River cleanup pioneer to lead film discussion

Marion Stoddart, the Massachusetts woman who led efforts in the 1960s to clean up the then-heavily polluted Nashua River, and who is the subject of the documentary The Work of 1000, will help lead a discussion on environmental issues after a screening of the 30-minute film on Wednesday, November 14, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at Emerson College’s Semel Theater, on the third floor of the Tufte Performance and Production Center.

Also leading the discussion, titled, “Merging Interests: Turning Eco-Knowledge and Creativity into Social Action,” is Visual and Media Arts part-time faculty member Bob Nesson, who was the documentary’s cameraman.

Stoddart is credited with organizing a massive citizen effort to clean up the Nashua River and providing a model for effective leadership and advocacy.

Stoddart is signing books and videos after the program, which is sponsored by several campus groups, including the Institute for Liberal Arts and Interdisciplinary Studies, Imagine Students Reaching Out, Earth Emerson, and Emerson Peace and Social Justice. Clean Water Action Massachusetts is another co-sponsor.