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Transcript: Shreyas
Green Squad
Descriptive Transcript
[Upbeat music]
[Opening credits] “TVO kids original”
DESCRIPTION: In a video recording, a child with brown hair and blue glasses speaks.
SHREYAS: Hi Squad, I'm Shreyas.
[Text reads] “Shreyas”
THE GREEN SQUAD: Hi Shreyas!
DESCRIPTION: Sitting in a colourful living room is the Green Squad! Shakira has long brown hair and is wearing a purple shirt and a skirt; Eric has brown hair and is wearing a green t-shirt and cargo pants; Lisa has light brown braided hair and is wearing a white shirt and a denim dress, and Kyle has brown hair and is wearing a blue flannel shirt and jeans. The Green Squad sits in front of a tablet, waving and smiling at the screen.
DESCRIPTION: In a video montage, Shreyas codes and plays the drums, and animated illustrations of instruments appear.
SHREYAS: I really like coding, robotics and playing video games. I also like playing instruments such as the drums, the ukulele and the alto saxophone. My family and I like to celebrate traditional Indian holidays such as Diwali. Diwali is the festival of lights.
[Text reads] “Diwali”
DESCRIPTION: A red painting of Ganesha and a Diya are displayed.
KYLE: Cool!
ERIC: Many cultures have light festivals.
SHREYAS: As fun as these celebrations are, I know that some of them aren't good for the environment.I really care about the planet and I want to find a greener way to celebrate Diwali.
LISA: Oh, I'm in! I can't wait to learn all about it and help in any way that I can.
SHAKIRA: Me too. Let's bring the Green Squad touch to the Diwali celebration.
[Text reads] “Can you help me Squad?”
DESCRIPTION: In the opening sequence, Shakira, Lisa, Eric, and Kyle jump out. Bright, vibrant colours swirl in the background.
DESCRIPTION: Lisa is holding a monogrammed woven tote bag and is smiling. Illustrations of cooking surround her.
[Text reads] “Lisa”
DESCRIPTION: Kyle opens up his monogrammed backpack and smiles. Illustrations of a bike, a skateboard, and a garbage truck surround him.
[Text reads] “Kyle”
DESCRIPTION: Shakira stands with her hands on her hips, holding a monogrammed woven tote bag. Illustrations of a sewing machine, scissors, bobby pins, and fabric forms surround her.
[Text reads] “Shakira”
DESCRIPTION: Eric is smiling and holding a monogrammed canvas tote bag. Illustrations of watering plants, fences, and gardening tools surround him.
[Text reads] “Eric”
DESCRIPTION: The Green Squad all dance together.
[Title text reads] “TVOKids Presents: Green Squad
[Text reads] “An Apartment 11 Production”
DESCRIPTION: The opening sequence ends.
DESCRIPTION: Shakira and Lisa ring Shreyas’ doorbell. They both have their monogrammed bags over their shoulders. Lisa is wearing a white shirt, a green bolero, and a pink skirt. Sharkira is wearing a brown long-sleeved shirt and a denim skirt. Shreyas opens the door; behind him are his mother and father.
[Text reads] “Hi! Hey!”
LISA: You must be Shreyas. I'm Lisa.
SHAKIRA: I'm Shakira.
SHREYAS: Nice to meet you. This is my dad. This is my mom. And this is my dog, Leah.
SHAKIRA: Nice to meet you all.
SHREYAS’ MOM: Come on in.
LISA: Thank you.
DESCRIPTION: Shakira and Lisa talk to Shreyas on his back porch.
SHAKIRA: We actually heard there's a big festival coming up right?
SHREYAS: Yep. So Diwali is also called the Festival of Lights because and it represents the triumph of good over evil.
DESCRIPTION: Illustrations of hearts and candles appear.
SHREYAS: In Hindu mythology people lit diyas around their homes.
SHAKIRA: What are the diyas?
SHREYAS: Diyas are little clay lights and in Hindu mythology, after a god conquered a demon, they lit them near their home to guide the god home.
