Why I am Contributing to Jeff Bridges’ New Documentary

When I was growing up in New Orleans in the sixties and early seventies, the airing of environmental documentaries like the National Geographic Specials brought my entire family around the television, despite our tiny, black-and-white screen.

Today, we have not only hundreds and hundreds of channels, but seemingly innumerable ways to watch, listen and learn. Trying to convey important messages to a broad audience grows ever more challenging.

The film Living in the Future’s Past could not be released at a better time. In an age where the value of science is questioned and the reality of climate change is denied, this stunning feature documentary is designed to reach beyond partisan politics and speak to both the brain and the soul in all of us. The film reaches far beyond the usual foci of most environmental films, asking leading figures from the arts, sciences, the military and indigenous communities to reflect on the human condition—how we got here, and where we are going.

“Can looking at evolution help us predict the future of humanity?”

-Jeff Bridges

As an ethnobotanist who has been involved in Amazon rainforest conservation for well over three decades, I was invited to participate in the project by my friend Jeff Bridges, who played a major role in the film and serves on the Advisory Board of the Amazon Conservation Team (ACT). Being interviewed for Living In The Future’s Past—a film which has already garnered awards at multiple film festivals—provided the opportunity to share the message of conservation with an enormous audience.