>>> ON APRIL 22nd, THE WORLD
WILL CELEBRATE EARTH DAY.
THIS WILL HELP ON HELPING END
PLASTIC POLLUTION THAT IS
THREATENING OUR PLANET'S
SURVIVAL.
ACTIVISTS WILL DEDICATE THE DAY
TO THE INSPIRATION NEEDED TO
FUNDAMENTALLY CHANGE HUMAN
ATTITUDE AND BEHAVIOR ABOUT
PLASTICS.
AND WHO BETTER TO HELP SPREAD
THAT INSPIRATION THAN EVERYONE'S
FAVORITE SCIENTIST BILL NYE?
IF YOU WERE OR HAD A KID IN THE
1990s, YOU LIKELY KNOW BILL NYE
THE SCIENCE GUY.
THROUGH QUIRKY HUMOR AND
SCIENCE, HE BROKE IT DOWN AND
MADE IT FUN.
HE IS NOW BACK ON TV HOSTING THE
NETFLIX SHOW "BILL NYE SAVED THE
WORLD."
NOW ONLY IS BILL BACK IN YOUR
LIVING ROOM, HE'S THE SUBJECT OF
A NEW DOCUMENTARY PRESENTED BY
POV AND APTLY TITLED "BILL NYE
SCIENCE GUY" AND HE'S UP TO HIS
OLD FASCINATING AND ENTERTAINING
TRICKS.
LET'S TAKE A LOOK.
>> IT'S REALLY THE 1990s I
WANTED TO MAKE YOUNG PEOPLE
EXCITED ABOUT SCIENCE AGAIN.
SCIENCE GUY SHOW IS OVER.
I GOT TO MOVE ON.
SOMETHING BIGGER.
NOWADAYS I'M TALKING TO ADULTS
AND I'M NOT MINCING WORDS.
CLIMATE IS CHANGING.
IT'S OUR FAULT.
WE GOT TO GET TO WORK ON THIS.
THIS IS WHERE WE SEE THE SMOKING
GUN.
>> THIS IS RAISING SEA LEVELS.
THIS IS DROWNING MIAMI
EVENTUALLY.
>> YOUR DAD'S BIG THING WAS
LEAVE THE WORLD BETTER THAN YOU
FOUND IT.
MY DRIVE TO DO THIS WAS FROM MY
PARENTS.
I TRY TO BE WORTHY OF THEM.
>> THE SCIENCE GUY HIMSELF BILL
NYE AND FILM MAKER DAVID
ALVARADO WHO CO-CREATED THE
DOCUMENTARY SAT DOWN WITH OUR
MADDIE ORTON.
>> THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
>> IT'S GREAT TO BE HERE.
>> SO LET'S START OFF WITH THE
DOCUMENTARY ITSELF.
YOU REALLY OPEN UP ABOUT WHO YOU
ARE.
SO THE MAN BEHIND THE MAN.
AND I KNOW YOU HAVE SAID
PREVIOUSLY THAT BILL NYE IS SUCH
A FANTASTIC SUBJECT BECAUSE
PEOPLE KNOW HIM, BUT THEY DON'T
KNOW HIM.
>> YES.
>> WHY DID YOU, BILL, DECIDE TO
OPEN UP ABOUT YOUR PERSONAL LIFE
THIS WAY AND WHAT YOUR FOCUS IS
NOW?
>> WELL, THEY TRICKED ME.
I SIGNED A RELEASE OR WHATEVER
IT'S CALLED AND THEY STARTED
JUST BEING AROUND ALL THE
FREAKING TIME.
THESE ARE GUYS THAT GREW UP
WATCHING THE SCIENCE GUY SHOW,
RIGHT?
AS YOU DID.
>> UH-HUH.
>> AND YOU JUST THOUGHT IT WOULD
BE INTERESTING.
>> JASON AND I, THE OTHER
DIRECTOR, WERE ALWAYS CURIOUS
BECAUSE WE FELT LIKE WE KNEW
BILL FROM SPENDING SO MUCH OF
OUR CHILDHOOD WATCHING HIM.
BUT THERE'S A PERSON BEHIND THAT
PERSONA.
OF COURSE WE LEARNED HE IS THE
PERSON HE'S PERSONIFYING.
IT'S LIKE HE'S A PROFESSIONAL
ACTOR WHO'S PORTRAYING HIMSELF.
SO IT'S INTERESTING FOR US TO
DIVE INTO THAT.
THAT'S A LITTLE BIT WHAT THE
FILM EXPLORES.
>> YOU DID ALSO TALK ABOUT YOUR
PARENTS BEING A MAJOR DRIVER OF
YOUR INTEREST IN BETTERING THE
WORLD AND GETTING INVOLVED IN
SCIENCE.
WHICH I THOUGHT WAS REALLY
INTERESTING.
AND YOU SAID YOUR MOM WAS
INVOLVED IN WORLD WAR II IN
BREAKING CODES.
