1. 
   Decide on the topic. If you choose a specific topic, you will be able to dig deeper and will have more chances of convincing others.


2. 
   Decide on how you will gather and present thenbsp;information. You may choose to sit in front of the camera and talk, while perforating your film with pictures and videos. Or you might not have yourself on the screen at all, and merely interview people and provide videos and pictures. Another option is to recruit a narrator for the job.


3. 
   Go! Contact people to interview or get started on your narrations, go out to eventsnbsp;as a video-journalist, take pictures, andnbsp;visit http://www.jamendo.com/ for a free soundtrack. Get creative.


4. 
   Edit your footage onnbsp;movie-editing software. It really doesn#39;t matter what you use, although it does help to use something more professional.nbsp;I#39;m just using Windows Movie Maker.


5. 
   Work out where and how you will screen your video. Ask community and recreation centres, libraries, schools, film festivals, and other places that you know about. You can also enter documentary contests. If all else fails, host a screening at your house and then publish it on the Internet. Make sure to publicize your screenings, however!


6. 
   Decide: will you sell DVDs of your documentary or give them away for free? You#39;ll reach more people if you give them away for free, but it will have to come out of your own wallet. You might also decide to charge a fee for people to attend the screenings, then donate the money towards a good cause.

For more ideas and information on what it takes, please see http://www.dosomething.org/actnow/actionguide/how-film-a-documentary-0.

For the next few weeks, once a week, I#39;ll be talking about different ways to raise awareness, so stay tuned!

www.maria-daines.com

That#39;s all I have to say for this week, but remember to see my other blogs, www.theanimalrightsactionsite.blogspot.com and www.hugatreetodayseriously.blogspot.com for cool ideas on how to help animals and the environment.

Carolyn

• 
  Give them something consumable, like muffins or gingerbread cookies or even a pie! Edible things are always good-- they#39;re going to eat something, so why not some delicious vegan baking? (But tell them it#39;s vegan afterward, as some people don#39;t realize that vegan food tastes like quot;normalquot; food.) Find recipes at www.allrecipes.com/Recipes/everyday-cooking/vegetarian/vegan/dessert/Top.aspx or adapt your own to be more green.


• 
  Check out a nearby consignment shop for beautiful objects of all varieties. I visited a consignment shop once, and I found about five different things I wanted to take home immediately!


• 
  Find a non-material way to help someone. Go over and help them as they clean their house or pet-sit for free while they are in New Zealand. This totally avoids cliches and it can be fun!


• 
  Make something for them. This isn#39;t only for kids; you can use your talents for this. If you are good with crafts, for instance, you can make a cool ornament for their Christmas tree made from old cans. See www.planetgreen.discovery.com/feature/green-diy-projects/ or do a Google search.


• 
  If all else fails, buy from a green supplier that has organic or re-used materials. For those of you doing shopping on the Internet, a good website is: http://www.therainforestsite.com/store%20


• 
  If you want to buy a video game for a child or friend, well, please don#39;t, as it hurts the environment more than necessary, but if you aren#39;t going to listen to me, then at least make sure that it does not include violence. I am convinced that one of the main causes to my classmates not seeming to care about animals, the environment, and general respect for one another is the violence and more that they were exposed to by video games, the Internet, and television.


• 
  Did you know that about 4 million tons of shopping bags and wrapping paper are used every Christmas? WOW. So let#39;s wrap our gifts in objects like scarves, reusable gift bags from last year, tea tins, and whatever else we might have on hand. Avoid ribbons and bows, too, as they go straight to the landfill. And make sure to bring your own bags to the store, okay?

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I don#39;t know about you, but I think that we need to re-think what we do with our Christmas cards! I remember being shocked as a young child learning that most Christmas cards are thrown away shortly after Christmas. It would be a good idea to cut out the picture on the front of the card so that you can use it next year. Or you can ditch traditional card-giving altogether and wish them a quot;Merry Christmasquot; in person instead.



Oh Christmas Tree!

Please don#39;t buy a Christmas tree! It is sad to see all the trees lined up to go into the garbage every New Year. However, buying a plastic tree is not the answer, either, as plastic virtually doesn#39;t break down. Instead, use a live, potted Christmas tree, which you can plant outside after a few years. It#39;ll be nice to have a little tree inside the house for a while anyway. You could even go really symbolic and use a teeny sapling as your tree to symbolize new life.



Christmas Cooking tips

Like I said earlier, it is more environmentally-friendly to follow a vegan diet. You can learn more here: www.chooseveg.com/environment.asp . Also, aim for organic foods this Christmas to avoid pesticides. My last piece of advice would be to only cook what will be eaten. If there is waste every year, make smaller portions of your Christmas dinner foods so that everyone gets enough but doesn#39;t have to deal with leftovers.





A Final Thought...

Christmas should be fun, so enjoy it, but remember to wish the Earth a merry Christmas by taking care of it at the same time!



More info: www.eartheasy.com/give_sustainchristmas.htm

nbsp;

This post was adapted from my other blog (see previous post for details), but next week, the post on this website will be not posted anywhere else! So come back next week for me to talk about eco-friendly paper consumption!

Thanks again, everyone!