From Hurricane to Climate Change documents how the Monadnock region of New Hampshire is addressing the challenges of an increasingly unstable climate. The film opens with scenes from the Hurricane of 1938, the most dramatic meteorological event in recent memory. Towns like Peterborough came together, rebuilding flood-ravaged streets and supporting the construction of projects like the McDowell Dam. Today the threats we face are different. Human activities that release carbon into the atmosphere are causing temperatures to rise and episodes of extreme precipitation to increase. The film highlights a range of regional responses designed to adapt to this new norm and to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. Culverts are being resized; businesses are competing to introduce renewable energy; young people are growing crops and investing in farmers markets; and townspeople are working together to envision and implement community resilience.

Integrating the voices of experts such as Bill McKibben, Cameron Wake, Michael Simpson, Amy Seidl, town planners, and ordinary citizens, the film offers a model for how communities across New England and beyond might respond to this unprecedented environmental challenge. The film was released in 2016 and was produced by the Monadnock Institute of Nature, Place and Culture at Franklin Pierce University in Rindge, New Hampshire in association with Chrysalis Media Arts. Directed and Edited by Douglas Challenger, Executive Producer John Harris, Project Humanist Gerald T. Burns, Editorial and Project Consultant Laurie Challenger, and Producers Verna Delaurer and Melinda Marie Jette. Music by Charlie Brady, Bruce Cockburn, Craig Eastman, Steve Jones, Stuart Kenney, Tim Mowry, and Peter Ostroushko. Funding provided by The Putnam Foundation, New Hampshire Humanities and Franklin Pierce University. This event is free and open to all.

https://vimeo.com/175210055