Video: Kent Stark's Environmental Media Class Wraps Up With On-Campus Film Screening

Students in the at screened the films they've worked on all semester and showed off their knowledge of environmental issues Thursday.

A handful of students participated in the course, which brought together journalism, communications, biology and other majors and teamed them up to produce short films on the problems facing the Nimishillen Creek Watershed.

The students' topics ranged from septic tanks to general ways to be more environmentally conscious and a topic discussed at a recent city council meeting: .

The students who created the fracking video had logged 2,000 miles in four weeks as they traveled to Pennsylvania, New York and other areas to conduct interviews and gather information for their film. They even have a campus group to show for their efforts: Take Action, Spread Knowledge – and a successful Facebook page.

"Fracking was sort of a wild card," said Mitch McKenney, assistant professor of journalism and mass communication. "Because it's current, because it does have an impact potentially on the watershed, they came up with that topic and said, 'Can we do this?' and we said 'Sure.'"

"With the fracking group, they've started a student group, they have their Facebook site, they have plans for more film showings and more activity. So they've really run with this."

The class came about through a grant relationship between the campus and Herbert W. Hoover Foundation, which funds projects related to the community, education and environment.