DESCRIPTION: Videos of Diyas, small colourful clay candles, play
LISA: What do you do like as a family to celebrate that?
SHREYAS: We like to light fireworks and then shoot them in the sky for everyone to see.
SHAKIRA: Fireworks are super cool and they're actually used for like lots of different festivals. But they can be a little harmful for the planet.
SHREYAS: Yeah, I know that fireworks, they scare all the animals. Especially my dog Leah and my neighbor's dog, Bella. And I know that some fireworks. They pollute the air. And if you do it too close to like, water sources, they can also pollute the water.
SHAKIRA: Maybe we can find an alternative to fireworks that are just as fun and spectacular.
LISA: What other kind of things do you do to celebrate Diwali?
SHREYAS: We also put rangoli on our front
LISA: Hmm what's that?
DESCRIPTION: Videos play of colourful powder laid out in repetitive floral patterns.
SHREYAS: It's colored powder which we put onto little molds, but I'm pretty sure that some of the colored powders are made of, like, toxic chemicals that hurt the environment.
LISA: I've got an awesome idea and how we can make those colors and those dyes in a way that's food safe and compostable but still just as bright and beautiful. Let's make some beautiful rangolis together.
DESCRIPTION: Lisa, Sharkira, and Shreyas run down the back porch's steps.
[Text reads] “Green Squad”
[Upbeat Music]
DESCRIPTION: Later, Shakira, Shreyas, and Lisa are in the kitchen. On the kitchen island and countertops are four baking sheets, food colouring, parchment paper, jars, kitchen utensils, and metal bowls.
LISA: So we have all the ingredients that we need to make the eco-friendly, food safe, compostable powder for the rangoli.
SHAKIRA: Here you are.
DESCRIPTION: Shakira hands Lisa a plastic bag.
[Text reads] “Corn Flour”
LISA: Thank you. This is corn flour. We're going to open it up and put a cup in each bowl.
DESCRIPTION: Shreyas and Lisa pour 1 cup of corn flour into four metal bowls.
LISA: And now we get to add the color.
[Text reads] “Food Colouring”
DESCRIPTION: Shreyas pours food colouring into the bowls.
LISA: You're going to want to add like about half that bottle of yellow.
SHREYAS: Ok.
LISA: So this is actually just regular food coloring that's nontoxic, non dangerous and edible.
DESCRIPTION: Videos play of synthetic dyes and polluted rivers.
LISA: Many synthetic dyes are made with harmful chemicals that can end up in rivers and lakes. Or they can hurt plants, fish and other animals. Using nontoxic food safe dyes when possible is a great alternative.
LISA: Next step is to bake it.
DESCRIPTION: Shreyas, Lisa, and Shakira pour the coloured flour onto the parchment paper-covered baking sheets and place them in the oven.
LISA: Okay! So we're going to put it in the oven at 250F for twenty minutes.
DESCRIPTION: Twenty minutes later, they remove the powder from the oven and place it in a food processor.
LISA: Now we're going to grind it all up into a fine powder.
DESCRIPTION: Shreyas, Lisa, and Shakira display four Mason jars filled with purple, yellow, blue, and green coloured powders. Then, they use scissors to cut patterns into parchment paper.
LISA: We cut fun shapes out of parchment paper to use as stencils. Cool! All right. I think now it's time to try them out for real.
DESCRIPTION: Lisa, Shreyas, and Shakira sit on the front porch with their stencils and coloured powders.
LISA: Is there a specific reason why rangolis are dyed on the front porch?
SHREYAS: It’s like a greeting. Even if no one's home or everyone's busy and they can't say hi. Anyone who comes over and looks at our front porch will see how we're celebrating.
LISA: That's so nice.
SHAKIRA: Almost like a welcome mat.
DESCRIPTION: The Green Squad uses the stencils to pour the powder into patterns.
SHREYAS: Exactly.
