January 19, 2012 by Mark.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Rachel Shepherd, Steeltown Entertainment Project, Project Manager, 412-622-1325

STEELTOWN’S “TAKE A SHOT AT CHANGING THE WORLD” CONTEST
KICKS OFF AT THE HEINZ HISTORY CENTER ON JAN. 29
-SCREENING OF AWARD WINNING FILM “YERT” TO HONOR 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF
RACHEL CARSON’S “SILENT SPRING”-
-$10,000 PRIZES TO BE GIVEN AWAY TO SWPA STUDENTS-

Pittsburgh, PA (January 2012) – In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, and to kick off the 2012 “Take A Shot At Changing The World” Digital Media Contest, Steeltown Entertainment Project and the Senator John Heinz History Center are screening YERT: Your Environmental Road Trip, a film that is keeping Carson’s dreams alive. This movie follows a trio on their cross-country road trip and quest for the sustainable lifestyle, departing from the birthplace of the environmental movement—the Rachel Carson Homestead.

The screening takes place at the Heinz History Center on January 29th at 2:30 P.M and is free and open to the public. Filmmaker and star Mark Dixon will speak after the event along with other special guests including Dr. Patricia DeMarco, Director of the Rachel Carson Institute at Chatham University, Carl Kurlander, Executive Producer of Steeltown Entertainment Project, and Andy Masich, President and CEO of the Heinz History Center. Tickets are first come, first serve. To reserve free tickets, people are encouraged to call Steeltown’s offices at 412-622-1325 or email Rachel@steeltown.org.

The “Take a Shot at Changing the World” contest is open to middle school and high school students in Southwestern PA, and gives kids the chance to make movies and make a difference. Students can win cash prizes by making short films that tell stories of how Pittsburgh and Pittsburghers have changed the world, the $2500 Innovation Prize in conjunction with the Heinz History Center, or by making movies that feature their own personal plans for social action, the $2500 Globechangers Prize. Additionally, there is a $2500 environmental movie prize, and a $2500 polio movie prize. The winner of the polio prize will get their film posted on the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation website and the winner of the Globechanger Social Action Award will receive a trip to the Jefferson Awards in Washington, D.C. and mentorship to implement their ideas.

The contest is a collaborative effort put forth by Steeltown Entertainment Project, The Jefferson Awards, The Heinz History Center, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Allegheny Intermediate Unit, and WQED.

Teachers and students are invited to stay after the screening to find out more about the “Take a Shot at Changing the World” contest and how they can get involved, and also to attend a movie-making brainstorming workshop with Mark Dixon and other experts.

The acclaimed film YERT is a fun and compelling environment road trip where the filmmakers cover 50 States in one year living on only one shoebox of trash a month. With their planet in peril, three friends hit the road - traveling with hope, humor, and all of their garbage - to explore every state in America (the good, the bad…and the weird) in search of the extraordinary innovators and citizens who are tackling humanity’s greatest environmental crises. As the YERT team layers outlandish eco-challenges onto their year-long quest, an unexpected turn of events pushes them to the brink in this award-winning docu-comedy. The film features Bill McKibben, Wes Jackson, Will Allen, Janine Benyus, Joel Salatin, David Orr, and others. The YERT Feature Film received a plethora of noteworthy awards including the Audience Award at the Environmental Film Festival at Yale, tying with Oscar-nominated Waste Land. To find out more about this feature film visit www.yert.com.

The YERT screening is the first of the “Make a Movie, Make a Difference” series that will culminate in April with The Shot Felt ‘Round the World, a film that tells the story of Jonas Salk and his team at the University of Pittsburgh pulling together with a city and a nation to conquer what was once the most feared disease of the 20th Century—polio. The screening will mark the 57th anniversary of the Salk Polio Vaccine being declared safe and effective, as well as the recent declaration of India becoming polio-free. The Shot Felt ‘Round The World was recently selected as the Opening Night Film for the San Luis Obispo Film Festival and has been picked up for distribution by Mercury Media.

