The Power of One: Film Screening and Tree Planting
Two-day event brings together education and action
Register for each event
Friday, Feb. 27 | 5:30–8:30 p.m.
The Power of One film screening and discussion. Meet director Alex Valdez and producer Pablo De la Fuente.
Register for the film screening
Saturday, Feb. 28 | 9:30 a.m.–12 p.m.
Community tree planting with the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden.
Register for the tree planting
Registration is required for both events, and space is limited.
What if the actions of one person could help restore an entire ecosystem and inspire others to do the same?
That question is at the heart of The Power of One, an upcoming documentary by Director Alex Valdez and Producer Pablo De la Fuente that will be featured in a two-day campus event celebrating the power of individual and community action in the face of global environmental challenges.
The event begins Friday, Feb. 27, with a screening of The Power of One from 5:30–8:30 p.m. Pizza and popcorn will be served before the film begins. The documentary runs 65 minutes and will be followed by a live discussion and Q&A with Valdez and De la Fuente. The following morning, Saturday, Feb. 28, participants are invited to take part in a community tree planting on campus from 9:30 a.m.–12 p.m. in partnership with the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden.
Spaces are limited for each event, and organizers request that participants register separately for the film screening and the tree planting.
Day One: The Power of One Film Screening
IIn The Power of One, a team of documentary filmmakers travel to a secluded ecological sanctuary deep in the jungles of Colombia. There, they follow the story of a conservationist who planted 10,000 trees in a once-deforested field, setting in motion the restoration of a critically endangered ecosystem.
The Power of One delivers a hopeful message: even in the face of immense environmental challenges, meaningful and lasting change can begin with the commitment of a single person—and grow through collective action. (Watch the trailer below.)
Day Two: Tree Planting
Turning the Message into Action
The tree planting on Saturday brings the film’s message into a local, hands-on context. Participants will help plant native trees, shrubs and perennials at the west end of the Arboretum as part of the Arboretum Waterway Flood Protection and Habitat Enhancement Project—an ongoing effort to restore habitat, improve climate resilience and transform the Arboretum Waterway into a healthier, more biodiverse ecosystem.
"The Power of One reminds us that environmental restoration isn’t abstract," said organizers involved in planning the event. "It happens in specific places, through care, knowledge and collective effort."
Together, the UC Davis Institute for the Environment, UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden, and the UC Davis Department of Cinema and Digital Media invite the campus community to take part in this two-day experience—whether by watching, planting, or both—and to see how one action can make a lasting difference.
Register to attend one or both events via the links above.