LISA: What's really awesome about this is that it's completely safe and non-toxic. So we could eat it, or even sweet Leah could.
DESCRIPTION: Lisa holds Shreyas’ dog in her lap.
LISA: Wanna try some? She could if she wants to. Do you want to help us?
DESCRIPTION: In the kitchen, Shakira places flower petals into small metal bowls.
SHAKIRA: I noticed some flowers in the kitchen and I asked mom for approval. She said that we can use some of the petals for our rango
LISA: I also got some leftover lentils and tapioca that we can use to decorate.
DESCRIPTION: Lisa, Shreyas, and Shakira continue to add to their rangoli.
SHREYAS: I think it looks really cool, especially around the edges.
SHREYAS: And how they're a bunch of different colors. And then that circle by the yell and that circle by the white. And that's probably my favorite part.
DESCRIPTION: The rangoli features green, blue, and yellow flower-shaped patterns cascading away from real flower petals at the centre of the rangoli. Surrounding the pattern are two large circles made from purple, blue, yellow, and green powders, as well as white tapioca.
LISA: Well, my job here is done. The rangoli looks awesome.
SHAKIRA: Now I want to help you make the lights that guide the god home as eco-friendly as possible. It's time for the diyas and I know just the place to go.
DESCRIPTION: Shakira, Lisa, Eric, and Kyle dance around over a bright pink and green background.
[Text reads] “Green Beat”
DESCRIPTION: A photograph of Lisa plays along with a video montage. Videos play of monkeys, birds, cows, and superworms.
LISA: Making the ragnoli pattern with food safe dye means it's less harmful to any animal who might think it looks like a tasty treat. There are other yucky things out there that they can eat though. Like plastic, which can make many animals really sick. But get this! There are little critters that actually love to eat that stuff. They're called super worms and their favorite food is plastic.
DESCRIPTION: Videos play of animated superworms eating plastic.
LISA: They have stupendous stomachs. Scientists found out that these worms can munch on plastic, and bacteria in their gut, breaks it down into tiny bits. They think the bacteria could help us figure out how to clean up plastic waste faster without releasing an army of super worms into the wild. Which is great, because that kind of gives me the creeps.
DESCRIPTION: Shreyas, Shakira, and Lisa play in the kitchen.
[Upbeat Music]
DESCRIPTION: Later in the day, Shreyas and Shakira arrive at Crack Pot Studio. A pottery instructor, Cathleen, welcomes them into the studio.
CATHLEEN: Hi, welcome to Crack Pot. Come on in.
[Text reads] “Cathleen, Pottery Instructor.”
LISA: Thank you.
CATHLEEN: Let's have a look around.
DESCRIPTION: Inside the studio, shelves are filled with ceramic cups, bowls, figurines, statues, and more. The Green Squad goes to a back room and sits at a table. In front of them are blocks of clay.
SHREYAS: So we're going to make diyas just like those. Thank you Shakira.
DESCRIPTION: Shakira sets down two diyas onto the table. One is red and has a gold goddess sitting on it, and the other is terracotta.
SHREYAS: They're traditionally like lights and meant to be made out of clay. But today people go to stores and buy them, and some of them are plastic. When they're made out of clay, they're perfectly eco friendly and great. When they're made of plastic, it's not good for the environment.
SHAKIRA: Traditionally they were oil lamps, but today we're going to use some beeswax candles that I got because these ones are even more eco-friendly.
DESCRIPTION: Shakira takes a small beeswax candle out of her bag. Cathleen smells it.
CATHLEEN: And they smell so good
SHAKIRA: They do!
CATHLEEN: Shall we get started?
SHAKIRA: Yes.
SHREYAS: Yeah.
DESCRIPTION: Cathleen begins a pinch-pot demonstration. She places her thumb in the centre of a ball of clay and begins to manipulate it.
CATHLEEN: Ok, put your thumb in and squeeze with your fingers at the tips of your fingers.
SHAKIRA: Where does the word Diwali come from?
