Electrifying Eugene
Lauren Iverson
14 mins | 2024
Electrifying Eugene offers a first-hand look at how cities can navigate pushback from the gas industry to pursue viable pathways to decarbonization.
Sponsored by:
Friday Harbor Film Festival
Electrifying Eugene offers a first-hand look at how cities can navigate pushback from the gas industry to pursue viable pathways to decarbonization.
Local governments across the US are increasingly looking to phase out so-called "natural" gas to hit their climate targets — and discovering that the fossil fuel industry is prepared to do everything it takes to stop them. Following the work of Aya Cockram of Fossil Free Eugene, Arjorie Arberry-Baribeault of Beyond Toxics, Jan Hasselman of Earthjustice, Danny Noonan of Breach Collective, and Eugene’s Mayor Lucy Vinis, we explore how one community’s efforts to pursue electrification is being met with opposition from Oregon’s largest “natural” gas utility, Northwest Natural — and how by harnessing a groundswell of community support for fossil fuel controls, they are able to push back.
Lauren Iverson
Lauren Iverson is a Video Producer for Gas Leaks Project, a non-profit dedicated to exposing the truth about the dangers of methane and the fossil fuel industry's disinformation campaign.
She is a storyteller with 8+ years of experience creating educational video content that inspires audiences to be curious about the world. She enjoys distilling complex topics into easily digestible narratives and has a proven track record of creating original content and promoting it across multiple platforms in a thoughtful, data-driven way.
CREDITS
Director
Lauren Iverson
Luminous Experiences (2020)
Producer
James Hadgis
400 Years Later.... Part 3: Confederate Monuments- Heritage or Hatred? (2020)
Editor
Jackson Hyland-Lipski
The Last Laugh (2016), What Happened, Miss Simone? (2015)
Production Assistant
Elise de Cuba
Sound Recordist
Jim Cooke
Growing Floret (2022), From the Source (2021)
Sound Recordist
Dicky Dahl
Pay or Die (2022), My First Comedy Special (2018)
Score
Brendan Glasson
Billy (2019)
Technical Advisor
Caleb Heeringa
Reinventing Power: America’s Renewable Energy Boom (2018)
Key Cast
Aya Cockram
"Coalition Coordinator, Fossil Free Eugene"
Key Cast
Arjorie Arberry-Baribeault
"West Eugene Community Organizer, Beyond Toxics"
Key Cast
Danny Noonan
"Co-Founder, Breach Collective"
Key Cast
Lucy Vinis
"Mayor, City of Eugene"
Key Cast
Jan Hasselman
"Senior Attorney, Earthjustice"
Local governments across the US are increasingly looking to phase out so-called "natural" gas to hit their climate targets — and discovering that the fossil fuel industry is prepared to do everything it takes to stop them. My goal with this film is to demonstrate just how big the stakes are for public and environmental health if the gas industry gets its way and show how local community members are navigating the pushback. In many ways, Eugene's story is not unique (think: Berkeley, Washington state) so I hope that this film, including the amazingly positive and motivated people I was lucky enough to speak with for it, can offer encouragement to all those who are pushing for a healthier future at the local level. Because ultimately, the fate of our world depends on ordinary citizens coming together to envision a better way!