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On Saturday, March 12, 2005, more than 1,100 house parties and other get-togethers took place coast-to-coast to screen "Oil on Ice," a new DVD presented by Sierra Club Productions which features the documentary film that connects the fate of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the communities that depend on it to the decisions now being made about America's energy policy. Sierra Club members hosted more than 700 screenings, and Energy Action, with help from the Sierra Student Coalition, hosted 400-plus showings.

In St. Louis, former Club organizer Claralyn Bollinger and her husband Matt opened their newly rehabbed city home to a dozen local Club members. During introductions, each person mentioned why they cared about protecting the Arctic Refuge; 11-year-old Zara, daughter of Club members Art and Norah, said she hopes to visit the Arctic Refuge someday and wants it to remain as it is now-wild. Following dinner and the screening, a discussion of the film ensued, and everyone wrote letters to Senators Bond and Talent and filled out Hybrid Evolution postcards. (Pictured just above: That's Maria Wheatley and Scott Wilhelm, both Club members, writing to Senator Bond.) The night wrapped up with a door prize and an "Oil on Ice Cream" dessert-vanilla ice cream topped with chocolate syrup.

In north St. Louis County, Juliette Crone-Willis and her husband Kelly hosted their second Oil on Ice house party. "I was blown away by responses to the invitations we mailed out," Juliette says. "Even people who couldn't attend called to say how deeply they cared about the Arctic Refuge, that they wanted to be involved, and how thrilled they were to be invited to an event in their area. A student at the University of Missouri-St. Louis called to see if she could show the film on campus and use it to start a Sierra Student Coalition chapter." Among the attendees were two nuns from Sisters of St. Joseph Carondolet, a Presbyterian minister who wants to show the film to her congregation, and a member of the local school board who just joined the Club a few months ago. Letter-writing and postcard-signing were followed by a door prize giveaway.

In Freeport, Maine (that's right, L.L. Bean shoppers-same place), chapter conservation chair Joan Saxe hosted a house party that attracted more than 30 guests. "Tim Leech of the Caribou Commons Project spoke after the showing and a lively discussion ensued," Saxe says. "People liked the fact that the film featured a variety of points of view, from natives, Alaska residents, government officials, and environmentalists, all with differing interests and perspectives, but all making the point that drilling is undesirable. Viewers were struck by the cultural and environmental justice aspects of the issue."

Saxe is hosting another showing this week as part of the Club's partnership work with the Maine Council of Churches. Anne Burt, director of the Council's Environmental Justice program, said the film "did a beautiful job of not only connecting the people who live there to the land, but conveying that it is a sacred place that is affected by our own life style and the choices we make in terms of consuming fossil fuel."

Another Down East screening, hosted by Club organizer Maureen Drouin in Portland, drew a crowd of 85 people, including staff members from Maine's congressional delegation, who spoke in support of protecting the Arctic Refuge. A "letter-writing station" was set up where people could write thank-yous to Representative Tom Allen and Senators Snowe and Collins for their opposition to drilling in the refuge. Artist Subhankar Banerjee, whose photography of the refuge has attracted national attention, was a featured speaker. A major snowstorm diverted his flight to Boston, but Maine Chapter Chair Barbara Winterson braved the snow to pick him up on a moment's notice and drive him to the Portland event. "The snowstorm shook things up a bit," says Drouin, "but the event was a great success."

On the opposite coast, Barclay Rogers, an attorney with the Sierra Club's Environmental Law Program, hosted a screening at a San Francisco art gallery with a group of friends. "The setting was great, the film doubly great, and one of the filmmakers, Dale Djerassi, made a guest appearance, which made it triply great," Rogers says. "Everyone had a good time, and we were able to generate lots of hand-written letters to Senators Boxer and Feinstein thanking them for leading the charge to protect the Arctic Refuge. The event was a mix of fun and activism-just like democracy should be!"

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• Watch an Oil on Ice clip
  
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These factsheets help make the link between the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and how it relates to our U.S. energy policy decisions. All factsheets are PDF files.

• Saving Oil: Cars that Go Farther on a Gallon of Gas
• The Arctic
• The Hybrid Evolution