passenger use (which I recently learned at the Planet Media Summit — thanks, Stephanie Hsu!), perhaps the subtle incorporation of climate positive techniques into films and immersive experiences, such as composting routines, could motivate more active participation. What if the path to achieving a better global ethic starts by restoring a sense of play?
Stay the course,
Sam
Sam Reetz, is a filmmaker, performer, and founder at Millennial Ethics, creating narrative solutions to complex issues.
Follow her work on Bluesky, Substack and Instagram.
