Go Further

By Ilana Panich-Linsman

The film Go Further (2003 Sphinx Productions) by Ron Mann chronicles Woody Harrelson and an assortment of friends as they bicycle from Seattle to Los Angeles followed by a bio-fueled bus. Harrelson and company hope to inspire action and dialogue about sustainable living. The film is not only inspirational but humorous and appealing, with some brilliant musical performances.

The principal travelers (on bicycle or in the bus) include Harrelson himself (who speaks at colleges along the way), a yoga instructor, a vegan chef, an environmental activist and Steve, a self-described junk-food addict who eventually jumps on the bio-fueled bus and adopts the mantra, "Say no to corn dogs!" by the time the film ends.

Harrelson and his posse cycle eight hours a day, do yoga, and eat raw food as they travel down the Pacific coast speaking with students, organic farmers, solar energy experts and others. In one snippet of Harrelson's college lectures, the actor explains, "The most significant thing you can do for your environment? Look at your diet and demand organic."

The crew meets Anuradha Mittal, co-director of an organic farmers' market, Food First. "We live in a country where we've been told freedom really means having the choice of choosing between twenty different kinds of toothpaste," she says. "We have not been told that freedom really is knowing what we're eating, what is in a food, is it safe for us to eat."

This film was inspirational to me. I will be evermore conscious of my personal consumption habits, and eager to get the word out about our options in combating global warming. I sense that with the recent turnover in Congress, environmental activists throughout the country have the opportunity to speak out and educate now more than ever. U.S. citizens now face the responsibility of generating answers to questions surrounding the global warming crisis.

I don’t think perfection is the goal here. Individuals, though, can make an attempt to make better decisions regarding their personal environmental footprint. Whether this means recycling, buying locally grown food, switching off a few lights, unplugging some appliances or educating ourselves and our friends by seeing documentaries like Go Further or An Inconvenient Truth (which takes a more scientific look at the causes and effects of global warming). We can all do little things, the sum of which will amount to significant results.

Remember: Just say no to corndogs.

For more information about Go Further:
Sphinx Productions: Go Further

For more information about how you can take action against global warming:
Take Action