Now available for download and streaming, The Last Guardians takes viewers to the Ecuadorian Amazon to further understand the struggle of indigenous community members as they defend their land and culture against the threats they face from extractive industries.

Filmmakers Joe Tucker and Adam Punzano interview leaders of the Sapara and the Kichwa of Sarayaku – long-time Amazon Watch partners – who provide a first-hand account of the current climate and environmental justice crisis in the Amazon.

Through storytelling, these representatives relate their everyday struggles as the Ecuadorian government continues to back oil companies whose activities deforest the Amazon, poison the water, and destroy homes and families.

But all hope is not lost, as the film clearly demonstrates. Cameras capture how Sapara and Sarayaku communities are working to protect their territories and cultures and highlight the central role that resilient indigenous women leaders play at the forefront of the struggle.

 

Friends —So, the other day we were at a federal Department of Labor “listening session” about overtime rules. Some of the business lawyer types there were insisting that people who work long hours for low salaries don’t actually want more money OR more time. What workers really want, these corporate lawyers & lobbyists insisted, is the “prestige” of being called salaried. That didn’t sound quite right to us. So we thought we’d ask:

Which one would you prefer?

More money or more time

More “prestige”

Cast your vote, then let us know — how does your work schedule work for you?