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.

Join us for a special community screening of Saving Walden's World on Saturday, October 24, 2026, at 6:00 PM, in the Gene Albaugh Community Room at the Madelyn Helling Library, 980 Helling Way, Nevada City, 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 story has deep California roots. The film's critical inciting incident takes place 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 as a board member for ECOSLO, chairperson for the Santa Lucia Chapter of the Sierra Club, and founding San Luis Obispo's 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 Nevada City 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. Seating is limited to 50, so 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 24, 2026 | 6:00 PM
LOCATION: Madelyn Helling Library, Gene Albaugh Community Room, 980 Helling Way, Nevada City, CA 95959
LOCAL CONTACT: Debora Chapman | ltlfeet@yahoo.com
WEBSITE: savingwaldensworld.org

Watch the trailer: https://youtu.be/an4LqG9mLlM?si=fnkHeqFoT03B9dKJ

Contact the host of 'Saving Walden's World' to Screen in Nevada City, CA

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