UPDATE: Here’s a link to the documentary
A new student-produced documentary focused on the Wellesley Recycling & Disposal Facility will debut on Oct. 24 at Collins Cinema on the Wellesley College campus, with a reception at 6pm and the film screening at 7pm. We assume the carpet at this event will be green, not red, and dress is casual.
The film, produced by Wellesley College senior Dawn Marie Barnett, includes interviews with key players and shows what becomes of recycled material after it leaves the RDF. According to movie reviewers at the Sustainable Wellesley organization, “It is certainly the most complete depiction of Wellesley recycling ever made, and is well worth watching by anyone interested in sustainable behavior in Wellesley.”
Barnett says that the film screening will provide a chance to publicly recognize and thank more than a dozen RDF employees, and the event will be hosted by Patrick Willoughby, director of sustainability at Wellesley College.
The story behind the story of this film, simply titled “The Town of Wellesley’s Recycling and Disposal Facility,” is an interesting one.
Barnett is a U.S. Air Force veteran who moved from Seattle to attend Wellesley College to study Studio Arts as a Davis Scholar, a non-traditional age student who attends classes and does the same work as the traditional students. Barnett decided to make a career change when a voice-related health issue prevented her working in advertising and marketing.
The student plans to distribute the documentary, produced over 2 years through two independent studies, to PBS, schools and municipalities across the nation. She’s working on a website to sell DVDs. Barnett was mentored by Jarlath W. Waldron, director of media and technology at Wellesley College.
Kudos to you! My father Pat Berdan – director of Wellesley Publics Work from 1976-1996 was whose vision transformed what was originally the Wellesley dump to the progressive recycling center it has grown into today. Recycling was his passion and the RDF was one of the very first of its kind. It was a very very special place for him well into his 80’s. Thank you for what you’ve done to make this happen! -Lisa Berdan
I gave your dad a thank you in the credits, Lisa. He is highly respected among the employees at the RDF. What an amazing job he did.
I was a resident of Wellesley and very close to Pat Berdan and his family.
I am sure your film is wonderful, but may be missing some rich history- perhaps the content of another documentary? Do you know why the Rdf exists today- Pat Berdan was a visionary . The RDF was his baby. Did you know representatives from Russia came to look at the Rdf in the 80’s ( as a possible model for there own dump)- law suits originated over “negations” at the “give and take”‘ friendships that were made through trash- I could go on and on.
I now live on Cape Cod- when people ask me what I miss about Wellesley, I say my friends and the RDF.
Good luck,
Please come to the screening Oct. 24 if at all possible, Andrea. Thank you for your comments.
Congrat’s Dawn!
Thanks so much, Bruce. And a big thanks to the residents who helped make the premiere a success.
Is the screening open to anyone?
Yes, it’s open to the public
I have very fond memories of the RDF. We lived in Wellesley when Pat Berdan had just begun to develop his vision into a reality. Going to “the Dump” on the weekend was an exciting event…you took your “stuff” and you never knew what you might bring back to
your house. What fun, never a chore, it was to have that opportunity. It was, and I hope
still is, a park like place. When my family left Wellesley, Mr. Berdan’s wife hosted a
“going away luncheon” at the RDF for me. You should see my friends’ expressions when I tell them that we had a picnic at “the dump”! Many kudos to Pat Berdan and to those who are continuing the wonderful recycling program in your city. Hopefully we will be able to see the documentary if it is shown on PBS.
I knew Pats daughters from school. And I loved Pat as a fabulous director who I worked under starting in 79, he was also a kind and thoughtful friend! I’m sure the girls and his wife will appreciate the credit he so richly deserves. He was a good man. When I was a single mom with very little money and two very young kids, he used to come to the RDF and get toys for them and a turtle sand box (which he tied on the roof of my car so I could drive it 20 miles home to them-LOL-I’m sure I looked so funny) and strollers, car seats, you name it – he was very thoughtful and he loved doing it! He deserves most of the credit for this wonderful place! Thank you Dawn Marie for your hard work on this project!
The RDF documentary is now on Vimeo in High Definition.