June 22nd, 2018 Aspen, CO
Article by Todd Hartley, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer
Amidst the features and short films constituting the lineup Friday and Saturday at AREDAY’s free Impact Film screenings in Snowmass Village, there is a short entry of five film clips called the “Nature Needs Half” series. It boasts a big-name star in Ashley Judd and despite its short length, it could end up being the most impactful film of the lot.
Actually, it’s less a film than it is an infomercial. Though there are plans for a feature-length movie soon, the current short clips are intended to show audiences what Nature Needs Half is all about. The burgeoning movement, a collection of scientists, individuals, media producers, corporations, organizations and governments, seeks to preserve and interconnect 50 percent of the world’s land and water by 2050.
“If we don’t do it, 10 years from now, we’re not going to have giraffes, we’re not going to have elephants, we’re not going to have any of the major species that we’ve all grown up with,” said Steve Michelson, the head of Nature Needs Half Media, the communications arm of the movement. “They need to be protected, not just in parks, but in a way that they can experience the correct biodiversity.”