As global ecosystems and geopolitical stability face unprecedented pressures, the documentary Saving Walden’s World invites the Laconia community to explore a proven "Plan B" for humanity.

Saving Walden’s World will screen at the Taylor Community, Woodside Building (435 Union Ave, Laconia, NH) on August 27, 2026, at 2:00 PM. The event follows the film’s official acceptance for national distribution on PBS, marking a significant milestone for this production.

The film follows Jim Merkel, a former military engineer turned sustainability activist, as he documents a "Plan B" for his son, Walden. Merkel travels to Kerala (India), Cuba, and Slovenia to document women-led solutions that have successfully bypassed the "growth trap" of the West. By prioritizing literacy, healthcare, and reproductive freedom, these societies have engineered a future of hope that remains elusive in high-consumption nations.

"The prevailing narrative is addicted to expansion, but we are pushing against that," says Director Jim Merkel. "This film presents a movement based on memory, love, and the empowerment of the next generation. It’s a father’s prayer for a world his child’s peers can actually call home".

Merkel's ties to New Hampshire include serving as Dartmouth College’s Sustainability Coordinator and also as a board member of D-Acres, a permaculture farm and educational center in Dorchester. This event brings insights from his exploratory travels back to the local ecosystems and visionary audiences of New Hampshire.

The Laconia screening offers a local look at the themes of eco-feminism, land justice, and "Empowered Sustainability" before the film reaches millions of viewers nationwide on PBS later this year. A Q&A session with Director Jim Merkel will follow the screening, offering an opportunity for the audience to engage directly with the film’s vision of radical simplicity and planetary healing.