The “Take A Shot” competition builds on last year’s success, where students created movies that connected the development of the Salk Polio Vaccine in Pittsburgh to current eradication efforts around the world, raising awareness about a largely forgotten disease and inspiring a new generation to care and to act. 265 students participated, and their films received 12,500 votes from the general public.

To find out more about Steeltown’s “Take a Shot at Changing the World,” the contest topics and prompts, and how you can get involved, visit www.takeashotcontest.org.

———————————
Steeltown Entertainment Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is to help build a vibrant, responsible, and sustainable entertainment sector in Southwestern PA by connecting entertainment professionals with regional ties to local projects, people, and partnerships to create commercially viable and socially meaningful film and media. For more information, go to www.steeltown.org.

The Senator John Heinz History Center is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution and the largest history museum in Pennsylvania. The Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum is a museum within a museum, comprehensively presenting the region’s remarkable sports story through hundreds of artifacts and interactive experiences for visitors of all ages. The History Center and Sports Museum are located at 1212 Smallman Street in the city’s Strip District, and are open every day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. More information is available at www.heinzhistorycenter.org.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

November 30, 2011 by Ben.

Whew, I just got back from St. Louis, Costa Rica, and Pittsburgh…and boy are my arms tired. It’s been a fantastic couple of weeks for the YERT film - (hey, we just won Best Feature Documentary for our international premiere at the Costa Rica International Film Festival!!). Here are some snapshots and a few things I learned while traveling.

St. Louis (11/11-13):
* Always remember your wallet when taking a road trip to St. Louis (or your Aunt Karen will never let you live it down when you get there).

* When in St. Louis’ incredible City Museum, keep track of your 3-year-old…no, really.

* Treating said 3-year-old to a celebratory ice cream cone and root beer at said museum may seem like a good idea at the time…

…it is not.

* The St. Louis International Film Festival is really cool. They’ll even take a picture of you outside their marquee.

Costa Rica (11/14-18):
* Always remember your passport when flying to Cos…don’t worry, I did actually remember my passport.

* 48 hours is not nearly enough time in Montezuma, Costa Rica.

* But, if 48 hours is all you can get in Montezuma, Costa Rica…take it!

* Don’t try to cross the river to hike through the jungle to get to the big waterfall if it rained the night before because the river will look like this and you will die.

Instead, cross the river the next day when it’s calmer…

Of course, when the waterfall you’re trying to get to looks like this…

…I can understand why people might throw caution to the wind.

* Zip lines are harder to pull off as you get older.

* The Costa Rica International Film Festival is also really cool! And they dig fun environmental docs!

TEDx (11/19-20):
After a long day of travel from San Jose, Costa Rica to Farmington, PA by way of MIA and PIT, I finally rendezvoused with Mark at what can only be described as rural Pennsylvania’s answer to the Palace of Versailles for a truly remarkable experience presenting YERT highlights at Pittsburgh’s TEDx conference where we were very well received.

* Pennsylvania doesn’t have Las Vegas, but it does have Nemacolin Resort. And holy honkin’ hotel, Batman! This place is decked out!

* There is a certain inescapable irony about holding a conference focused on “power” in an enormous, sprawling hotel with giant chandeliers in every hotel room. Kind of like an environmental road trip…

* In a pinch, a hotel room bathtub can be used as a washer and an iron as a clothes dryer…for all of your wet, stinky Costa Rica “jungle clothes”…on the morning of your presentation.

* TEDx is really cool. You might even meet someone like, oh, say…C-3PO. Though he’s harder to spot without the full metal body suit.

Finally, as exciting as the traveling’s been, it’s always a joy to come back home to family.

Here’s to an even more fruitful and exciting 2012! Oh, and don’t forget to BUY YOUR YERT DVDs before the holidays - they make great gifts!

Happy Holidays!
-B (& J & M)

Posted in premiere, pittsburgh, Ben, Mark, Uncategorized | No Comments »

November 11, 2011 by Mark.