SHREYAS: So the word Diwali comes from the Sanskrit word called Deepavali, which basically means like a row of lights. When people lit these lights, it represented like spiritual protection against darkness.
SHAKIRA: That's so beautiful.
CATHLEEN: Not only is it eco-friendly, but it's so beautiful to make a gift handmade. Your family and friends will see your personality in this work. They'll always think of you when they use it
SHAKIRA: And you can have it for so many years.
CATHLEEN: The table is filling up with diyas, and so I think we can let them dry a bit before we apply color. And while they're drying, why don't we try the pottery wheel?
DESCRIPTION: On the other side of the studio, Shakira and Shreyas sit on low stools in front of pottery wheels.
SHAKIRA: Ooohhh
CATHLEEN: Make yourself comfortable.
SHAKIRA: Thank you.
CATHLEEN: It's a good idea to test out the gas pedal, to get a sense of the speed.
DESCRIPTION: Shakira and Shreyas press on the pedal below the pottery wheel. As they do, the wheel begins to spin.
SHREYAS: Whoa!
CATHLEEN: Yeah, try to go slow also.
CATHLEEN: Good. You both get your driver's license.
SHREYAS: Yes!
DESCRIPTION: Shreyas and Shakira smile and high-five each other.
CATHLEEN: Here's your clay. I'll smack it down.
DESCRIPTION: Cathleen smacks down a ball of clay on each of their wheels. As the wheel starts to spin, Cathleen kneels beside Shreyas’ wheel and holds her hands over his to squeeze the clay.
CATHLEEN: Squeeze. Let go. That's in the middle. Woah, like a pyramid.
DESCRIPTION: Shakira is forming a hole in the centre of her clay.
SHAKIRA: That's not right.
CATHLEEN: Of course it's right. You're experimenting, you're learning.
SHREYAS: It's a lot more fun than I thought it would be, and it's not even that, like, complicated or difficult.
DESCRIPTION: Cathleen helps Shreyas form his bowl. Then, he uses a wire to cut the bowl from the wheel.
CATHLEEN: Pretty simple, its physics. Pull straight back. Keep going, keep going. Yep. Perfect. Sit it on the tile gently. That's one.
DESCRIPTION: Shreyas places his bowl onto a tile.
[Upbeat music]
DESCRIPTION: In a video recording, Shreyas plays hockey around Lisa and Shakira.
[Text reads] “Green Squad”
DESCRIPTION: Back in Crack Pot Studios, Cathleen brings out all of Shreyas’ and Shakira’s bowls.
CATHLEEN: Our next step is to put color on.
DESCRIPTION: Shakira is painting a diya blue, and Shreyas is painting a diya yellow.
SHAKIRA: So which family member is this one for?
SHREYAS: I think this is going to be for my grandpa. Hopefully he likes the yellow I put on it. I'm sure he will.
[Upbeat Music]
DESCRIPTION: In a video montage, Shakira and Shreyas paint many diyas in a variety of bright colours and patterns.
SHAKIRA: Okay, I think we're all done. Now let's test what it will look like with the candles. Everyone grab one!
DESCRIPTION: Shakira hands out the beeswax candles and everyone places one in a diya.
SHAKIRA: Okay, let's try it out. I think it looks really nice. And they all fit.
CATHLEEN: We'll let it dry for a few more hours, maybe a day, and then it’ll go into the kiln.
Slowly heat up to over 1000C, and then we'll put a clear glaze on it.
DESCRIPTION: A video plays of a kiln being shut with a tight lock.
[Text reads] “1000C” “Glaze”
CATHLEEN: And that will make the colors brighter. It will help it be washed easier. And make it more waterproof. And then we'll have it ready for you in time for Diwali. It will be beautiful.
SHAKIRA: We had so much fun today and I can't wait to see how everything's gonna turn out.
CATHLEEN: Thank you for coming.
SHAKIRA: Thank you.
