"I just finished watching both shows (Chicago and the Philadelphia show) again. Truly captivating stuff, with lots of heart."I consider myself someone who enjoys environmental docs and the message, but is bothered by pat statements, maudlin scenarios, and one-sided hero/villain narratives where the environmental hero inevitably brings in mysticism. My co-producer was forever ticked off because I was fighting the impulse to rally the troops to environmentalism, partially because -- in my opinion -- that mindset often ends up producing another environmental show that only environmentalists will watch and pragmatic viewers get turned off by. So she calls me a cynic. I always fight the sentimental side of these shows because too often that sentimentality relies on the viewer being an environmental type already, a viewer who's very ready to shed a tear about what's gone and will never come back.
"As your episodes unfold and each new character comes into view I kept thinking, "oh, I see what's coming here..."
"And yet the depth of the characters inevitably came out, and they were REALLY people who put in years of unflagging effort, who didn't see any successes right away, and even their eventual successes had to be looked at in awe only because you, as the viewer, had some comprehension of how bad things had been. One of the best bites that came out of one of your interviews was when the husband in Chicago tells his friends he wants to make a park where kids can learn about ecology, and the response is "Ecology! That's for white folks." It's almost like the same can be said about environmental television ... too often people don't think "environmental programming" unless it's shot somewhere far away, not in your own metropolitan backyard.
"I applaud your effort to change two or three generations worth of thinking about environmental issues. I believe your look at long-term successes in some of "the worst" of places is INSPIRING in itself, because it is going to change a lot of minds and plug into long-term "on the ground" efforts in cities that are just being recognized.
"Anyway, your research and writing pulled through, coming up with great stories in both cities. Please extend this note, if you will, to Beverly Baroff, who really pulled a lot of material together well, and navigated that fine line of rock solid content and emotional pull without getting maudlin. Like I said, I fight the sentimental side on these types of shows, and I couldn't help appreciating the people you profiled. Really great stuff.
"More than anything, I hope non-environmentalists and non-collegiate people in the cities will watch these. Environmentalism needs them, and PBS needs them!"
--Bob Szuter, NJN Public Television
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From Jane G. Pepper, President, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society:
"I thought you would all enjoy the excerpts below from an email I received from Landon Scarlett, a friend (and PHS donor) who grew up in Baltimore, worked at Longwood Gardens and now lives in Sacremento. Her husband's mother was a friend of Ernesta's. "Your DVD arrived yesterday and FINALLY I/we got to see "Eden's Lost and Found," Philadelphia's story. Matt and I just watched it and were blown away. I had tried and tried to see it when you told me to look for it, a couple of months ago but it wasn't, to my knowledge, aired here. We live in Ag central and I guess our local PBS station thought stories about flood control (Sacramento is more vulnerable to catastrophic flooding than New Orleans was) or who's going to be our next Governor were more topical. Our loss. But you solved our problem. Thank you.
When I started the DVD, Matt was busy on his computer having electronic conversations about the Philadelphia Eagles with other fans. When Ernesta came on (her brother Pemmy was Matt's godfather) that got his attention and he, too, was hooked. We both have a soft spot for "Philly," me (for my schooling history, meeting place for my first love, later on meeting place for Matt and me, and, not least, for the home of the Pennsylvania Hort Society) and for Matt, all the reasons that make the place you grow up "Home" no matter how far you stray. We were mesmerized and ready to move back East to your adopted town in a heartbeat.
What a stunning, inspiring and positive story! You deserve to be SO PROUD! Of course, having long been fans of "Hack" and David Morse, it didn't hurt that he was your host. All in all, we've just spent a wonderful hour."
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I was so moved by the powerful good works that were depicted in the video! The producer was able to capture stories of successful efforts in Philadelphia that could move others to action elsewhere. I was particularly moved by the spirit of service articulated by Lily Yeh and by the garden space created by the father in the closing segment, which was so beautifully tied to the opening scene. This message of action leading to hope is a great inspiration to anyone fortunate enough to see it. Perhaps we could convince Stephanie Naidoff to make it the One Book One Philadelphia choice in 2007.I look forward to seeing what the other cities come up with, and to owning and sharing the DVD as soon as it is available.
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I have just watched the Philadelphia "story" --and I am practically in tears! It really is WONDERFUL and I congratulate you and your whole company!!!! I look forward to the others -- and don't want to miss PBS this month --will check the date...and tell ALL my friends! After it was over I keep thinking of Bridgeport -- Hartford -- New Haven -- and also --why on earth don't they simply make a beautiful flower garden for the 9/11 property in NYC.....it would be the best memorial --after all it really IS a cemetery and that Island has enough buildings..I'm sure Mr. Bloomberg won't listen to me......"
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"Thank you for inviting us to the showing of the Philadelphia section of Edens Lost & Found. We were inspired by it, and have told all our friends to be sure to see it. Edens Lost & Found does a brilliant, seamless job of showing what a few individuals with determination, energy, and a unique, unshakeable vision have been able to accomplish in attacking some of the most intractable problems of the city of Philadelphia. Whether cooperating with each other or pursuing their own direction, they have all engaged those around them, inspiring their communities to take an active role in their own destiny. The film fills you with the infectious spirit of these people, makes you want to participate in their work, and most of all, shows you that there is hope for the future of this city and others like it.
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(Edens Lost & Found) really caught the HEART of the project and the people! The sense of ownership and pride was palpable, and brought us into the mission of Philadelphia Greene! Jan Golden's Mural Arts Program was also explained beautifully, and the two projects were perfectly dove-tailed!
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Probably the most important thing I noticed about those who were interviewed was their sense of pride. Proud people make their communities thrive! Against all odds, these urban pioneers have reverted the squalor surrounding them to the green spots that envelop whole neighborhoods. One hot August day during City Gardens judging I met a lady from Puerto Rico who had taken bricks from a demolished crack house across the street and had lined her yard with them, creating paths and planting borders. She had made it her purpose in life to grow every medicinal plant that grows in her island and she had succeeded. We spent hours touching, sniffing, tasting leaves and flowers and roots. She explained the many ways the plants could be used to cure particular ailments….she didn't know it, but she was healing the neighborhood, not just those who were sick. Without becoming esoteric, I must say that Edens Lost and Found shows the healing that is occurring in Philadelphia. The scars are slowly disappearing, the healthy face of the city is resurfacing. It is a labor of love and we are all astonished at how much has been accomplished!
FROM THE BLOGOSPHERE....
The Guerilla News Network's Anna Lapp says:
"For the four years I was at college in Providence, starting in 1991, downtown was a noisy, dusty construction zone. Go there today, you’d never guess it. The city tore up the concrete covering a long-buried river and now the river snakes through downtown. In the summer you can paddle it in Italian-style gondolas.
"The visionary city designers who saw a river where there was just concrete are apparently not anomalous, not, that is, according to the authors of the new PBS series and companion book, Edens Lost & Found (Chelsea Green). Throughout the country, dozens of city planners and average Joe’s are taking to the streets and transforming urban landscapes.
"As co-authors Harry Wiland and Dale Bell make clear, these are not just Band-Aid beautification projects, these efforts and the leaders described in the book are fundamentally changing the nature of their cities, strengthening communities, and improving the environment while they’re at it."
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Mike Mennonno of "Metro Mike" says:
"The series proposes something truly revolutionary: that working and playing together, that music and public art rescue individuals and communities from despair, and literally save lives. We seem to routinely forget what all of human history and culture, from the Paleolithic cave paintings of Chauvet to the magnificent public murals in Philly’s inner city reveal: that for human beings, art is not optional. It’s not merely what we do in our free time, it is what we are. It is our essence."
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