Dear YERTians,

We continue to receive overwhelmingly positive feedback about the YERT film, as we travel from screening to screening to meet audiences around the country. It seems that people everywhere are ready for, as we like to say, “an environmental documentary film that isn’t depressing.” Read on for more news…

• YERT is “Best Environmental Film” at SOAPIFF!
• The International Premiere of YERT in COSTA RICA
• More Upcoming Screenings (KY, CA, CT, MO, GA, PA)
• DC Screening Success!
• Exploring Distribution Options

YERT is “Best Environmental Film” at SOAPIFF!
We’re thrilled to announce that the YERT film received another award - this time from the Southern Appalachian International Film Festival, or SOAPIFF for short. We have a special chapter in our film that specifically grapples with mountaintop removal mining (MTR) in West Virginia, featuring a flight on SouthWings, an interview with several MTR activists including Larry Gibson, and beautiful music by Ben Sollee (in this case, “Panning for Gold“). It is our small tribute to those working hard to rescue Appalachia from mining companies that are actively working to scrape life from the region. Learn more and get involved at ILoveMountains.org.

The International Premiere of YERT in COSTA RICA
Ben will be heading down to one of the most environmentally forward-thinking countries on earth for the International Premiere of YERT at the Costa Rica International Film Festival! The YERT film’s reputation is starting to open doors on its own, and we were invited by the festival to apply. One thing let to another, and now Ben is going to need some non-toxic sunscreen for his hop down to Costa Rica for the big event: Wednesday, Nov. 16, 8pm, at the El Sano Banano in Montezuma, Costa Rica (Nicoya Peninsula). I know that most of you probably aren’t planning to swing down there next week, but we definitely want you all to know about it. (For the record, in 2010 Costa Rica ranked 3rd in the world on the Environmental Performance Index developed at Yale and Columbia Universities. The United States placed 61st.)

More Upcoming Screenings
There can never be too many YERT screenings, and we’re glad to announce a fresh batch of events before Thanksgiving! We have over 10 screenings planned around the country during the next week. Check out our screenings page for more details and our calendar of events. And don’t forget to tell your friends and family to go see the YERT Film in their area! Here’s a quick reference list of events coming up through the end of November:

UPCOMING YERT SCREENINGS
(click each for details or here for full calendar)

• 11/11/11 @ 7pm - Connecticut Science Center, Hartford, CT
• 11/12/11 @ 7pm - Connecticut Science Center, Hartford, CT
• 11/12/11 @ 2pm - St. Louis Int’l Film Festival, St. Louis, MO** - with special meet-up w/ Ben at City Museum after screening at 5pm.
• 11/13/11 @ 4:30pm - St. Louis Int’l Film Festival, St. Louis, MO**
• 11/15/11 @ 6pm - Center for Sustainable Energy, San Diego, CA°
• 11/15/11 @ 7pm - Foxhollow Farm, Crestwood, KY
• 11/16/11 @ 1pm - Westport Historical Society, Westport, CT
• 11/16/11 @ 7pm - Emory University, Atlanta, GA
• 11/16/11 @ 7:30pm - Albright College, Reading, PA*
• 11/16/11 @ 8pm - INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE of YERT in COSTA RICA**
• 11/30/11 @ 5:30pm - Kingsley Association & UGGC, Pittsburgh, PA*

Key:
*Mark attending for Q&A
**Ben attending for Q&A
***Mark + Ben attending for Q&A
°Mark or Ben for videochat Q&A

DC Screening Success!
With barely two days of lead time, we packed the house with over 40 very enthusiastic viewers at last weekend’s YERT screening in Washington DC, then sold 17 DVDs after a standing ovation and extended Q&A with both Mark and Ben. The screening was designed to coincide with the Tar Sands Action, and we handed out over 1,000 fliers to a huge crowd of activists (10,000+) gathered all around the White House. Not only did the screening go well, but the larger event (protesting the possible KXL pipeline from the tar sands in Canada) was a great success! Obama decided to delay approval of the pipeline - and most analysts believe that the news spells the end for the project. A W E S O M E. Read Bill McKibben’s full report here.

