Penosbcot Bay Waterkeeper is pleased to be a sponsor of “Saving Walden’s World”. Join us and other community members as we strive together for a “blueprint for a liveable future”!
What kind of world are we leaving for the next generation?
In a time of mounting climate anxiety and geopolitical uncertainty, it is easy to feel that the system is failing. But while the headlines focus on extraction and conflict, there is a Plan B being engineered by communities in the places you'd least expect and a Maine filmmaker went looking for it.
We invite you to join us on Tuesday, September 29, at 6:00 PM at the Colonial Theatre, 163 High St, Belfast, for a special screening of Saving Walden's World, a fundraiser in partnership with the Mabel Wadsworth Center.
This film follows Jim Merkel's personal journey from a former military engineer to a father raising his son, Walden, on an off-grid homestead right here in Maine. It is the story of a man who traveled to Kerala, Cuba, and Slovenia to investigate how communities there have achieved genuine stability by prioritizing women's literacy, healthcare, and reproductive freedom and what that means for the rest of us.
Why attend? This isn't just a movie. It is a blueprint for a livable future. Recently accepted for national distribution on PBS via NETA, this screening is a rare chance for our Belfast community to engage with these solutions before they reach a national audience and to support the Mabel Wadsworth Center in doing so.
Because the production and a significant portion of the filming took place right here in Belfast and across Maine, this is a homecoming as much as a screening. We expect a strong turnout. In May 2024, we turned away forty people at the door. Come early.
Event Details:
Date: Tuesday, September 29, 2026 at 6:00 PM
Location: Colonial Theatre, 163 High St, Belfast, ME 04915
Fundraiser beneficiary: Mabel Wadsworth Center
Website: colonialtheatre.com
Contact: Cam Howard, Colonial Theatre | cam@colonialtheatre.com
Doors open at 6:00 PM with a sustainability social, community tables, and time to mingle, followed by live music from Louisa Stancioff. We'll then kick off the evening with a few words from Jim Merkel and Mabel Wadsworth Center, before the film begins at 7:00. Following the screening, there will be a live Q&A with Jim.
Watch the trailer: https://youtu.be/an4LqG9mLlM?si=fnkHeqFoT03B9dKJ
With hope,
The Saving Walden's World Team