Regenerative Bliss & Head Bonks

This past Saturday I took a rather significant bonk to the head while photographing my husband's mountain bike race. Mountain bike vs. Spectator, if you're hungry for a visual. I mention this mishap because I am feeling quite lucky today. Lucky to be alive, lucky to have a thick skull, lucky to have a bad-ass gang of angels following me around, and lucky to be able to continue to work on this film, albeit at a slightly tamer pace for the next few weeks. I am a firm believer that life doesn't throw anything our way that we cannot handle, so onward and upward I go, gently....

This month I spent time in the northern reaches of California. I traveled up to Mendocino County as spent a day at Frey Vineyards in Redwood Valley. Frey Vineyards is a certified organic & biodynamic winery, and not only are they doing all kinds of good for the earth, they are making some delicious wine too.

I took a walk on Shasta Dam. The US Bureau of Reclamation wants to raise the dam by 18 feet, which would flood the Winnemem Wintu tribe off their remaining lands, cost taxpayers a fortune, and provide only a small amount of very expensive water to an elite few. Please read the fine print whenever you are given the opportunity to vote on what may, on the surface, seem like a "water fix", as the reality is often quite different.

I continued north to the tiny little town of Fort Bidwell, sitting in the tippy top eastern corner of the state, a part of California I had yet to explore, and WOW, I think my brain exploded (but this time in the best way possible). I spent two days with Abbey & Spencer Smith at the Jefferson Center for Holistic Management, a hub for the Savory Institute.

These beautiful souls are practicing Regenerative Agriculture and Holistic Land Management - mimicking the behavior of ancient grazing herds in order to heal and regenerate the soil. The incredible importance of healthy soil it is relatively new to me, my friends, and you would be amazed, as am I, at it's potential... not only in regards to healing the water cycle, but also in regards to reversing our climate crisis. This is a BIG deal.

And finally, a word about our trees... the lungs of our planet. After spending a couple of days in the Southern Sierras for hubby's mountain bike race I realized the gravity of the situation. Our Mother Earth has lung cancer, and we must do everything in our power to HEAL this planet, not destroy. With 113 degree days in June here on the Central Coast, and fires already raging all across the state, it's beginning to feel like we may already be too late. But I refuse to despair. We can do this, together, from the ground up, with love and care and community. Much love, my friends. Namaste.

May the 4th be with You

Happy May, my friends! I cannot believe how quickly 2016 is flying by. Wowzers. I have much excitement & many updates to share with you today ... yay!

First & foremost I would like to welcome to the WTOWW Family, Fialta, a huge-hearted & ridiculously talented local band. Check out their music here.

I have been a busy little bee lately... buzzing around the state of California, talking with a variety of folks about our state's water issues, and focusing, of course, on SOLUTIONS.

I talked with Creston-based Agriculturalist Hilary Graves about the sensitive nature of decisions made regarding the Paso Robles Ground Water Basin. I interviewed author Seth M. Siegel about his book "Let There Be Water : Israel's Solution for a Water Starved World". And then I hit the road north... spent a day hiking around Wilder Ranch in Santa Cruz, and then headed up to the big city to present photographs from my project at the San Francisco Green Film Festival. What a rush that was!

I came home in time to participate in the Earth Day Fair & Music Festival in SLO, then traveled south to spend a morning with Ron Wildermuth at the West Basin Municipal Water District talking about the importance of recycled water in our future water portfolio. I toured one of the San Gabriel Basin clean-up facilities, operating amidst the largest and most polluted groundwater "Superfund" site in California, with Ken Manning, Executive Director of the San Gabriel Basin WQA. And I spent an afternoon in Yucaipa talking with Steve Loe, the retired Forest Service Ranger responsible for starting the public outcry against Nestle's bottling operations in the San Bernadino National Forest.

I remain incredibly grateful for all the support & care as I continue on this journey. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. Y'all are truly the BEST! xo

new family & updates

Happy Saturday, my loves! Kickstarter officially delivered our funds (HUGE thanks to all our backers!), and I have hit the ground running. I'm SO excited to share with you that we have new members to welcome to the WTOWW Family... Proxima Parada! These guys are an incredibly talented and immensely fun-loving local band, and you will be hearing their music in the film in a big way. Check out some of their rad tunes!

I recently spent a week filming in Los Angeles, and had the opportunity to interview Bruce Reznik, Executive Director of the Los Angeles Water Keepers; Ron Finley, the one-and-only "Gangster Gardener"; George McGraw, Founder of DigDeep; Lonnie & Mary, passionate Bee Farmers in Corona; and Dr. Richard Oppenlander, Author of "Comfortably Unaware". I also toured the Edward C. Little Water Recycling Facility at West Basin Municipal Water District, and talked with the folks there about the importance of recycled water in our current and future water landscape.

