John D. Liu

Ecosystem Restoration Camps – America, China, International

John D. Liu is is an American ecologist and filmmaker and one of the world’s most eloquent spokesperson for global earth repair.  This Chinese-American filmmaker travels widely and works with people and institutions in several countries. John has worked with Commonland Foundation on catalyzing privately invested large-scale restoration worldwide since 2009, and is currently its Ecosystem Ambassador. John also founded the Ecosystem Restoration Camps movement in 2016, which has grown to currently 37 camps in 6 continents and continues to grow. John has written, directed, produced, filmed, and presented numerous films on Environment and Ecology for the BBC, National Geographic, Discovery, PBS and other networks. He has written, produced and directed films on Grasslands, Deserts, Wetlands, Oceans, Rivers, Urban Development, Atmosphere, Forests, Endangered Animals and Poverty Reduction. 

Liu was born in Nashville, Tennessee, United States, as the son of a Chinese father and American mother. He spent most of his youth in Bloomington, Indiana. Liu studied journalism. After 15 years as a Television Producer and Cameraman for CBS News, RAI and ZDF John began to study ecology. In the mid-1990’s he began a participatory process with a number of media and broadcasting colleagues in Beijing that led to the creation of the Environmental Education Media Project for China (EEMPC). The EEMPC has distributed over 1000 environmental films in China since then. The EEMPC also helped found the “China Environment and Sustainable Development Reference and Research Center (CESDRRC). Over the years their activities have broadened beyond China to include the entire world and to include the production of environmental and ecological films.  In 2013 he received the Communications Award from the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER), “Green Gold” a film about his work produced by the VPRO won a Prix Italia award. “Hope in a Changing Climate” was named the best ecosystem film by the International Wildlife Film Festival and won several other honors. 

GERF and ERC have collaborated on several projects, and we look forward to more in the future! For more on John, check out his video profile. Now, as an advisor on the board for the United Nations’ Decade of Ecosystem Restoration, he is at the forefront of this important cause. 

We are going to have to value life higher than things. We must transform the economy in order to reflect the true value of life. This requires us to stop thinking that buying and selling things is somehow the basis of wealth and allows us to understand and care for all people and all living beings. Now we are invested in death and are consuming the Earth’s life support systems. This false belief in materialism must end, so we can take another path.

Websites:
1) https://ecosystemrestorationcamps.org/
2) https://www.commonland.com
3) https://knaw.academia.edu/JohnDLiu

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/john.d.liu
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johndennisliu/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johndliu/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Johndliu

Video 1: Green Gold – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBLZmwlPa8A
Video 2: Hope in a Changing Climate – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLdNhZ6kAzo