Every year, the DC Environmental Film Festival offers hundreds of insightful and compelling films around the world. Films are showing from March 18-30 and many are free. On the Natural Capital, we're highlighting a few with DC connections.

SUSTAINABLE DC: 3 Short films
March 21, 6:00 PM, Carnegie Institution for Science; Free, but reservations required

• GREEN ROOFS IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA (USA, 2014, 5 min.). Green, or vegetated, roofs help contain rainwater to reduce runoff that would otherwise collect oil and grease from roadways, nutrients from lawn fertilizers and bacteria from pet waste as it flows into our rivers and streams. Green roofs also filter air pollutants from the rainwater and save energy in buildings.
• EARTHECHO EXPEDITION: WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE BUILD CITIES? (USA, 2013, 10 min.) Philippe Cousteau and the EarthEcho Expeditions team journey across the Anacostia River and underground in Washington, D.C., to explore the impact of urbanization on the water cycle. They visit the new sewer tunnels being constructed as part of D.C.’s Clean Rivers Project.
• REBALANCING (USA, 2014, 23 min.)  Is Capital Bikeshare an environmental success story? Shot in every Ward of Washington D.C., in Arlington and in Alexandria, the film addresses how bicycling both reflects and changes our lifestyles. 

Introduced by Mayor Vincent C. Gray. Following the screening there will be a panel discussion, moderated by Elliott Francis of WAMU, with Keith Anderson, Director, DC Department of the Environment; Harriet Tregoning, former Director, DC Office of Planning; Vanessa Garrison, Founder and Director, GirlTrek, and George Hawkins, General Manager, DC Water and Sewer Authority.

You can also watch the EarthEcho piece here.