>> OH, YEAH.
SO I DIDN'T WRITE THIS BOOK,
IT'S NONE OF MY BUSINESS.
IT'S CALLED "CODE GIRLS."
IT JUST CAME OUT THIS MONTH.
AND THE AUTHORS TOOK A SENTENCE
TO MENTION MY MOM.
IT'S ABOUT THE WOMEN THAT WORKED
ON THE ENIGMA CODE, THIS
NOTORIOUS NAZI CODE.
MEANWHILE, MY DAD WAS A PRISONER
OF WAR FOR ALMOST FOUR YEARS.
SO THESE PEOPLE -- I JUST THINK
ABOUT THIS ALL THE TIME.
PEOPLE OF THAT GENERATION GREW
UP WITH A DIFFERENT VIEW OF THE
UNITED STATES AND THE GOVERNMENT
AND WE'RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER.
AND WE HAVE TO WORK TOGETHER TO
ACCOMPLISH THINGS.
IT MADE QUITE AN IMPRESSION ON
ME.
>> DAVID, I WANT TO ASK YOU, YOU
MENTIONED YOU WATCHED BILL
NIGROING UP.
WHAT WAS IT LIKE WORKING ON THE
DOCUMENTARY WITH HIM?
>> YEAH, I GREW UP IN DALLAS,
TEXAS, WHEN I WATCHED KERA
CHANNEL 13 THERE.
SO IT INSTILLED IN ME THIS LOVE
OF SCIENCE I THINK DEVELOPMENTED
INTO BEING A SCIENCE DOCUMENTARY
FILM MAKER.
TO BE WITH BILL AND FILM WITH
HIM, WE WENT TO GREENLAND
TOGETHER TO FILM SOME SCIENCE UP
THERE.
IT WAS LIKE AN AMAZING TRIP.
>> SPEAKING OF GREENLAND, ONE OF
THE PRIMARY FOCUSES OF THE FILM,
OF COURSE, IS SPEAKING WITH
SKEPTICS OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND
OF EVOLUTION.
YOU TRAVEL TO GREENLAND AND YOU
LOOK AT WHAT'S HAPPENING THERE
AS FAR AS RESEARCH IS CONCERNED.
THE TIMING OF THIS, I THINK
PROBABLY COULDN'T HAVE BEEN
BETTER FOR YOU GUYS.
RIGHT?
>> WELL, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN
BETTER BEFORE THE LAST
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, PROBABLY.
BUT EVERYBODY -- YOU WATCH THE
FILM.
WE GO TO GREENLAND.
THIS IS WHERE THEY PULL UP THE
ICE.
THEY'RE LOOKING AT ICE THAT'S
TENS OF THOUSANDS OF YEARS OLD
WHICH TRAPS ANCIENT ATMOSPHERE.
IT IS OVERWHELMING EVIDENCE OF
HUMANS CAUSED CLIMATE CHANGE.
LIKE, LET'S GO, YOU GUYS,
EVERYBODY.
LET'S GET TO WORK.
>> YOU SPEAK A LOT IN THE FILM
ABOUT WHAT SEEMS TO BOTHER YOU
THE MOST IN THE FILM, ANYWAY, IS
HOW THIS AFFECTS SCIENCE
EDUCATION.
TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT.
>> SO IF WE THE UNITED STATES,
THE WORLD'S MOST INFLUENTIAL
CULTURE WHICH ROSE TO ECONOMIC
P
PREEMINANCE AND HAVE THAT
COUNTRY ABANDON THAT SCIENTIFIC
TRADITION IS HEART BREAKING FOR
ME.
WE WANT TO CHANGE THE WORLD.
RAISE THE STANDARD LIVING OF
WOMEN AND GIRLS.
AND WE CHANGE THE WORLD.
>> I'D LIKE TO SEE PEOPLE ACROSS
THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM STOP
MAKING DECISIONS FOR IDEOLOGICAL
REASONS, YOU KNOW?
WHEN WE TALK ABOUT FACTS, WE
SHOULD BE TALKING ABOUT EVIDENCE
AND REASON.
AND I THINK THE FILM EXPLORES
THAT LINE IN THIS VERY SUBTLE
WAY WHERE YOU CAN EASILY TALK
YOURSELF INTO THINKING THAT
CLIMATE CHANGE ISN'T REAL IF YOU
PUT YOUR EMOTIONAL NEEDS IN
IDEOLOGY.
BUT IF YOUR PUT YOUR NEEDS IN
FACTS AND EVIDENCE, I THINK
YOU'LL SEE THAT CLIMATE CHANGE
IS REAL.
>> I WILL SAY THOSE ARE HIGH
MARKS TO REACH.
BUT IF ANYBODY CAN DO IT, I
THINK YOU TWO CAN.
>> THANK YOU, MADDIE.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING
HERE.
FOR MORE DETAILS ON BILL NYE
SCIENCE GUY, CHECK OUT
METROFOCUS.ORG.