SHREYAS: Thank you. Bye!
CATHLEEN: Bye!
DESCRIPTION: Shakira, Lisa, Eric, and Kyle dance around over a bright pink and green background.
[Text reads] “Green Beat”
DESCRIPTION: An animated photograph of Shakira plays over an animation of the sky and the earth.
SHAKIRA: Way up in the sky, there's a super cool, super important secret. We can't see it, but it's always protecting us.
[Text reads] “Ozone Layer”
SHAKIRA: The ozone layer is an invisible layer of gas. It's like a giant shield that blocks some of the sun's harmful rays. It's pretty stealth, but in the 1980s, scientists spotted a massive hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica.
DESCRIPTION: Sitting on a globe, an animated penguin frowns. Duct tape is applied over Antarctica.
[Text reads] “Antarctica”
SHAKIRA: Not the kind of thing you can fix with duct tape. They found out that things like spray cans and old fridges released gases called CFCs, that floated up and damaged the ozone layer. It was a disaster waiting to happen. So the world teamed up and agreed to stop using those gases. Now the ozone layer is healing. It's one of the biggest environmental victories ever. If we can do this, what else can we accomplish together?
[Upbeat Music]
DESCRIPTION: In a video recording, Shakira, Lisa, and Shreyas play in the leaves together.
[Text reads] “Green Squad”
DESCRIPTION: Later in the day, Shakira and Shreyas sit on a bench together.
SHAKIRA: That was fun.
SHREYAS: Yeah.
SHAKIRA: Yeah, I learned a lot that I didn't know before, and it was really cool to see how your family celebrates and also the reasons why you do certain things for the holiday.
SHREYAS: Yeah.
SHAKIRA: So before we did talk about fireworks and how they're a big part of the Diwali holiday. They're also harmful for the planet, especially because it causes air pollution. However, I did find an alternative. It's super, super fun and cool and it's really close by to where you live. Do you want to see it?
SHREYAS: Yeah.
SHAKIRA: Ok.
DESCRIPTION: Shakira holds up her tablet and presses ‘play’ on a video. In the nighttime sky, lights glow in patterns, shapes, and words.
[Lights read] “Diwali”
SHAKIRA: That's using drones. Isn't it fascinating how they can still do all the lights in the whole show, but using drones instead of fireworks.
SHREYAS: And looks really cool.
SHAKIRA: What if I told you that you're going to go to this drone show, And not only that, but you're going to get a VIP behind the scenes experience, and you get to see how they set it up and how they use the drones.
DESCRIPTION: Shreyas’ eyes widen, and he smiles brightly.
SHREYAS: I would not believe you.
SHAKIRA: Well, believe me, because it's going to happen. Yeah. Isn't that really crazy?
SHREYAS: Yeah it is. That's crazy.
SHAKIRAL I know how much you love technology, and I thought it'd be a great opportunity for you to learn more and connect one of your passions to your culture.
SHAKIRA: I can't wait to see how everything works out in the check-in with the rangoli, the diyas, how it looked with the lights in it, and then if you liked the drone show as well.
SHREYAS: I know I'm going to like it and I had so much fun today with you and Lisa.
SHAKIRA: High Five!
DESCRIPTION: Shreyas and Shakira high-five.
[Upbeat Music]
DESCRIPTION: Shakira, Lisa, Eric, and Kyle dance around over a bright purple and green background.
[Text reads] “Check- In”
DESCRIPTION: A few months later, Eric, Shakira, Lisa, and Kyle sit on the couch in their colourful living room. They face a tablet screen.
SHAKIRA: Let's see how Shreyas’ Diwali celebrations went.
DESCRIPTION: In a video recording, Shreyas is outdoors at night. Videos play of Shreyas interacting with the drone operators and the drone show.
[Text reads] “Anugrah, Drone Operator”
SHREYAS: Hi squad, I'm here at the Diwali drone show and I'm really excited.
