A memorable vlog almost always features three ingredients: a powerful theme, an eye-catching set or location, and a charismatic vlogger. As with all other genres, that last ingredient is the key. Imagine “Annie Hall” without Woody Allen, “Some Like It Hot” without Marilyn Monroe, “The Terminator” without Arnold Schwarzenegger. And so we direct your attention to Max Wilbert, an environmental activist who in recent weeks has been vlogging to save Nevada’s Thacker Pass from the development of a lithium mine. Wilbert’s informative and passionate 17-minute video—”Will Electric Cars Save the Planet?”—was shot using an iPhone SE2 balanced on a rock in lieu of a tripod. He used that rock as a windbreak.  The filmmaking is simple but masterful. The message is unforgettable.

Max Wilbert on Defending the Wilderness

What would happen if Lithium Americas (and every other mining company, and every other extractive industry) sincerely asked the land and the beings who reside there, “Can we blow up your home? Can we turn it into dust? Can we bathe the soil in sulfuric acid? Can we take away the mountain to turn it into money? Do we have your permission?”

Electric cars are part of car culture. Car culture is killing the planet.

Bottom line: earth destroyers will not stop unless we force them to stop.

URGENT SUPPORT is needed on an ongoing basis, we need people to join us on-site and help hold down the Protect Thacker Pass protest.

You can find out more about Max Wilbert here. The Thacker Pass Protest is covered on Facebook,  Instagram, and Twitter, and on the protesters website.

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The editors of MobileMovieMaking have chosen “Will Electric Cars Save the Planet” as the Mobile Movie of the Week.