The group of individuals who took this trip were comprised of various nonprofit leaders who working in the communities surrounding this facility. But, they had no official sanction to take this trip. They held no real position of authority over decision making related to the plant. And no one asked them to organize and take this trip. What do you think about that? Do you ever lead without being formally in charge of something? Can this kind of action generate community change? Is it possible that this group of unsanctioned leaders was able to do and see things that more formal or sanctioned leaders could not?

Consider the list of individuals and organizations the team met while in Louisiana (you can learn a bit more here). Was this a wide enough sample to accomplish the group's goals for the trip? Who else should they have met with? How might that have changed their conclusions?

The opening seven minutes of the film present a lot of conflicting opinions about the project. And the film itself is set up as a journey that moves through various positions and gradually comes to a more firm stance only in the closing segment of the film. Why do you suppose the film is built this way? Is it an effective strategy for creating social movement or should the project have been more forceful and direct? What are the benefits and liabilities of how you choose to answer these questions?

If you had been in charge of planning this trip would you have tried to meet with representatives from Shell? Why or why not?

What is the difference between creating agreement and organizing community power? Can you think of a situation where a group of people had substantial agreement, yet lacked power to change their community? Can you think of a time when a group wielded considerable community power, yet did so with others who disagreed with them? How might one determine whether agreement or power are more desirable or strategically useful in a given situation?

Is there a difference between being knowledgeable about a topic and being prepared to organizing social change related to that topic? Can you think of a situation where people who were uninformed about something were able to organize change around that topic? Have you ever observed highly informed stakeholders struggle to bring about change? Give examples.

Much of this film is about the question of where decision making capacity should be located? Should it be hyper-local, regional, at the state level, federal, or something else? What is your view on who should have decision making power in instances similar to the ones highlighted in this film?

"My voice, for the most part, won't make a difference." (Paul) Have you heard this kind of sentiment expressed before? Have you ever felt this way yourself? What causes people to believe they are powerless? Are there ways to combat this tendency? In what ways is Paul right and in what ways is he wrong in making this assertion?

"I guess I'm indifferent. I'm not quite sure if I have a position that I'm very strong with." (Donna) Are there things that you make you feel indifferent, even though that same issue solicits very strong beliefs and feelings from others? What would it take to change they way either of you feel? How might you work together on shared goals, even if you continued to feel differently? Are there limits to how much disagreeing parties can work together?

"Let me be the first politician to say that I oppose publicly any additional petrochemical facilities coming to western Pennsylvania." (Pittsburgh Mayor, Bill Peduto). Read RW's response to this comment and discuss.

"I don't pretend to know what's going in in Pittsburgh, and I stay out of Pittsburgh's business. Hopefully, [Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto] will stay out of ours." (Tony) When activity on one community affects residents of another community, who should be in charge of decision making? Have you ever encountered a situation where one community's decisions had a negative consequence for another community?

"We wanted to go and see." Have you ever traveled to learn about a situation that has changed the way you think? Can you give an example? Can you reflect on something you are currently trying to understand and talk about how visiting somewhere might aid your understanding?

"We've all been drug into this in different ways, reluctantly from different kinds of backgrounds. None of are experts in any of this stuff. We don't know so much. And most of all we need to figure out how to learn what we need to learn." (Daniel) What are the dangers and opportunities that emerge when non-experts become involved in community advocacy? In what kinds of situations are either experts or non-experts better suited to lead community change?

"Everybody will have different roles, and I think those different roles are okay." (Brandie) What are some of the various roles that must be played when seeking to organize community power? What roles have you played in your own life?

"When you fail to understand the region's hopeful response to [a seven billion dollar] investment, you fail to understand how thoroughly the region has been left behind, and how thoroughly hope has been stripped away from this place, particularly by industry." Have you ever experienced a community struggling with economic collapse? What role can and should economic vitality play in the hope that is present in a community? What are the consequences of hoping too heavily in industry or commerce? How does hopelessness manifest itself in the life of a community?

Employees of the steel mills in the area "started to take a certain amount of pride in it ... and that pride attached them to the institution." (Paul) Are there institutions that you feel pride in today? What sorts of institutions might you need to create to bring about the kind of community change you hope for? Are we past the era where institutions can serve as a rallying point for social change? If so, what can, should, or has taken their place?

"People expected steel to be around forever." (Paul) What are the things in today's world that you think of as being around forever? What would it look like if some of these things suddenly went away? Are there things you could do to mitigate the risk that comes along with losing any of these things?

"When the steel industry collapsed and everything fell apart in the county, the people that had the resources were able to either use their resources, sell their resources and go elsewhere, or take their resources elsewhere, where [the black community] didn't have anywhere else to go. We didn't have any resources to use. We didn't have a plan B." (Kolbe) If your community suddenly fell apart around you, would you have the resources to move elsewhere? If so, how might this shape the way you see the world, what you are willing to accept, the kinds of things you advocate for, and the things you might not easily see in others' stories?

"Some of the greatest effects of industry have fallen on the populations least prepared to deal with it." (Daniel) Can you think of examples of industry unduly affecting less-prepared or under-resourced communities? Can you think of any situations where undesirable industry has located itself in an highly affluent community? What kind of community dynamics make it so that environmental injustice is more often experienced by lower-resource communities?

"In a time where there is an incredible amount of extraction of energy in Louisiana ... you would think it would be one of the richest states." (Zaheen) Instead, Louisiana is the second poorest state in the nation. Does this surprise you? Why do you think this is the case? After thinking through this issue, watch this video and see if or how your views change.

Broderick is "really interested in the structural conditions that create poverty and sustain it." (Daniel) What are some of these conditions? Have you seen them at work in a particular community? How did the existence of such conditions affect life in that community?

"It's just bullshit that knowledge is power. Knowledge is helpful. It's sometimes vital. It's not power. Power is power." (Broderick) What is the difference between knowledge and power? Do you agree that they are not the same thing? Why do you suppose that the phrase "knowledge is power" is so widely deployed and believed?

"I'm gonna go to the city council meeting where the decision is being made. With all these people here and all this testimony, it sure feels like it's fixed, like this decision was made by other people way beforehand." (Broderick) Here, Broderick is describing a situation where an overwhelming show of community solidarity and opinion is insufficient to change outcomes. He is also talking about the fact that important decisions that are meant to be transparent are very often settled before the get to the public. Have you ever experienced something like this? How did or might you combat this type of power dynamic in the life of a community?

"All of these entities hire hundreds of lawyers to work on a full time basis to define and articulate what their interests are and cultivate relationships constantly with these decision makers. You can't just sort of magically make all this disappear in some fair setup... This is the world we live in. Now, inside of that, what do you do?" Does Broderick's section of the film, which culminates with these comments, make you think any differently about the democratic process, about how you and others might exercise power, or about what needs to be done to empower local decision makers? Does it make you feel disempowered? Eager to organize? Angry? Overwhelmed?

"On the one hand, we need to make the biggest coalitions possible so that we can have collective community agency. On the other hand, we need to be challenging just kind of going along with what is. And those two things are at odds with one another." (Daniel) Here, Daniel is talking about the fact that building wide coalitions and taking a stand for something can be at odds with one another. And yet, both are necessary in order to create communities with greater agency. Have you ever felt this tension between getting people on your side and staking out a clear position? How did you navigate that tension? Which is better, getting more people on your side or more narrowly defining your position?

"You're never gonna get one hundred percent of residents to care about the environment, we know that. What is the critical mass that is necessary? And who needs to be in that critical mass? (Scott) Pick an issue that you are facing related to environmental concerns (or another community matter) and answer the questions Scott raises. Try to be as specific as possible you answer the question.

"It's time for us to get our stuff together and say, 'We deserve better.' We do! We all deserve better." (Zaheen) How does this statement make you feel? Do you agree with Zaheen? Why do you think we often fail to demand better? What forces are at play that drive us toward complacency and apathy?

"We need to be building the social fabric in our region that is required to exercise agency." (Daniel) What does it mean to build the social fabric of a region? Why do you suppose that Daniel talks about this as a regional need and not merely a community or organizational need? How would growing social fabric lead to greater citizen agency?

"I'll be the first to admit, for the longest time I lived in a bubble... I see it now. But I didn't know then." (Kelly) Can you recall a time and in issue that you once did not think about, but now feel very strongly about? What produced that kind of change in you? How does remembering this help you to think about what might be necessary to change the minds and hearts of others about issues that are currently not on their radar?

