How Suite It Is

It’s 1:39 am, and Alex and I are back from the world premiere of the Escapist—a tense, riveting display of old-school filmmaking out of Ireland and the UK.

It’s been another great day for The Giving Suite. Joe Tomlinson, Mr. Revolve http://www.revolvebrand.com himself (who put together the sweet Suite) and his merry band of mindful marketeers [ organicworksmarketing.com ] have been awfully busy.

Today’s schedule alone included:

1. rock stars offering intimate performances (check out the site http://www.givingsuite.com for schedule, if yer in these here parts),
2. not one but two film opening parties today alone,
3. and another successful day doing good by doing well—The Giving Suite has brought together 25+ eco, social-benefit and fair-trade companies…and are giving away 100% of all proceeds to charity. Now if that ain’t swimming upstream against the schwag-crazy status quo—where everyone who’s anyone comes away from every lounge, party and premiere loaded down with pricey, often-superfluous freebies—I don’t know what is. The Giving Suite is more than an eco shop and lounge, however—it, with Project Greenhouse represents the first fruitions of a national movement that prefers sustainability, cooperation and giving over schwag bags, Hummers or 5,000 square foot houses (which, at Park City, include—get this—heated driveways that are literally warming the earth). eConscious Market’s motto: “giving is the new getting” is what The Giving Suite is all about—and we here at elephant journal, your friendly local eco/social/political magazine feel fortunate to have found such a lovely, deep-green home at Sundance.

The motto of this year’s festival: “’Film takes ‘place.’”–evokes the importance of ‘where’ art happens—whether at a rickety desk in a cabin or a studio lot in LA. And that’s the magic (as Charity, Giving Suite’s manager, just put it)—of the Suite. It’s a container for people to network—and breathe out.

See you in the mornin’–

Waylon H. Lewis | editor – in – chief | elephant journal