Swanpool Environmental Film Festival: Finding a path to a sustainable future; Finding the Money; And understanding the 'Undercurrents'

The June 15 Swanpool Environmental Film Festival was in equal portions depressing and uplifting - the latter arising from the fact that the Swanpool theatre was full of people eager to understand what is ahead for humanity and how best they could contribute to decisions ensuring the correct path was chosen. The eight-hour festival included the screening of three movies - "The New Corporation", "Finding the Money", and "Undercurrents" by Margot Nash. An intriguing, and almost laughable aspect of the Finding the Money movie was the interview with Jared Bernstein, the Chair of America's Council of Economic Advisers. Dr Steven Hail from the Torrens University Modern Money Lab in Adelaide introduced "Finding the Money" and mentioned Professor Stephanie Kelton, who was, by default, the movie's star. Musical entertainment was provided by the "Hot House Quartet" and in entertaining the crowd with the song "The Carnival is Over", I was reminded of Richard Heinberg's 2003 book, "The Party's Over: Oil, War and the Fate of Industrial Societies". Dr Mark Diesendorf, co-authored "The Path to a Sustainable Civilisation: Technological, Socioeconomic and Political Change" with Rod Taylor. Sponsors for the festival were the "Swanpool and District Land Protection Group"; the Benalla Sustainable Future Group"; the "Gecko Clan"; "Winton Wetlands"; "Benalla Rural City Council"; and the "Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority". A separate episode of "Climate Conversations" has a presentation by Dr Mark Diesendorf.