SHAKIRA: I'm so glad that he was able to go for like a behind the scenes VIP access to this drone show. This is right up his alley because he loves all this stuff.
DESCRIPTION: Shreyas and Anugrah, the drone operator, hold drones in their hands. They are standing in front of a field full of drones. Shreyas moves the drones around, clicks on the lights, and places them in different formations.
ANUGRAH: Okay, so we're gonna be doing testing for these four drones.
SHREYAS: Really fun to see how they have to test every single drone and move the drone around so it can, like, calculate where it is. He presses a button on the computer, and then all the drones just go in the air at once.
THE GREEN SQUAD: That's awesome. Yeah.
SHREYAS: Wow!
ERIC: That's awesome. So cool!
DESCRIPTION: Later in the evening, the drone show has started. A huge crowd has gathered to watch the light show.
[Lights read] “Happy Diwali”
SHREYAS: I just really like how each of the drones, they disappeared for a second and then reappeared in a completely different shape. And how you can see them moving and changing color.
CROWD: Oh....
DESCRIPTION: The lights appear in the shape of a hand, and then move to create the face of a goddess.
SHREYAS: I thought it looked so much cooler than normal fireworks. It also wasn't loud, so I could have brought my dog.
SHAKIRA: Oh, that's a great point. A lot of animals are scared of fireworks.
SHREYAS: I'm going to convince the rest of my family to just come with me every year here.
DESCRIPTION: Shreyas and his family smile up at the lights.
SHREYAS: I'm going to remember this for years to come. It's probably going to be something I tell my kids about if I have any.
SHAKIRA: Oh, that's so exciting.
ERIC: I think that was awesome and is almost an upgrade to traditional fireworks.
ERIC: to see those 3D shapes.
DESCRIPTION: In a video recording, Shreyas sits in his living room where diyas and sculptures have been placed on red silk cloths.
SHREYAS: Hi Squad. Welcome to my family's Diwali celebration.
SHAKIRA: It looks beautiful.
DESCRIPTION: On Shreyas’ kitchen table are the Mason jars of coloured corn flour. Shreyas and his family pour the powder onto stencils.
SHREYAS: I'm super excited to show everyone everything we prepared. Store bought powders contain tons of harmful chemicals.
SHREYAS: I think it turned out amazing.
KYLE: Did he say that those dye were all non-toxic?
SHAKIRA: Yes, Lisa made them.
DESCRIPTION: In another video recording, Shreyas gives his dad a homemade clay diya, along with a beeswax candle.
SHREYAS: Here you go dad.
SHREYAS DAD: Thank you so much.
SHREYAS: The candle there is made with bees wax. So it smells good.
SHREYAS DAD: Nice!
SHREYAS: And it's environmentally friendly.
SHREYAS: I found it really cool that you can still replicate the sustainable ways that my ancestors did it.
DESCRIPTION: Shreyas gives diyas to the rest of his family members. His mother gives him a hug and a kiss on the forehead. Animated hearts appear.
SHAKIRA: Aw, she's so excited. I love how they look.
DESCRIPTION: All the diyas sit in a line on the windowsill.
SHAKIRA: Now those are glazed, they look and I'm really excited because I helped to make all the designs specifically for each and every single family member.
DESCRIPTION: In a video recording, Shreyas stands outside holding a diya. Shreyas waves ‘goodbye’.
SHREYAS: Right here I have my favorite diya. I like it so much because it says Happy Diwali Green Squad.
ERIC: Awwww.
SHREYAS: Bye Squad.
LISA: That was literally amazing.
ERIC: I think it's just a win win win win. Every point here, it's just been upgraded. It's way better.
LISA: I like how it's still really true to his culture and traditions, which I was so happy to learn about. It was so, so great.
THE GREEN SQUAD: Happy Diwali!
[Text reads] “Go Shreyas!”