<--Photos from the screening in DC!

Exploring Distribution Options
We don’t have a lot to report here yet, but we have received a steady stream of interest from distributors, agents, and others interested in helping us get the YERT film seen more widely around the country, and the world. Stay tuned - we’re looking at possible screening tours, Earth Day/Week/Month events, and generally brainstorming about how to get the film in front of more peole. Got ideas? Please e-mail them to us at team@yert.com.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and we have so much to give thanks for here at YERT. Thank you for your enthusiastic support and encouragement. And don’t forget to join the conversation on Facebook. Peace out.

Best,
Ben, Mark, and Julie
team@yert.com

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

November 3, 2011 by Mark.

We have quickly assembled this screening to coincide with the Tar Sands Action in Washington DC - but everybody is welcome to join. It is open to the public. Mark Dixon, YERT Producer, will be available during and after the screening for Q&A. Feel free to share the following “blurb” widely!

********YERT SCREENING IN WASHINGTON DC********
The award-winning environmental docu-comedy called “YERT - Your Environmental Road Trip” will be screening in Takoma Park/Washington DC, and you’re invited!

“Here’s a trip you’ll wish you’d taken, and you’ll be glad you get to watch!”
-Bill McKibben, Author and Environmentalist

Please join YERT Producer, Mark Dixon, at this very special screening, arranged specifically to coincide with the Tar Sands Action at the White House. Details are below…

Sunday, 11/6/11, 8pm
Seekers Church
276 Carroll St., NW, Washington, D.C. 20012
METRO: One block from Takoma Station, RED line. Details below.

Here’s a quick synopsis: 50 States. 1 Year. Zero Garbage? Called to action by a planet in peril, three friends hit the road - traveling America with hope, humor…and all of their garbage - to explore the good, the bad, and the weird across every state in search of the extraordinary innovators and courageous citizens who are tackling humanity’s greatest environmental crises. As the YERT team layers outlandish eco-challenges onto their year-long quest, an unexpected turn of events throws the project for a loop in this award-winning docu-comedy. Featuring Bill McKibben, Wes Jackson, Will Allen, Janine Benyus, Joel Salatin, David Orr, and music by Ben Sollee, Daniel Martin Moore, Mark Geary and more.

Winner, Audience Award, 2011 Environmental Film Festival at Yale
Winner, Best Environmental Documentary, 2011 DocuFest Atlanta
Winner, Chris Award, 2011 Columbus International Film and Video Festival
Winner, Best Environmental Film, 2011 Southern Appalachian Int’l Film Festival

METRO INFORMATION FROM WHITE HOUSE: The Seekers Church is located about one block east of the Takoma Metro Station on the RED line. (Please note: there is some construction of the Takoma station, so you might need to take a shuttle bus. They’re advising folks to add 30 minutes to their travel time.)
- From the corner of 15th St. NW and G St. NW (East of the White House) walk three blocks on G St. NW to the Metro Center Metro Station (12th NW and G NW).
- Catch the Red Line toward Takoma Park. Travel ~17 minutes/8 stops to Takoma Metro Station.
- Exit the metro station and walk about one block East (away from the tracks) along Carroll/Cedar St. NW. The Seekers Church is on your right (276 Carroll St. NW) at the intersection with Cedar St. NW.

More YERT videos and info at http://www.yert.com .
Facebook event at https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=134326523340450 .
********************************************

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

September 28, 2011 by Mark.

Scott Brusaw, Co-Founder of Solar Roadways, is coming to Pennsylvania! He’ll be speaking at Penn State at 6:30pm on October 3rd in room 301 of the Steidel building. Mark from YERT will be there to film the presentation. Should be a great time. Come on by! Caravan!

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

July 20, 2011 by Mark.

