Swim for the River
posted:
This Documentary is on TV today (NYC area) at 4pm. The website
lists other viewing times in other areas.
Chris Swain braved whitewater, sewage, snapping turtles, hydroelectric dams, homeland security patrols, factory outfalls, and PCB contamination to become the first person to swim the entire length of the Hudson River from the Adirondack Mountains to New York City. In the film, Swain’s experience links together stories of the river, which begins in wilderness and ends in one of the nation’s densest population centers. We meet heroes who are fighting to protect the Hudson against a range of threats from industry, inept regulatory agencies, and public indifference.
In the film the epic of the 19th century destruction and redemption of the Adirondacks compliments the modern-day story of citizens fighting to block the building of a huge trash plant that would burn one quarter of New York City’s garbage. Meanwhile the environmental group Riverkeeper battles the ExxonMobil Corporation to force it to clean up the largest oil spill in the United States and we get the latest in the three-decade old fight to make General Electric take responsibility for its PCB contamination.
We meet famous people, like folk singer Pete Seeger, but we also see how ordinary citizens can and do make a difference through choices they make effecting the environment, and by joining together around a common cause. SWIM FOR THE RIVER is a hopeful film that avoids preaching to the choir. Swain’s lighthearted commentary and incredible physical achievement appeal to a wide audience.
Swim For The River
