Text by CLOT Magazine
Climate Week NYC is being held this week from September 23 to 30. Climate Week NYC is the summit taking place every year in New York City since 2009, alongside the UN General Assembly. It brings together international leaders from business, government and civil society to showcase global climate action. And this year, more than ever, the climate change and technological advancements concerns during the UN assembly were heard, from the feisty Greta Thunberg to the puzzling and bizarre techno-mythological dystopia UK’s prime minister Boris Johnson presented in his speech that left us wondering what all that overload of black mirror and ancient Greek tales was.
But in these complex environmental times, some people ask themselves how can we use technology to reconnect with nature. Almost begging the question, can we even think about doing this, so apart one has taken us from the other…
For this year’s Climate Week NYC, EarthxFilm, a branch of the non-profit initiative EarthX (the world’s largest environmental expo, conference and film festival), has partnered to create immersive experiences in New York during the summit with the aim to showcase VR experiences to inspire change with an eco-interactive program. From September 20-23, Our Village Community Corner featured curated VR content from EarthxFilm at the Ford Foundation and Helen Mills Theater, while interactive content at Arcadia Earth, which included 360-degree film experiences from Underwater Earth, an EarthxFilm partner, as well as The Wild Immersion, endorsed by Jane Goodall, which screened at EarthxInteractive 2019.
Additionally, EarthxFilm curated the content that will screen at the UN SDG Action Zone, a space built inside the UN grounds during the General Assembly to promote and accelerate transformative action on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
We started EarthxInteractive to cultivate and broaden the reach of the interactive experiences being developed to highlight our planet’s beauty and plight, said Tiffany Kieran, director of interactive programming and partnerships for EarthxFilm.Wwe want to bring experiential intimacy to help others connect with the Earth, often igniting the needed spark to inspire change.
