DC residents- it’s that time of year again, where you are allowed, nay encouraged to go to the movies, and to do it for free. The DC Environmental Film Festival is back in town for its 19th year with 12 days of powerful, interesting and entertaining films. As someone who learns more from being taught and told than by going out of my way to read and retain a textbook, the film festival is a way to get reams of information by sitting around in cool DC venues for a few hours. Over 150 screenings, most of which are free and metro accessible, go out of your way to attend just one this year and you may surprise yourself. And if you’re free- the launch party is tonight!

On my list are: Animal, Vegetable, Mineral, Wine;  Plastic Planet; The Economics of Happiness and Energy Autonomy: The 4th Revolution. Last year my personal favorite was “Bag It!” which was featured again this year in a pre-festival screening. A documentary about a regular man looking in to the impact of plastic bag use, I walked out of the Carnegie Institute educated, entertained and vowing not to use another plastic bag. It’s been almost exactly a year and I can say that thus far I have succeeded. One of these which I was given as a gift has helped- small enough to throw into any bag it’s saved me a few times (and there’s a backpack version too), but all in all it’s just about turning down that plastic bag when you’re offered it for one item you could fit in your pocket, and remembering that it’ll be easier to pack and carry 3 reusable bags when you go grocery shopping than to wrestle with the 11 half-filled-but-somehow-already-breaking double-bagged plastic bags that you’ll be getting otherwise.

Long story short: go, have fun, and maybe we’ll see you there!