PRESS RELEASE — FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — July 18, 2011

Contact:
Scott Brusaw
(208) 263-2537 Voice & Fax
scott@solarroadways.com

SOLAR ROADWAYS AWARDED FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION PHASE II SBIR CONTRACT FOR $750,000 OVER TWO YEARS.

SOLAR ROADWAYS, SAGLE, IDAHO (JULY 18, 2011)

After successful completion of a Phase I SBIR (Small Business Innovative Research) contract, Solar Roadways Incorporated announced today that it has been awarded a follow-up $750,000 Phase II SBIR contract by the Federal Highway Administration.

“This will give us the funding needed to continue our research and development for a project that may very well become the New Deal of the 21st century”, said Scott Brusaw who, with this wife Julie, created the Solar Roadways project and founded Solar Roadways Incorporated.

Solar Roadways Incorporated is a company with a single purpose: to replace our nation’s deteriorating highway infrastructure and crumbling power grid with an intelligent highway system that pays for itself through the generation of electricity and doubles as an intelligent, self-healing, decentralized power grid. The Solar Roadway is made of structurally engineered solar panels that are driven upon. These Solar Road Panels contain LEDs for illuminating the road lines from beneath the surface, a heating element to prevent snow/ice accumulation in northern climates, a microprocessor board for real time control and communications, and a host of other safety features. 

The goal of the Phase II research is to ready Solar Roadways Incorporated for manufacturing panels for parking lots, driveways, walkways, etc. Solar Roadways Incorporated will begin with this type of installation and continue to test and modify before moving on to roadways. Other applications include playgrounds, amusement parks, patios, bike paths, airports, racetracks… virtually any surface that is walked or driven upon. More information about Solar Roadways can be found at the website www.solarroadways.com.

During Phase II, Solar Roadways Incorporated will create a fully functional prototype parking lot for testing. The work will be performed with different glass surface textures, different solar cells, methods for heating the surface to prevent snow/ice accumulation, stormwater redistribution, etc., to determine the best components and methods for the Solar Road Panels.

# # #

Posted in federal contract, scott brusaw, solar roadways, Uncategorized | No Comments »

May 23, 2011 by Ben.

Hello YERTians!

Fresh off an Audience Award-winning world premiere at the Environmental Film Festival at Yale, we’re very excited to kick off YERT’s major festival run on 6/9 and 6/11 at the 11th Annual deadCENTER Film Festival - one of MovieMaker Magazine’s “Top 20 Coolest Film Festivals in the World” - and we need YOUR support (in person OR remotely from distant lands)! Even if you’re nowhere near Oklahoma, you can still help us easily, painlessly, and hugely - simply click on our festival link below and click “Like”. That’s it.

http://deadcenter.slated.com/2011/films/yertyourenviromentalroadtrip_darrenhoffman_deadcenter2011

Clicking on the link is a quick, simple, and free way to help us build crucial BUZZ for the YERT film heading into this important festival and beyond. This link will be a portal for us for a number of festivals to follow, so building positive BUZZ early on at this festival is extremely important and will really help us down the road at future festivals as we try to get the YERT film out to as wide an audience as possible (hopefully at a screening near you :)). So please do take a second if you can to click on the link - and “Like” us once you get there.

And if you’re in or near Oklahoma, we’d love to actually see you at the festival. You can add us to your festival calendar at that same link above - that really helps too.

We’re looking forward to sharing the full film in person with all of you as soon as possible - festival by festival, screening by screening. In the meantime, you can help us get one step closer to that dream by BUZZing us up for this festival at that link. After all, BUZZ for YERT = BUZZ for the planet.

Thanks in advance!

Ben, Mark, & Julie

ABOUT THE deadCENTER FILM FESTIVAL:

The deadCENTER Film Festival has been around for 11 years, providing a platform for great independent film in the heart of Oklahoma. Over the years, we’ve grown from a one night screening to a five day, world renowned festival.

