You don’t need to leave your couch to save the planet.
Chattahoochee Riverkeeper is hosting its sixth annual Wild and Scenic Film Festival online this year, starting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, June 18.
From the comfort of your home, you can watch a series of short films, each lasting from one to 20 minutes.
Mallory Pendleton, headwaters outreach manager in Gainesville, said people can expect to see around two hours total of award-winning, family-friendly movies about nature, community activism, adventure, conservation and more.
Tickets can be purchased for $12 per household by visiting chattahoochee.org/wildscenic or by texting WSFF to 41444.
Pendleton said $1 from each ticket will be donated to the North Georgia Community Foundation’s COVID-19 Relief Fund. This fund provides grants to nonprofits across North Georgia that are meeting the emergency needs of those affected by the pandemic.
Wild and Scenic Film Festival
What: Online fundraising event for Chattahoochee Riverkeeper
When: 6:30 p.m. Thursday, June 18
Where: Online via a link sent by Chattahoochee Riverkeeper
How much: $12 at chattahoochee.org/wildscenic or by texting WSFF to 41444
More info: chattahoochee.org/wildscenic
Pendleton said the rest of the virtual event’s proceeds will go toward Chattahoochee Riverkeeper’s The Clean Lanier Equation campaign, which actively protects Lake Lanier by funding trash removal, outreach programs, water quality monitoring and environmental education.
Dale Caldwell, Chattahoochee Riverkeeper’s headwaters director, said the film festival is the headwaters region’s biggest fundraiser of the year. Through hosting the event annually, he said the nonprofit aims to inspire activism and bring awareness to its many longstanding programs.
“When people hear of Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, they think of the Chattahoochee River,” Caldwell said. “We spend a lot of money and resources on Lake Lanier, and internally we realized we needed to bring more awareness to that.”
Those unable to participate June 18 will have the option of watching the recorded films until June 23.
“It’s a great way to, No. 1, bring our community together during these times,” Pendleton said. “We are trying to spread that awareness for environmental issues with our community and internationally. We hope to inspire and empower.”
More information about the Wild and Scenic Film Festival can be found at chattahoochee.org/wildscenic.