I had the opportunity this week to interview Seth M. Siegel, author of "Let There Be Water". He gave a presentation at Cal Poly about what Israel has done to create a secure water future, and generously sent all guests home with a copy of his book. It's a must-read, in my opinion.

I have been invited to present images from my project at Open Show in San Francisco on April 15th as part of the San Francisco Green Film Festival, and I am thrilled for this opportunity. If you live in the Bay Area, please come - I would LOVE to see you!

For you SLO-County folks, my project is currently featured in Information Press, Paso Robles Magazine and SLO Life Magazine. And I will be a featured artist at the Earth Day Fair & Music Festival on April 24th at El Chorro Park. Mark your calendars and come out to play!

Thank you, again, from the bottom of my heart, for joining me on this journey, and for making all of this possible. You are the best!

We did it!

Yaaaaaaay!  WE DID IT !

In the final hours of yesterday's leap day, due to the love and support of over 344 awesome backers on Kickstarter, and countless cheerleaders, we have reached our funding goal. 100% funded! Can you believe it? Over $25,300 raised, with 5 days still left in the campaign. THANK YOU. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.  Honestly, you really are the best, and this film will now become a reality, thanks to YOU.

So many exciting updates to come, but for now please know this.... I am overflowing with gratitude, and feel exponentially fortunate to be surrounded by so many incredible people.

Please continue sharing the project over the next few days if your heart calls you to do so. The more money we raise, the better the film will be in the end, and the larger the audience it will reach. I appreciate all the love & support, to the moon & beyond... Cheers, loves!

home stretch

Friends!  You are AMAZING. In only two weeks time "Where There Once Was Water" has received a ton of local press coverage, and over $20,635 in support on Kickstarter. I continue to be humbled by your generosity and words of encouragement.  THANK YOU.

With just 11 days to go, we are now officially on the home stretch. Wheeee! Kickstarter is an all-or-nothing platform, meaning that we MUST reach our goal or no money will change hands, and the film will not receive funding. So I ask of you with a humble heart... If you are planning to pledge your support, or you are considering it, please consider doing so TODAY!  Every dollar helps, and every backer who pledges $10 or more will receive a download of the film upon it's completion. 

Much Love & Abundant Gratitude, xo, Brittany
 

Kickstarter LAUNCH & Gratitude

Seriously, Wow! Yesterday we went LIVE on Kickstarter, and Launch Day was an amazing success!

Thanks to the tremendous generosity of over 130 backers, and the support of hundreds of folks sharing our campaign online, we are almost half way to our fundraising goal already. Can you believe it?!  You all amaze me. 

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for your trust and your support on this important project. Please continue to share this campaign with your friends and family. It will truly take a village to bring this film to life.  Much Love, ya'll... I am overflowing with gratitude.  Here's to a super successful DAY 2!  Let's DO this.  :)

With all my love & appreciation... xo, Brittany Anzel App

Frolicking in the Forest

Thank you for being here...
I come bearing some rather exciting news. Coming in February *you* will have the opportunity to pre-order your very own copy of my documentary film, "Where There Once Was Water". Wheeee Haw! After spending some months on this project, I have come to realize that in order make this film a reality, I'm going to need help. In mid-February be on the look out for a super rad Kickstarter campaign and the official release of my first teaser trailer for the film. Holy smokes, I cannot wait to show you what I've been up to! Much Love, y'all.

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"In an age when man has forgotten his origins and is blind even to his most essential needs for survival, water along with other resources has become the victim of his indifference." - Rachel Carson

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I just returned from a road trip up to the northernmost tip of California. I soaked up the rain in those giant redwoods, and I came home saturated and refreshed - grateful for the natural wonders of our world. Along the way I filmed the devastatingly charred remains of the town of Cobb, I followed the Eel River as it wound it's way down the northern reaches of highway 101, and I filmed time-lapses of clouds flirting with the forest. I visited Shasta Lake - one of our state's largest, and an area of much dam dispute of late, and I stared in amazement at the reservoir's gargantuan bathtub rings.

The theme of cooperation, and little changes making big differences, keeps coming up. As artist & activist Sarah Bellum said to me recently in an interview, "We're all on this abundant garden planet together, and it's a lot easier if we work together". I had the opportunity to interview this inspiring and kind-spirited "Barefoot Trash Fairy" about her zero-waste lifestyle, the health of our oceans, and her work with the Surfrider Foundation. She's about to head out on a zero-waste bike tour up the coast of California - so, as you may have guessed, Sarah and I realized, pretty much immediately, that we were soul-sisters. Beautiful connections continue to happen through this project - I am grateful, and my heart is full.

I've been reviewing images and footage in preparation for the official project launch in February, and there's so much to share already! I am thrilled for the opportunity to give you a sneak peek of this work through my first teaser trailer for the film - set to launch mid-February alongside my Kickstarter campaign. Once launched, you will have the ability to pre-order the film. Your support will mean the world. Thank you for being on this journey with me!

Until next time... Namaste.