What do you do when it starts to rain on Earth Day? Head to the premiere of BAFTA-winning British director Brian Hill's documentary Climate of Change. One attendee, John Flicker, an environmental reformer and former President of the Audubon Society, would have been there rain or shine. He joined other environmental activists, filmmakers, and film fans for the uplifting documentary which focuses on citizen activism. Narrated by Tilda Swinton, the documentary featured self-described "hillbillies" pleading with Congress to stop coal mining to Indian kids spearheading a recycling club.

The 85-minute slice of life film features a diverse, thoughtful group of environmental activists who each champion a cause close to their heart, from regulating strip mining to de-forestation. The first person profiles are interspersed with breath-taking, aerial images of the otherworldly beauty of our earth. With the exception of one former Senator and Tilda Swinton's voice, the film's star is Planet Earth and the everyday people who seek to protect it by engaging their peers, you and me.

It's easy to see why Hill selected these lone rangers. Take the bubbly, career-minded Solitaire Townsend, a down-to-earth publicist (you read that correctly), whose enthusiasm was in evidence as we see her at work and winning a duly deserved Women in Ethical Business Award, which she likens to the "Oscars for green women." It's hard not to trust a woman who can joke one minute about a fear of falling in heels and then state that "ordinary people are the only people who will save the world."

Outside of the urban jungle, Hill stops in the tropical rain forests of Papua, New Guinea, where Sep Galeva, a local forager dressed mainly in his birthday suit, says in impeccable English, "The forest is supermarket because I get everything from there."  We also visit Togo, where Sena Alouka educates locals about building environmentally sound, cost-effective products like solar cookers and young students on the importance of planting trees. Hill intersperses these far-off lands with a critical look in coal mining in the US. There is Judy Bond of Cold Mountain River Watch and Larry Gibson, who refuses to sell his seventh generation family property to strip miners. At five feet tall, Gibson remarks that if people can see he isn't scared, they " can see they can make better choices themselves." These activists who lobby Congress without any political leaders, celebrities, or financial interest to, pardon the pun, mine.

Interwoven into the film are scene stealing, precocious Indian students who have started a student youth group. Their age would be described as "tweens" in the U.S. Their intelligence, leadership, and extensive vocabulary should make every American, tween and older, re-think environmental policy and education reform if the US plans to stay a global leader.

After the film, a notable panel took center stage, including actress Jessica Alba, the honorary co-chair of 1Goal; Chris Gebhardt, who runs Participant Film's Take Part initiative; Director of Climate of Change Brian Hill; and distinguished photographer Sebastian Copeland, whose film Into the Cold is premiering Saturday night. Journalist and moderator Perri Peltz invited director Hill to speak about his film's more hopeful tone, which he explained was a response to the environmental films that have "apocalyptic tendencies" that can overwhelm. Attendees left with ideas they could take home and many were already taking the first step, according to attendee John Flicker, whose life's work is about climate change. He said that, New York is "by far the greenest way to create a low carbon foot print." As if on cue, the rain had cleared by the end of talk, making way for a rainbow, as well, as an opportunity to actually speak one-on-one with the panelists.

Find out where and when you can see Climate of Change and Into the Cold. You can also watch Climate of Change on demand; click here to learn how. Visit the official website for Climate of Change to learn what you can do to take action.