The 2011 deadCENTER Film Festival is June 8-12 and includes over 100 films from around the world playing in seven locations in downtown Oklahoma City.

From hilarious comedies and inspiring documentaries to visionary shorts and zombie musicals, deadCENTER features films from a hundred different perspectives for a thousand different tastes.

For complete festival info and to purchase festival tickets, head to http://www.deadcenterfilm.org/ .

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

April 8, 2011 by Ben.

Dear YERTians,

We recently caught up with Jeff Biggers and he wrote a great interview about the YERT film and project to the Huffington Post! You can check out the article here:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeff-biggers/yert-blockbuster-your-env_b_846682.html

And a little snippet or two from the article:

Years in the making, YERT is a hilarious, powerful and often poignant chronicle of the year-long journey of three filmmakers, engineers and acclaimed Off Broadway performers — Julie Dingman Evans, Mark Dixon and Ben Evans — to explore breakthrough approaches, from the bizarre to the mind-blowing, for environmental sustainability in all 50 states.

BEN: It’s really a roadmap past clean energy toward LOW energy…and a sustainable, sane civilization based on how natural systems work. Clean energy is critically important, but it needs to take place in the context of powering down and maturing out of our extractive relationship with the planet into a mutually beneficial regenerative, restorative one. Ultimately, it’s about stopping deficit spending… of all kinds.

Please forward as much as you’re able– we need to get the word out about this film!

Peace,
Ben, Mark, and Julie

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

March 28, 2011 by Ben.

We’re jazzed to reveal the new YERT Feature Film Poster for you all to print and share and upload wherever you please:

And don’t forget to tell your friends that the world premiere of the YERT feature film will take place at the 2011 Environmental Film Festival at Yale (EFFY) on April 2, 2011.

Here are the details:

7:00 P.M. on 4/2/2011
Yale University
Whitney Humanities Center
53 Wall Street, New Haven, CT

Tickets are free, but please RSVP (on Facebook or here if you aren’t on Facebook.) so we know you’re coming!

Once the film has premiered, we will be eager to screen it at festivals and events around the country. If you’re interested in arranging or attending a screening, please visit: http://www.yert.com/screenings.php .

Thanks again for all your support!!

Cheers,
Ben (and Mark and Julie)
team@yert.com

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

March 9, 2011 by Ben.

The day you thought might never arrive finally has. Four and a half years after the birth of YERT, we are pleased to announce that the world premiere of the YERT feature film will take place at the 2011 Environmental Film Festival at Yale (EFFY) on April 2, 2011.

Oh, and you’re all invited!

The entire YERT team (Ben, Julie, and Mark) will be at the event, and we would love to see you there. You’ll even get to meet the YERT baby…Bailey!

Here are the details:

7:00 P.M. on 4/2/2011
Yale University
Whitney Humanities Center
53 Wall Street, New Haven, CT

Tickets are free, but please RSVP (on Facebook or here if you aren’t on Facebook.) so we know you’re coming!
Seating is on a first-come-first-served basis, so get there early if you can. The screening will be followed by a special live Q&A with the YERT team and a premiere party after that.

Once the film has premiered, we will be eager to screen it at festivals and events around the country. If you’re interested in arranging or attending a screening, please visit: http://www.yert.com/screenings.php .

We will never be able to thank you all enough for the incredible support that you have given to us and the YERT project over so many years. Rest assured that the film would not be premiering if it were not for the diverse contributions of hundreds of thoughtful supporters.

Thank you!!

Happily,
Ben, Julie, and Mark

P.S. Now is your last chance to get into the official film credits. We have raised enough to *finish* the film, but now we need to fund our distribution phase so that we can apply ourselves full-time to setting up screenings and getting the word out about the film and its message. If you would like to lend a hand AND see your name in the credits, stop by our donation page to make a contribution in any amount before March 15: http://www.yert.com/donate.php . If you mail your contribution, please e-mail team@yert.com as soon as it is in the mail so that we can add your name even if the check doesn’t arrive before the credits are finalized.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »