Pelan #59: Mother of the Earth
- Director: Mahnaz Afzali
- Screening: Nov. 25, 2023, 11 a.m.
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- North Vancouver City Library
- Run time: 52
Synopsis:
This documentary takes a brief look at Hayedeh Shirzadi and her husband’s shared life, love, and work and their attempt to put an end to the dumping and burial of urban garbage. Due to their hard work and ingenuity, 100% of the city of Kermanshah’s garbage is now recycled, and the biowaste is made into organic fertilizers. Shirzadi studied recycling in Germany. She returned to Iran to clean up the environment, stop the destruction of arable land, and curb air and water pollution. Her first attempts were ignored, but she kept at the local government until she successfully got the job of waste manager, first in her birthplace Gilane Gharb, and then in Kermanshah. She also travelled around Iran and helped establish recycling centres in many cities. Today Kermanshah’s waste is all recycled and converted into valuable products. She is an energetic leader, and the fate of the earth is her primary concern. Shirzadi has recently launched a site for recycling construction rubble.