3 minute read
No Planet B
Savannah Walker (2014) started Project Blue in April 2018 after an experience she had in Cambodia. After buying a plasticwrapped snack from a convenience store in a remote part of the country, she asked the store owner where the rubbish bin was. The woman simply took the empty wrapper from her hand, scrunched it into a ball and threw it into the adjacent paddock, which was filled to the brim with plastic trash.
“It was the first time I’d seen my direct impact on the natural environment, and it was like a switch flicked in my head,” says Savannah. “I returned to New Zealand and made it my mission to research where our plastic waste goes.”
She soon discovered it was getting sent to places like Cambodia, a country that couldn’t deal with its own waste, let alone ours. Savannah wasn’t the only one in disbelief. Most of her family and friends had no idea we were shipping our rubbish offshore, and few knew the problems our growing volume of singleuse plastic was causing.
In an Instagram post, Savannah said she wanted to make a film about her experience. The idea resonated with other young ocean-lovers.
“It was a story I needed to tell, so I created Project Blue and made a documentary film called For The Blue. It shows how plastic waste is damaging our environment but also what we can do about it.
“There were a bunch of young people who understood the problem and wanted to do something about it. We’re
now a team of 20 under the age of 26 who have each contributed to creating our film.”
The aim was to highlight how plastic waste is filling up our land and oceans. For The Blue also showcases the Kiwi companies working to shift our economy to a circular one, and away from single use for good. But more importantly, says Savannah, it’s about a group of young Kiwis who saw an issue in the world and decided to act.
“Ours is a story of hope, to show this generation and the generations that come after us that it’s not too late to create the change we need to see.”
While Savannah had made some short films when she was younger, this was her first attempt at a film of this scale. The team spent three years documenting their journey to Hawaii, Malaysia and around New Zealand looking at where our waste was ending up, talking to those leading the plasticfree movement and exploring solutions.
On Friday 6 August, more than 600 people attended the premiere of For The Blue at the Dio Arts Centre. “It was such an awesome evening to see so many people who were interested in the work we’d done,” says Savannah. “It was especially surreal to be there with the Project Blue team, some of whom were people I met at Dio. We were also lucky enough to do an interview with Seven Sharp just before the film, which was super cool but also mildly terrifying.”
Project Blue is working to get For The Blue out to a wider audience. They had planned screenings in the South Island in September, but these were postponed due to COVID.
“People from all over the world have emailed and asked to host screenings of For The Blue, which is awesome and something we never expected! We also hope to enter it into some film festivals so that more people outside of New Zealand can watch it.”
Savannah owns a photography and videography company called Taken of You, and also works full time for her family’s business. She’s also keen to talk at schools and encourage younger generations to act on important issues that affect them, and she’d like to make more environmental films.
“I took a gap year after school, worked a bit and then travelled to Cambodia, which changed my life. I was always worried about not going to university and falling behind my friends, but it goes to show that you can still reach your potential and have an impact even if you feel a bit lost in your youth.”