[End credits] TVOKids. Apartment 11 Productions. The Squad: Eric Arsenault, Shakira Botticelli, Kyle Meagher, Lisa Pryce. Creator and Executive Producer: Jonathan Finkelstein, Producer: Stephanie Blanshay. Canada Media Fund, Quebec Film and Television, Canada, ACTRA, AQTIS 514 IATSE.
Descriptive Transcript
[Upbeat music]
[Opening credits] “TVO kids original”
DESCRIPTION: In a video recording, a child with brown hair and blue glasses speaks.
SHREYAS: Hi Squad, I'm Shreyas.
[Text reads] “Shreyas”
THE GREEN SQUAD: Hi Shreyas!
DESCRIPTION: Sitting in a colourful living room is the Green Squad! Shakira has long brown hair and is wearing a purple shirt and a skirt; Eric has brown hair and is wearing a green t-shirt and cargo pants; Lisa has light brown braided hair and is wearing a white shirt and a denim dress, and Kyle has brown hair and is wearing a blue flannel shirt and jeans. The Green Squad sits in front of a tablet, waving and smiling at the screen.
DESCRIPTION: In a video montage, Shreyas codes and plays the drums, and animated illustrations of instruments appear.
SHREYAS: I really like coding, robotics and playing video games. I also like playing instruments such as the drums, the ukulele and the alto saxophone. My family and I like to celebrate traditional Indian holidays such as Diwali. Diwali is the festival of lights.
[Text reads] “Diwali”
DESCRIPTION: A red painting of Ganesha and a Diya are displayed.
KYLE: Cool!
ERIC: Many cultures have light festivals.
SHREYAS: As fun as these celebrations are, I know that some of them aren't good for the environment.I really care about the planet and I want to find a greener way to celebrate Diwali.
LISA: Oh, I'm in! I can't wait to learn all about it and help in any way that I can.
SHAKIRA: Me too. Let's bring the Green Squad touch to the Diwali celebration.
[Text reads] “Can you help me Squad?”
DESCRIPTION: In the opening sequence, Shakira, Lisa, Eric, and Kyle jump out. Bright, vibrant colours swirl in the background.
DESCRIPTION: Lisa is holding a monogrammed woven tote bag and is smiling. Illustrations of cooking surround her.
[Text reads] “Lisa”
DESCRIPTION: Kyle opens up his monogrammed backpack and smiles. Illustrations of a bike, a skateboard, and a garbage truck surround him.
[Text reads] “Kyle”
DESCRIPTION: Shakira stands with her hands on her hips, holding a monogrammed woven tote bag. Illustrations of a sewing machine, scissors, bobby pins, and fabric forms surround her.
[Text reads] “Shakira”
DESCRIPTION: Eric is smiling and holding a monogrammed canvas tote bag. Illustrations of watering plants, fences, and gardening tools surround him.
[Text reads] “Eric”
DESCRIPTION: The Green Squad all dance together.
[Title text reads] “TVOKids Presents: Green Squad
[Text reads] “An Apartment 11 Production”
DESCRIPTION: The opening sequence ends.
DESCRIPTION: Shakira and Lisa ring Shreyas’ doorbell. They both have their monogrammed bags over their shoulders. Lisa is wearing a white shirt, a green bolero, and a pink skirt. Sharkira is wearing a brown long-sleeved shirt and a denim skirt. Shreyas opens the door; behind him are his mother and father.
[Text reads] “Hi! Hey!”
LISA: You must be Shreyas. I'm Lisa.
SHAKIRA: I'm Shakira.
SHREYAS: Nice to meet you. This is my dad. This is my mom. And this is my dog, Leah.
SHAKIRA: Nice to meet you all.
SHREYAS’ MOM: Come on in.
LISA: Thank you.
DESCRIPTION: Shakira and Lisa talk to Shreyas on his back porch.
SHAKIRA: We actually heard there's a big festival coming up right?
SHREYAS: Yep. So Diwali is also called the Festival of Lights because and it represents the triumph of good over evil.
DESCRIPTION: Illustrations of hearts and candles appear.
