200 members of the Barker Community and guests attended a special screening of the Australian documentary 2040 on Thursday 24 October at Barker College. Zooming in on heavy carbon emitters such as energy production, motor vehicles and agriculture, the documentary is a positive and empowering journey to explore what the future could look like by the year 2040 if we just embraced the best solutions already available to improve our planet. The most uplifting sections of the documentary were those that showcased regenerative agriculture & marine permaculture and how efficiently these practices can contribute to carbon sequestration.

“Having Damon come to Barker was a real treat. He told us new facts and explained how he made the movie. He has empowered me to do something rather than just talking about it.” Max (Year 8)

The night was capped with a Q and A with the filmmaker, Damon Gameau (who also plays a starring role in the documentary). Damon’s passion for this 4 year documentary project was palpable and infectious. Answering a broad range of questions from the audience with candour and humour, Damon Gameau’s belief that small changes in behaviour can make a measurable difference was truly inspiring.

“I really enjoyed the way 2040 had a positive mindset in working towards realistic methods of mitigating climate change. I have actually started using the Ecosia search engine which donates its profits to reforestation.” Oliver (Year 8)

Cathie Glendenning

Cathie arrived at Barker in 2001, returning to teaching after working in the Environmental Education field. Geography and the complex relationship between the built and physical environments are her passion. As Co-ordinator of Footprint (Barker’s Social Justice and Environmental group), Cathie endeavours to open students’ eyes and equip them with the skills, empathy, and empowerment to become agents of environmental and social change.