Taking Root Blog

Walk in Wangari’s Footsteps

Lisa — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 19:58:20 +0000

On Sunday the Earth lost one of her greatest champions, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Wangari Muta Maathai, founder of the Green Belt Movement of Kenya. She passed away in Nairobi surrounded by her family. We are deeply saddened by her passing and feel blessed to have known her for nearly a decade. Wangari’s passing leaves it up to each of us to carry a part of the load that she so gracefully and fearlessly carried for us during her life. We will miss her.

As we look out at the maple trees on the hillside in the distance they are so lovely. Wangari loved Vermont in the autumn. She thought the trees were so miraculous. And indeed they are. Trees everywhere are miraculous and no one knew that better than she did.

In Peace,

Lisa Merton and Alan Dater

Co-Directors/Producers Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai

Dubbing “Taking Root” into Haitian Creole

Lisa — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 19:12:52 +0000

We are translating and dubbing Taking Root : The Vision of Wangari Maathai into Haitian Creole. This is very exciting and the start of a large project involving almost 20 languages.*

As I write, Nadine Dominique, the daughter of Jean Dominique (subject of the film The Agronomist by Jonathan Demme) is sitting here working on the translation.

The film will be used by grassroots organizations in Haiti to help people make the connections between environmental justice, human rights and good governance as Wangari Maathai did in Kenya. The Lambi Fund of Haiti http://www.lambifund.org/ who already has a connection with the Green Belt Movement of Kenya, will be using the film in their work. This project was started before the earthquake and now is even more important for the environmental and social well-being of Haiti.

Please support us by making a contribution to the Taking Root International Edition. Your contribution to Insight Productions will help make this project suceed! To make a tax-deductible donation, go to our donation button on the website: www.takingrootfilm.com/take-action.htm

Or send a check to: Insight Productions, PO Box 96, Marlboro, VT 05344.

Write “Intl DVD” on the notes line of your check.

Thanks so much.

Lisa

Dubbing of film: Subtitling of film: (* = done)

Arabic	Sinhalese	Danish*	Italian*
Farsi	Tamil	Dutch*	Japanese
Haitian Creole	Mandarin	French*	Korean*
Indonesian		German	Mandarin
Kiswahili		Greek*	Polish*
		Hebrew*	Spanish*
		Hindi

Welcome to Taking Root’s BLOG

Lisa — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 17:01:04 +0000

Please join me for an on-going discussion about the work of Wangari Maathai and how each of us can take actions toward environmental and social justice — in our own lives, our communities, and throughout the world.

Taking Root was shown this weekend in Copenhagen at the Climate Conference with a Q & A afterward with Professor Wangari Maathai and Co-Director Producer Alan Dater. http://www.dfi.dk/English/News/GoodPlanet-hub—Filmhouse-Asta-Bar.aspx
At present, Alan is in Warsaw at Watch Docs Human Rights in Film Film Festival where the film was also shown this twice this past weekend. It is one of 20 films in their competition. http://www.watchdocs.pl/index.php?page=film&film=129&lang=en&off=

Professor Maathai in Key Role at COP15

Professor Wangari will be giving the keynote speech alongside HRH The Prince of Wales at the opening ceremony of the high level talks at the UNFCCC Climate Conference in Copenhagen.

Go to www.greenbeltmovement.org find out what else she is up to. Both Wangari and the Prince of Wales are leaders in the fight to preserve the rainforests of the world. http://www.rainforestsos.org/pages/about-us/