Greetings from Summerland

“Greetings from Summerland” is an investigative environmental documentary that unveils the little-known history and environmental impacts of the world’s first offshore oil wells in Summerland, California and how what seems to be a localized issue is truly a global one. With a history that spans back to the late 1800s when the offshore wells were first successfully drilled, through the 1960s as they were capped for the first time, and into the future, as more modern capping efforts and techniques are implemented. The offshore oil industry began here and over 125 years has spiralled across the globe and in it’s wake a legacy of Methane, the biggest culprit behind global warming, threatening life as we know it on planet Earth. We stand on the precipice and the places the film takes us to and the people we meet along the way will give us hope and encouragement that we can indeed recover from what seems an undoubting task, to remediate Methane on a global scale.

Featuring insights from world renown researchers such as Dr. Ira Leifer, a researcher whose expertise sheds light on the scientific challenges of mitigating these impacts to Kerri Hedden, a long time resident artist, whose personal accounts add depth to the narrative by illustrating a local communities experiences living with oil in their backyards, on their beaches and in the air since 1896 to present day. The documentary highlights the broader implications of methane emissions from abandoned wells globally, presenting a deep dive into the consequences of these pioneering projects and the subsequent efforts to cap leaking wellheads on a local scale to a global scale and the worldwide consequences if we do not act now. It serves as a compelling narrative on the urgent need for awareness, ingenuity, and action in addressing environmental negligence and preserving our planet’s resources. The film is produced by On The Wave Productions in association with Schaefer Cinema in Santa Barbara, CA the birthplace of offshore oil, the first devastating oil spill and the birthplace of Earth Day, now celebrated across the planet, had it’s humble beginnings…