We interviewed filmmaker Grig Richters for our September 2014 newsletter on his upcoming asteroid film, 51 Degrees North. The film’s story centers on a filmmaker who captures the last moments of life on Earth before it collides with an asteroid. Since our interview with Grig last fall, he has become the driving force behind Asteroid Day, a worldwide movement intended to bring education and awareness of the asteroid threat to people all over the world, culminating in an Asteroid Day event on the anniversary of Tunguska, June 30.

Asteroid Day announced its intentions at a press conference co-hosted in London and San Francisco on December 3, 2014 with its 100X Declaration and an impressive list of signatories.

We wanted to catch up with Grig now that the Asteroid Day awareness campaign is halfway to the anniversary date, and learn about how our B612 Foundation community can get involved.

The Interview:

Hi Grig, thanks so much for your time today. You must be pretty amazed at what’s transpired since Asteroid Day was announced in December. What is the reaction you’ve received since launching this global asteroid awareness campaign?

It’s been very positive so far. The press coverage has been great, which really helped us kickstart this movement in a major way. Thousands of people joined the movement within the first couple of days. Most people I talk to understand the importance of our movement and are very supportive. But there are also those who need to be convinced that Bruce Willis has retired from planetary defence, which can be a bit of a headache at times. But I am very optimistic that Asteroid Day will be able to educate many people around the globe and help those in the field protect our wonderful planet.

I am very grateful to our brilliant team which is small but extremely dedicated and experienced which includes our Asteroid Day Expert Panel (ADXP) led by Rusty Schweickart, and our founding partners. Rusty has been writing a brilliant blog which really is a must-read.

What have you learned about the effort to protect Earth from asteroids since you launched Asteroid Day?

A lot! Before launching Asteroid Day, I was interested in planetary defense and had spent four years doing research and talking to experts for my movie 51ºNORTH, but I had never understood the politics behind it. It’s far more complicated than one thinks and plays an important role because it’s a global problem. Trying to convince world governments who already have enough financial trouble, to spend money on a problem that may not affect any of us during our lifetime is difficult.

What has been the biggest surprise?

It’s a lot harder to convince the general public about the importance of planetary defence than I imagined. It’s pretty amazing how one particular Hollywood blockbuster has brainwashed a large portion of our species into thinking that asteroids are not a real danger.

This is not just the case in the United States. I live in the UK, and Asteroid Day was recently featured on a TV show that was supposed to shine a bright light on some of the world’s greatest problems. A public poll has determined that an alien invasion and the death of the sun are more likely than an asteroid impact somewhere on Earth! To me, that poll was very alarming but also highlights the importance of Asteroid Day. We need to raise more awareness and we need it now.

What are your hopes for this movement and how do you see it progressing after the first Asteroid Day on June 30?

Right now the movement is in its very infancy. To me, quality is a lot more important than quantity. The core team behind the Asteroid Day Foundation is small but dedicated. Right now our greatest concern is to ensure the quality of our content. We want Asteroidday.org to be the #1 asteroid resource on the web. That’s why Rusty recruited a world class Expert Panel who is working very closely with our Editorial team, the fantastic staff at Astronomy Magazine.

Tell us about your partnership with Astronomy Magazine. How are they helping to promote the Asteroid Day effort?

They have been instrumental. Especially Editor-in-Chief David J. Eicher whom I met at last year’s STARMUS Festival. He has been one of the main forces behind Asteroid Day from day one. In fact, I first discussed the idea for an awareness raising campaign with him, scientist Mark Boslough and Astrophotographer Max Alexander at the GTC observatory in La Palma during the festival. They have created a fantastic resource and will keep promoting the event over the next few months.

You’ve intended for Asteroid Day to be a platform for people all over the world to learn and share events in their communities. Can you give us some examples of events that have been planned so far?

Yes. There are currently events being planned in over 17 countries that I am aware of. I am receiving new event notifications on a daily basis. It’s really too early to go into great detail but I am heavily involved in the London event. It will feature a science panel and the world premiere of my film 51ºNORTH. We will also host multiple live streams, organised by various events on our website: asteroidday.org

We hope that many supporters and other friends of B612/Sentinel want to create their own Asteroid Day events. What are the first steps you’d recommend to get started?

Visit our website and take a good look at our Playbook for ideas. Anything from a movie night with friends to attending an event at your local planetarium can work. Use your imagination and be inspired to help us save the world from asteroid impacts!