This independently-produced 16mm film documented the first Earth Day held in Philadelphia in 1970. It features counterculture figures who came to speak at Earth Day events, including Alan Watts, Allen Ginsberg, Jerry Rubin and Ed Sanders, as well as scientists and public figures such as Ralph Lapp, Paul Ehrlich, Ed Muskie, and Nobel Prize winner George Wald. In addition to these celebrities, the film also includes art performances by Leon Redbone, the cast of Hair, as well as a local dance group, Black Butterfly. It intercuts appearances by ordinary people from Philadelphia communities expressing their concerns with the environmental issues that were highlighted in the Earth Day event. The idea behind “Circuit Earth” was to draw connections between concern for the environment and spiritual impoverishment manifested by war, overpopulation, mindless consumption, and drug addiction. This “underground” documentary raised issues that are now in the mainstream, including the impact of warfare, climate change, and population growth on the environment. It focused on concerns that are as true today as they were then, such as the dependence on fossil fuels, which is at the core of the energy debate today. Circuit Earth film anticipated the need for a holistic and global approach to the environment that requires an informed citizenry as well as knowledge-based political leadership. This film underscores the global nature of technology and the environment, and the complex interaction of natural and human systems. Credits: John Hoskyns-Abrahall, Christopher Bamford, Michael Katz, Bob Feldman, and Peter Wiesner
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Juan Pablo Macías