'The Cigarette Surfboard' kicks off Earth Month at Eastern
An evening of environmental film and conversation
Willimantic, CT (03/25/2026) — Eastern Connecticut State University is kicking off Earth Month on March 31 with a screening of "The Cigarette Surfboard," a documentary about ocean pollution. Filmmaker Ben Judkins will join the audience for a Q&A after the screening, alongside a physical surfboard made of discarded cigarettes.
The immersive documentary is told from the perspective of surfers, who witness the compounding effects of ocean pollution - from acts as small as flicking a cigarette butt - every day. After the film, Judkins will host a Q&A session, with a physical cigarette surfboard on display in the Fine Arts Instructional Center lobby.
Event Details:
- Date: Tuesday, March 31
- Location: Fine Arts Instruction Center (FAIC) Concert Hall
- When:
- 6:00 p.m., lobby opens with displays, community partner tables, and light refreshments
- 7:00 p.m.: Film screening in the FAIC Concert Hall, followed by a Q&A with filmmaker Ben Judkins
Registration:
- The event is free and open to the public.
- Reserve tickets at: http://easternct.showare.com/easternsustainability
More information:
- https://www.thecigarettesurfboard.com/
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Eastern Connecticut State University is the state of Connecticut's public liberal arts university, serving upwards of 4,000 students annually on its Willimantic campus. A residential campus offering 41 majors and 68 minors, Eastern offers students a strong liberal arts foundation grounded in a variety of applied learning opportunities. Ranked among the top 25 public institutions in the North by U.S. News & World Report in its 2025-26 Best Colleges ratings, Eastern has also been awarded 'Green Campus' status by the Princeton Review 15 years in a row. For more information, visit www.easternct.edu.



