We left the film with a feeling of hope and energy. The actions required to bring about social change are not that complicated and are universally beneficial, but power structures present barriers.
'Saving Walden's World' to Screen in Goleta, CA
Live Oak Unitarian Universalist Congregation
Goleta CA, United States
Description
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.
Live Oak Unitarian Universalist Congregation is proud to host a special community screening of Saving Walden's World on Saturday, October 17, 2026, at 3:00 PM, at 820 N Fairview Ave., Goleta, California.
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 in Maine. Jim 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.
This screening represents a deeply meaningful homecoming. The film's critical inciting incident takes place on the Central Coast in San Luis Obispo, capturing Jim's personal ethical crisis in the late 1980s while working as a military engineering arms dealer. That awakening sparked a decades-long journey of redemption. He completely shifted his life to peace activism, serving locally as a board member for ECOSLO, chairperson for the Santa Lucia Chapter of the Sierra Club, and founding the local Alternative Transportation Task Force.
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 Goleta screening is a rare chance for our community to engage with these solutions before they reach a national audience.
Free and open to the public, registration encouraged, walk-ins welcome! Save your seat by registering here. Donations towards the film's global impact campaign are certainly welcome. Q&A with director Jim Merkel will follow the screening.
Event Details:
DATE: Saturday, October 17, 2026 | 3:00 PM
LOCATION: Live Oak Unitarian Universalist Congregation at 820 N Fairview Ave., Goleta, CA 93117
LOCAL CONTACTS: Melanie Jacobson | administrator@liveoakgoleta.org
WEBSITE: savingwaldensworld.org
Watch the trailer: https://youtu.be/an4LqG9mLlM?si=fnkHeqFoT03B9dKJ
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