On January 28th 1969, just off the coast of Santa Barbara, oil burst out of the ocean like a black artesian well. The fallout and mishap were disheartening to say the least as residents gathered on the beaches to witness the oil slick coming to shore; there was nothing to stop it.
The Birth of a Movement is a documentary film investigating the 1969 oil blow out in Santa Barbara, which is considered by many to be the birth of the “modern environmental movement.” The activism inspired by this disaster quickly spread across the country and spawned landmark legislation, the first Earth Day, and the Environmental Studies program at UCSB.
The film aims to educate viewers about this important piece of history and motivate present and future generations alike to become good environmental stewards. Yet, this goal is unachievable without drawing connections between oil-development and the global financial crisis, climate change, and social injustice. Here we look 40 years back so as to look 40 years forward.
One of the greatest challenges of the 21st Century is how to deal with the dual-threat of global climate change and the inequities created by a capitalist dominated economy. We believe the solution is in merging the movements. Increased consumption, peak oil, polar caps melting, wars, pollution, and inequality reveal only one side of the story. The other side is the rise of grassroots movements redefining environmentalism in the 21st Century; it is The Birth of a Movement.
Board of Advisors
Carl Pope, Executive Director of the Sierra Club
Marc McGinnes, J.D., Senior Lecturer Emeritus Environmental Studies, UCSB
Prof. Richard Appelbaum, Director MA Global & International Studies, UCSB
Paul Relis, Founding Director CEC, Executive Vice President for CR&R, Inc.
Monique Sonoquie, Founder, Indigenous Youth Foundation
Charlie Eckberg, Environmental Consultant & SB Environmental Leader
The Birth of a Movement is a documentary film investigating the 1969 oil blow out in Santa Barbara, which is considered by many to be the birth of the “modern environmental movement.” The activism inspired by this disaster quickly spread across the country and spawned landmark legislation, the first Earth Day, and the Environmental Studies program at UCSB.
The film aims to educate viewers about this important piece of history and motivate present and future generations alike to become good environmental stewards. Yet, this goal is unachievable without drawing connections between oil-development and the global financial crisis, climate change, and social injustice. Here we look 40 years back so as to look 40 years forward.
One of the greatest challenges of the 21st Century is how to deal with the dual-threat of global climate change and the inequities created by a capitalist dominated economy. We believe the solution is in merging the movements. Increased consumption, peak oil, polar caps melting, wars, pollution, and inequality reveal only one side of the story. The other side is the rise of grassroots movements redefining environmentalism in the 21st Century; it is The Birth of a Movement.
Board of Advisors
Carl Pope, Executive Director of the Sierra Club
Marc McGinnes, J.D., Senior Lecturer Emeritus Environmental Studies, UCSB
Prof. Richard Appelbaum, Director MA Global & International Studies, UCSB
Paul Relis, Founding Director CEC, Executive Vice President for CR&R, Inc.
Monique Sonoquie, Founder, Indigenous Youth Foundation
Charlie Eckberg, Environmental Consultant & SB Environmental Leader
