Like many of you, I find myself reflecting and looking ahead to a new year, with both optimism and a sense of trepidation.
I’m hoping it will bring positive changes: a return to democratic values, more justice for all, less division and anger, and a renewed consciousness for our civic duty to protect the environment we all depend on, no matter which political party we align with.
I’m also looking back a bit (something I don’t allow myself to do too often). I’m trying to examine and understand how we’ve gotten to this place, how we have entrusted our future to those who seem so disconnected from the America I know.
As a country, I think we’ve slid backward — and this has to change. We have to change. All of us have a part to play in bringing the country together again. I trust we all want progress, not bitterness, moving forward.
I’m energized by new voices of youth and women in power. They’re playing a role in sweeping the stage — their emerging leadership can lead the way, and I’ve seen the promise of their involvement and their ideas. I hope they won’t turn away from our challenges. We desperately need their energy. They are resilient, like America has always been. It’s their turn now, and I’m excited for it.
So my resolutions in 2019 include trying to help and empower them, reminding them of the great moral promise of government and the importance of a free press, and the logic of listening to science and thinking like a planet.
As T.S. Eliot said, “There is only the fight to recover what has been lost … there is only the trying.” I believe that. So let’s get to work, together.
— Robert Redford
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From:
Jill Tidman, The Redford Center <ne...@redfordcenter.org>Date: Wed, Jan 16, 2019 at 3:59 AM
Subject: Robert Redford's 2019 resolution. New film premiere. Partnerships FTW!
To: Imran <
sh...@cselian.com>
Welcome to the Redford Center's January 2019 newsletter.
January 2019 | #StoriesThatMove
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Follow the 2018 Redford Center Grantees as they ascend the Wasatch Mountains.
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It’s been a hot start to the new year for the environmental movement as climate change has percolated into mainstream news. A fall 2018 report by the United Nations’ IPCC has shaken the global community with alarming predictions of what’s ahead.
But as UN Secretary-General António Guterres said, “The mountain in front of us is very high. But it is not insurmountable. We know how to scale it.” And from our perch, we are remaining hopeful, as we watch the clean energy industry mature, the innovations advance, and more people than ever taking action.
Our co-founder, Robert Redford, is feeling energized too. As you’ll see in his year-end message below, he’s encouraged by our new young leaders. And if you want a jolt of inspiration, scroll down and watch youth activist Jaden Smith accept the inaugural Robert Redford Award.
Our mission to use stories to galvanize environmental action is another source of impact and hope. Seven years ago, our film Watershed helped spur the movement to restore the Colorado River Delta, and a recent report proves the movement’s efforts are working. Our fiscally sponsored film project premiering this month, Diving Deep, shows how one man’s passion can inspire ocean stewardship for generations to come. Our 2018 Redford Center Grantees brought their A-game to our recent Story Summit—follow them to the top of the mountain in the video above. And our newest Happening impact partner is a massive, iconic environmental group that will be using the film to advance their climate and clean energy work around the country.
Looking for more ways you can be part of the solution? Consider taking our recommended action below.
Happy New Year!
 
Jill Tidman, Executive Director
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ROBERT REDFORD'S MESSAGE FOR THE NEW YEAR
In his year-end message, Robert Redford shared his resolution for 2019, which he hopes will help support “a return to democratic values, more justice for all, less division and anger, and a renewed consciousness for our civic duty to protect the environment we all depend on.”
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'HAPPENING' COMES TO THE NATURE CONSERVANCY
Last month we kicked off a new partnership with an iconic organization that’s been working for more than 60 years to protect the lands and waters on which all life depends. The Nature Conservancy is adding Happening to its climate communications toolbox, with strategic screenings around the country as a part of their 50-state climate strategy! Learn more about their clean energy campaign here.
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RAISE THE RIVER AND THE POWER OF COMMUNITY
Community is key for restoring native habitats in the long-devastated Colorado River Delta says a November 2018 IBWC report, and groups cooperating across the U.S.-Mexico border are putting that idea front and center in support of local water delivery initiatives. With support from the Raise the River coalition, cross border groups are reviving vegetation and attracting long-missing wildlife back to the river basin. The multiplier effect: these efforts are recharging groundwater supplies that in turn promote natural plant growth and support local farmers’ irrigation needs. |
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RECOMMENDED ACTION: TRAVEL OFFSETS
The holidays are a tough time for the planet, with spikes in greenhouse gas emissions from travel and shipping. But our friends at Cool Effect are here to help. Shrink your personal carbon footprint with Cool Effect travel offsets, a platform that lets you calculate your emissions and make donations toward grassroots, entrepreneurial carbon reduction projects around the world. It's great for the planet, the local economies where these projects are based, and your peace of mind.
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JADEN SMITH ACCEPTS THE ROBERT REDFORD AWARD
We’re still beaming from the success of our Stories That Move Benefit event in December. It was a memorable night that marked an important moment of growth for the Redford Center’s programs, as well as our commitment to engage and support young people as leaders in the environmental movement—as symbolized by artist-activist Jaden Smith’s acceptance of the inaugural Robert Redford Award. “This award is like handing me and my generation a torch,” Smith declared. “This is fire in my hands.”
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'DIVING DEEP' PREMIERE
Congratulations to director Mimi deGruy and the team behind Diving Deep: The Life and Times of Mike deGruy, one of our fiscally sponsored film projects, which premieres January 30 at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. Diving Deep tells the story of Mimi’s husband and collaborator, Mike deGruy, a relentlessly curious underwater filmmaker who died in a helicopter crash in 2012. Through this film, Mimi wants to celebrate Mike’s life while furthering his mission to protect the ocean.
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GOPRO'S 'INSIDE LINE' ON OUR 2018 STORY SUMMIT
Last fall our 2018 Redford Center Grantees came together at the Sundance Mountain Resort for a weekend of learning and networking to help bring their films to life. Through a growing partnership with GoPro, each film team received a camera gear kit and participated in workshops to elevate their projects using GoPro's distinct perspectives and techniques. Here's the “Inside Line” on this unique collaboration written by Redford Center Grants advisor, Justin “Hoost” Wilkenfeld.
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