A Seattle-based documentary team specializing in multimedia stories about people, nature and climate change received $10,000 in Nau's first-ever Grant 4 Change campaign, which ran from 7 July to 31 August. The two exposed the work of over 289 nominees to a broader audience.
The Ten finalists (five selected by the public, and five by Nau staff) were chosen, and Benjamin Drummond and Sara Joy Steele have emerged as the winning grantees. As Nau put it in their media release, “Working together for over a decade, Benjamin and Sara have told stories through photography, field audio recordings and words. From semi-nomadic reindeer herdsmen in the Arctic to wildfire fighters of the American West, the two have documented the lives of people on a regional level, understanding that in order to mobilize a global effort we must first generate local will.”
The top photo from their project 'Facing Climate Change' is taken from a sub-project, known as the Tinder People, documenting the issues surrounding wildfires in the US West. According to Drummond and Steele, the 2007 wildfires cost over $3 billion in federal funds, not to mention the nearly 15,000 square miles they burned. Many western forests have become overgrown and “climate change essentially holds a match to these fuels and the millions of homes we've built around them.”
Nau said that working together for over a decade, Benjamin and Sara have told stories through photography, field audio recordings and words.
Their largest project to date, Facing Climate Change, documents communities around the world as they confront and adapt to the complex issues surrounding global warming. From semi-nomadic reindeer herdsmen in the Arctic to wildfire fighters of the American West, the two have documented the lives of people on a regional level, understanding that in order to mobilize a global effort we must first generate local will. With Nau’s $10,000 grant, the team plans to continue to creatively approach multimedia activism and hopes to make even more of a difference in the fight against global warming.
The Grant for Change launched on July 7, 2009 with a mission to uncover everyday people who give back to the community, whether artists, athletes or activists. In addition to the $10,000 grant, Nau looks forward to hosting Benjamin and Sara on trip to New York City for a Grant for Change party in their honor on November 21st. Nau will also support the grantees’ efforts for one year by hosting content and providing progress to readers on the Nau website, inspiring positive change.
