Fine-cutting begins at the end of the month and thoughts are turning the film’s conclusion. I’m starting the final round of interviews. First up is Terry Tamminen - he was Schwarzenegger’s main man passing and implementing the California Climate Solutions Act. Now he’s organizing sub-national efforts to combat climate change in the absence of action at the national and international levels. Then comes Stewart Brand, who has been out front for more than forty years, famously questioning accepted wisdom. I love his latest book, and am looking forward to integrating his ideas into the film’s vision of environmentalism. We’re going to go back to Paul Hawken as well; the portrait of the movement he presents in Blessed Unrest seems essential to understanding where we’ve come to and are heading. I also want to present the core ideas of Natural Capitalism.

We’re working on Brazilian interviews with Marina Silva and Mary Allegretti. Mary is an anthropologist who was a key ally of the rubbertappers, recognized Chico Mendes and promoted the idea of reserves. Marina Silva rose from rubbertapper to senator from Acre to minister in Lula da Silva’s government and just ran for president of Brazil, polling 20% of the vote.  I’m short of time and money, so I asked a colleague Denisé Zhmekol, who is Brazilian and made a good film about the Amazon, to do the interviews on our behalf. That’s in the works.