A Climate Documentary on Solutions

Next City

Climate change can be scary, but the documentary “How to Power City” focuses on solutions. One solution often touted for addressing climate change is switching to renewable energy. And people want to make that switch but many don’t know how to get started. The feature-length film follows people in six different U.S. cities who are leading various types of renewable energy projects, from as small as a few streetlights to innovating an entire utility.
In this episode, we hear from writer and director Melanie LaRosa, who outlines what she found while working on the documentary and why she chose to focus on solutions.
LaRosa wanted audiences to feel empowered and curious when watching her film. While she was working on it, LaRosa learned about the Solutions Journalism Network and decided to adopt their approach to storytelling, which includes highlighting solutions to problems and also where they fall short. (Because no solution is perfect.)
“When you make a film, you have this opportunity to bring to light new aspects [of a story],” she says, noting that people are already inundated with news that features the problem of climate change. “If I’m going to spend this much time on a film like this, I want to make it something I can feel good about.”To learn more about “How to Power City” and what LaRosa learned while working on the film, listen to this episode and subscribe.