Robyn Malcolm on the EnvironmentRobyn Malcolm will MC the Gala Awards opening the 2009 Festival Season. The following are some thoughts she shared with the Festival.
"I am a working Mother of two boys living in the biggest metropolitan area of NZ. I travel intermittently to other countries and, as with many of us who travel, am reminded with how over populated the planet is becoming and what that is doing to our resources. We are lucky here in some ways because we still have some space. We do not protect it the way we should and the clean green image NZ has traded on is simply that, an image, not a reality anymore. "As with many of us, I find the issues surrounding the environment, resource protection and global warming incredibly overwhelming. It is easier, particularly if you live in a big city, to let yourself get lost in the mix and assume that it's all too big: you are just one little insignificant cog and there is no point to doing anything. This is the thinking we must try and change. My response is simply that it is about doing what you can. "Where we are now globally is undeniable, serious and overwhelming. We are all responsible, not just for the mess created but for the clean-up. We must all muck in the way we can and the way it suits us. Get informed and do your bit on a personal or political level. What works for one family may not work for the next but it's all important. I think more than anything it's just about changing how you think, becoming conscious and the phrase “ just USE less” is a great start. Using less for me is the simple truth. We have become extremely good at use, at consuming and discarding. It's simply about changing habits. "I do what I can around environmental issues when time is available. I MC’d the launch of the Green party election campaign last year and voiced their TV commercials. I am a long-time and active supporter of Greenpeace, WWF and SAFE and have been involved actively in the campaign against battery farming of pigs. I have been an ambassador for Earth Hour and I have done numerous articles on green issues for women and lifestyle magazine, as well as NZ’s first magazine on sustainable living “Good”. I am the ambassador for “Right House“ a company who specialise in energy efficient housing. I do what I can in my life and I talk about it! "My business is that of entertainment. While I very aware that using film as a medium for change does bring with it dangers, ie story-telling becoming didactic or prescriptive, it does provide an excellent platform to stimulate thought and awareness. Look at films like “To Kill a Mockingbird” or “ Mississippi Burning”: both have powerful political messages but they sit within brilliant story. Often in my line of work the best way to encourage a change in view is indirectly though story, it can be massively rewarding and effective." View Robyn's acting career profile here. | 