"There are people who can live their entire life and not have to see any of this.... I forget for a moment that this is not everyone else's reality.... People who are in majority culture don't have to feel the oppression that minority culture experiences." (Herb) How can diverse communities actively work to share their disparate experiences of the same realities? When those realities seem to conflict with one another, what steps can be taken to create solidarity even in the midst of difference? Can you provide any examples of navigating these issues in your own story?

"We need to put a stop to this. Formosa, you will not come in and destroy what we have." (Sharon) Have you ever been part of an effort aimed at stopping something in your community? Were you successful or unsuccessful? What strategies did you find to be effective or ineffective for achieving your goals?

"We didn't know or understand what was coming. We were not organized well." (Daniel) Have you ever found yourself in a situation where your community was unprepared for something it was experiencing? How do the community respond? What did you learn as the result of that experience?

"It makes sense for our regions to be in communication with each other and be aligned." (Scott) Can you point to projects or collaborations in your area that actively work to create regional alignment? Why do you suppose those kinds of initiatives are necessary and how have you seen them be effective (or not) at producing more vibrant communities? What are the challenges to doing this kind of work? Who should be in charge of leading these efforts, how should they be funded, and how can we tell when they've been effective?

"Listening to you all, it's the world's problem. But it has to start somewhere. And this is the table right here that allows us to talk about it and not stay quiet about it. And what I love about it, what I really love about it is that God is making us diverse. (Stephanie) Increasingly, we live in a world where local problems are manifest at a global level and vice versa. In the quest for making change how can we know where to start our work? Is local work more important than global efforts? Are big coalitions better than targeted affinity groups? Pick an issue important to you and talk about the value of addressing this issue from both a local and global perspective. See if you can determine which perspective is better suited for bringing about your goals.

"I want to make sure that we don't lose heart and that we realize that this is a chance to dig in deeper with people and organize more people." (Anne) Have you ever been part of an effort that was not going as you planned? Can you think of a time where failure or delay was valuable for achieving your ultimate goals? What is the danger of too closely describing the success or failure of social movement in terms of a specific vote, initiative, or action? How can failure or delay be used to generate future success?

"Ask yourself the question: What are you doing for the generations coming behind you? I'm standing and as long as I can stand, I will stand. And when I can no longer stand, I will crawl. When I can no longer speak, I will let you all know." (Rita) What issue or issues make you feel this passionate? How are you -- or how could you -- take tangible steps to benefit generations coming behind you? Are there people in your life who do this particularly well? How might you learn from them and help to amplify the work they are already doing?

"They feel like they don't have a voice. They're so used to people coming in a just doing what they want to. It's to the point where people are just sitting back and letting people come in and just do what they want to around here." Have you ever felt this way? Do you feel this way now? What would need to change to overcome these feelings of hopelessness and lack of agency?

"How do you inside the system fix the system? Most systems can't be fixed from the outside. You have to be inside the system to fix it." (Herb) Do you agree with Herb? Can you think of an real life example that either supports or refutes Herb's assertion? What does this conversation about being inside/outside systems imply for how we undertake efforts to organize community power?

"Welcome to your environmental science education. This feeling that you're feeling is what every undergrad in environmental science feels, this dread of... what can we even do? We will never be a multi-billion dollar corporation. So, in terms of impacting the system, that is not a place where we can impact it." (Zaheen) Have you ever felt what Zaheen is describing? How did you work through those feelings? As we design for community change, are there some actions that are more important or strategically valuable than others? Where do large systems have vulnerabilities that can be used to the advantage of those seeking to organize community power?

"If you don't have a man on the inside, if you don't have influence on the inside, then what you're doing is proverbially pissing in the wind." (Herb) Do you agree or disagree with Herb? What are the implications of siding with Herb's views? If you disagree with Herb's comment, why?

"On the ride over here I was definitely more thinking that moderation is a great posture to have because extreme attitudes are actually detrimental because that brings in all kinds of other extremes. That's where I live generally. But then there's a time and place for everything. In this situation, the time is now. The time is past now. St. James if full!" (Herb) As community advocates, how do we determine when the time for action is? Why do we often fail to act until the situation is dire? Have you ever been in a situation where you knew without a doubt that the time for action was now? What happened?

"What we're seeing here in St. James is a warning. Do we heed that warning or do we just fade to black and say, 'Yeah, well, that doesn't really affect me.' That's not gonna happen to me." (Herb) Why do you think it is that we live in a time surrounded by warnings of all kinds, and yet we very often choose not to heed those warnings? How do you decide which warnings to heed and which to ignore?

At the St. James Parish Council meeting, the conveners used power to their advantage by artificially limiting the number of people allowed in the room. In what ways can community based initiatives use their convening power to stack the odds in their favor? Have you ever used your power as the convener of a meeting to your strategic advantage? How does the setting for a community showdown provide strategic advantages and disadvantages for those involved? Can you think of some specific examples from your own experience?

"For the me questions is: What makes for a good neighbor?" (Zaheen) What does your ideal community neighbor look like? Are there general characteristics that are the same for every potential neighbor? Do you have different expectations for different kinds of neighbors? Who should be responsible for ensuring that communities express their expectations for those who want to locate nearby? How can we help to elevate a community's expectation for what constitutes a good neighbor?

"You are simultaneously saying that the communities who have been most traumatized and are the most vulnerable need to be the strongest in the face of the largest corporations in the world. And so it's an impossible equation." (Scott) How does this comment make you feel? Do you agree that this an impossible equation? Do you think that Scott is using hyperbole to make a point or does he actually mean that there's nothing that a community can do to push back against multinational corporations? What other parts of the film provide clues to how you might answer these questions?

When you don't have hope or your options are limited, you take the option you have. If the only option for jobs is something that pollutes, what's another industry you can name that can come in at that scale? Right now, it's petrochemical or what? The only way you're going to disrupt and displace these industries is by giving an equal or better option." (Scott) Here, Scott is making the argument that the marketplace must provide alternatives to extractive industry that provide equal or better opportunities for the community. What do you think of that argument? Can you think of examples of disruptive industry that are working to do that? Who or what forces in society are poised to encourage or incentivize that kind of market activity? Is there are role that local communities can or should play in encouraging or demanding such alternatives?

"The problem with our region is that we've intentionally avoided the complexity as a tool for survival." (Daniel) Can you give any examples of how communities avoid complexity as a tool for survival? How might avoiding complexity help to aid in a community's survival? Are their moral or relational considerations that community organizations must consider when they intentionally shed light on the complexity inherent in an issue of public concern?

"How do we come alongside people and walk with them [and help them see] that they can make a difference and want better for their lives than just this." (Herb) Have you ever been part of helping others to see that they can make a difference in their community? Can you provide some examples? If you have not had this opportunity, can you think about a situation where doing so could be valuable? How might you contribute to making that happen?

"If our community is going to be healthy, whatever that means, we have to feel free to ask hard questions. We have to be empowered to dig into things that we don't understand. We should not be in relationships where we feel like we're not allowed to slow things down, to peer under the hood, to backtrack. Any meaningful relationship involves all of those kinds of complexities." (Daniel) Have you ever been involved in a community relationship where you feel disempowered to ask hard questions, dig into issues, or slow things down? What did you do about this? Were you able to overcome these issues? If so, how? Perhaps you're in a situation like this now. If so, can you explain what's happening and reflect on how the lessons of this film might point toward a way forward?

"I came out of this trip thinking that we have to figure out how to get beyond the future happening to us. We have to become knowing partners in constructing the future of our region. We have to have a voice in the decisions are made. We have to be able and willing to object, even if it's painful or divisive. I'm not sure how to get there overnight... and we gotta figure out how to get there." (Daniel) Do you ever feel like the future is happening to you or your community? Is there anything you have done or could do to push back against that tendency? Why do you suppose that Daniel recognizes that we can't make such change over night? How long do you think it should take to grow community agency?

What is your impression of the film? What did it do well? What could have been improved either compositionally or artistically? How could the film have been constructed to achieve what you perceive to be the filmmaker's goals?

Are there things that a documentary can accomplish that other types of media might have a hard time accomplishing? In what ways does the documentary genre limit what it can accomplish? What other kinds of media seem like they could help to move forward the filmmaker's goals?

How do you think having a filmmaker on the trip changed the experience for the participants? Do you think the experience of taking the trip would have been different if it were not being filmed?

How might the communities involved in the story represented in this film use creative advocacy in ways beyond the documentary? Can you imagine what a messaging campaign based on the film might look like? Are there ways that community artists could amplify themes of the film? How might public events be planned in response to the documentary? What other creative applications of the film might you imagine?

What role can imagination play in helping a community see something different from themself? What role can artists and creatives play in provoking community change? How can creatives and community members work together more effectively to grow and align power around issues important to a community?