Tree-huggin’ Joe Garden here. A friend at work forwarded me a link to a YouTube clip for a film called Plagues and Pleasures On the Salton Sea. It’s a documentary about, well, The Salton Sea, a large accidental body of water in southern California that was once a resort destination. And it’s a mess. saltier than the ocean, polluted like nobody’s business. Massive fish and wildlife die-offs are commonplace, but the residents stay put. The film is also about those residents.
Oh, and it’s narrated by John Waters.
Since I haven’t seen the whole film–it doesn’t play New York until June, and then for only one night–this shouldn’t count so much as an endorsement as it should a talking point. First, I’m curious to hear opinions from anyone that’s seen it. It looks entertaining and fascinating, and maybe it will shine the light on the numerous ecological disasters in the U.S. Second, check out the Wikipedia entry and click through on some of the links for a crash course in environmental catastrophes. I can’t wait to see the movie.