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Eighth grader tackles lead pipes problem to win environmental short film

Eighth grader tackles lead pipes problem to win environmental short film

Lion Birnecker, an eighth-grader in Evanston, expressed an interest last year in filmmaking.

Lion, who is homeschooled took a few online classes in filmmaking and decided to submit a movie to the One Earth Young Filmmakers Contest. The contest invites students from third through sixth grade to create a short film about an environment topic. Oak Park-based nonprofit One Earth Collective sponsors this annual contest.

Lion Birnecker (Submitted photo)

Lion said that I thought it would be a great opportunity to learn and practice my skills.

An exciting email arrived in Lions’ inbox on February 3. Take Action Against Lead, his six-minute film, won the $200 first prize at the contests middle school level.

The film Lions gives a brief history of the use lead in ancient Roman waterways, before moving on to examine the toxic substance in Chicago, which has the most lead pipes in the world.

It is strong, durable, inexpensive, and easy to get. It has been used for over 6,000 year. He states that it is also poisonous. The film ends with a list detailing precautions people can take to avoid the substance. This substance has been linked to neurological issues and is particularly harmful to infants and young children.

Lion said that he chose lead for his film because he wanted it to be a focus on an environmental issue that has an impact on the Chicago area.

The judges stated in an email they sent on February 3, that Lions’ film had brought a renewed sense of urgency to this issue. The email stated that although we knew about the dangers of lead pipes in Flint, Michigan, we didn’t know that Chicago had such serious problems.

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