April 12 - Oberlin College (Oberlin, OH)
Location: Apollo Theater, 19 E College St Oberlin
Time: 2:00-4:00 PM

Oberlin College reigns as the screening with the best turnout on the 11th Hour Campus Tour. Home of 11th Hour expert and renowned environmentalist David Orr, Oberlin College and the city of Oberlin itself proved to be extremely responsive to the message of The 11th Hour. Held in the town’s local Apollo Theatre, the screening was attended by over 500 people. Holding the event in a theater (as opposed to a campus auditorium or lecture hall) allowed for a much more cinematic screening. The Oberlin screening was also our first matinee event of the tour. With concessions and a “theater feel,” the event was treated more as a festivity than an educational experience. We thoroughly enjoyed the change of pace!

Before the screening, Nathan Engstrom, Sustainability Coordinator for Oberlin College, introduced Stephan McGuire, co-Producer of The 11th Hour.  Stephan spoke briefly, describing how the 11th Hour Film and the 11th Hour Action campaign came to be, as well as Hewlett Packard’s sponsorship of the 11th Hour Campus Tour.

The Q&A panel after the screening consisted of [David Sonner, Oberlin City Council President,] Nathan Engstrom and Stephan McGuire, co-Producer of The 11th Hour. The primary question that continued to surface during the Q&A was “Why is this film not implemented in the educational system?” As a response, the city of Oberlin and Oberlin College are taking action by integrating more environmental studies into their high school program and first-year college program, respectively.

Various students signed up to www.11thhouraction.com using the Hewlett Packard laptops after the event.

The event was announced by the Oberlin College Office of Environmental Sustainability in the online magazine LiveJournal and also by the local Oberlin News-Tribune.
 

The Apollo Theatre

Shot of Oberlin

Concessions at The 11th Hour screening

11th Hour table with HP computerse and 11th Hour merchandise.