SHREYAS: In Hindu mythology people lit diyas around their homes.
SHAKIRA: What are the diyas?
SHREYAS: Diyas are little clay lights and in Hindu mythology, after a god conquered a demon, they lit them near their home to guide the god home.
DESCRIPTION: Videos of Diyas, small colourful clay candles, play
LISA: What do you do like as a family to celebrate that?
SHREYAS: We like to light fireworks and then shoot them in the sky for everyone to see.
SHAKIRA: Fireworks are super cool and they're actually used for like lots of different festivals. But they can be a little harmful for the planet.
SHREYAS: Yeah, I know that fireworks, they scare all the animals. Especially my dog Leah and my neighbor's dog, Bella. And I know that some fireworks. They pollute the air. And if you do it too close to like, water sources, they can also pollute the water.
SHAKIRA: Maybe we can find an alternative to fireworks that are just as fun and spectacular.
LISA: What other kind of things do you do to celebrate Diwali?
SHREYAS: We also put rangoli on our front
LISA: Hmm what's that?
DESCRIPTION: Videos play of colourful powder laid out in repetitive floral patterns.
SHREYAS: It's colored powder which we put onto little molds, but I'm pretty sure that some of the colored powders are made of, like, toxic chemicals that hurt the environment.
LISA: I've got an awesome idea and how we can make those colors and those dyes in a way that's food safe and compostable but still just as bright and beautiful. Let's make some beautiful rangolis together.
DESCRIPTION: Lisa, Sharkira, and Shreyas run down the back porch's steps.
[Text reads] “Green Squad”
[Upbeat Music]
DESCRIPTION: Later, Shakira, Shreyas, and Lisa are in the kitchen. On the kitchen island and countertops are four baking sheets, food colouring, parchment paper, jars, kitchen utensils, and metal bowls.
LISA: So we have all the ingredients that we need to make the eco-friendly, food safe, compostable powder for the rangoli.
SHAKIRA: Here you are.
DESCRIPTION: Shakira hands Lisa a plastic bag.
[Text reads] “Corn Flour”
LISA: Thank you. This is corn flour. We're going to open it up and put a cup in each bowl.
DESCRIPTION: Shreyas and Lisa pour 1 cup of corn flour into four metal bowls.
LISA: And now we get to add the color.
[Text reads] “Food Colouring”
DESCRIPTION: Shreyas pours food colouring into the bowls.
LISA: You're going to want to add like about half that bottle of yellow.
SHREYAS: Ok.
LISA: So this is actually just regular food coloring that's nontoxic, non dangerous and edible.
DESCRIPTION: Videos play of synthetic dyes and polluted rivers.
LISA: Many synthetic dyes are made with harmful chemicals that can end up in rivers and lakes. Or they can hurt plants, fish and other animals. Using nontoxic food safe dyes when possible is a great alternative.
LISA: Next step is to bake it.
DESCRIPTION: Shreyas, Lisa, and Shakira pour the coloured flour onto the parchment paper-covered baking sheets and place them in the oven.
LISA: Okay! So we're going to put it in the oven at 250F for twenty minutes.
DESCRIPTION: Twenty minutes later, they remove the powder from the oven and place it in a food processor.
LISA: Now we're going to grind it all up into a fine powder.
DESCRIPTION: Shreyas, Lisa, and Shakira display four Mason jars filled with purple, yellow, blue, and green coloured powders. Then, they use scissors to cut patterns into parchment paper.
LISA: We cut fun shapes out of parchment paper to use as stencils. Cool! All right. I think now it's time to try them out for real.
DESCRIPTION: Lisa, Shreyas, and Shakira sit on the front porch with their stencils and coloured powders.
LISA: Is there a specific reason why rangolis are dyed on the front porch?
SHREYAS: It’s like a greeting. Even if no one's home or everyone's busy and they can't say hi. Anyone who comes over and looks at our front porch will see how we're celebrating.
LISA: That's so nice.
SHAKIRA: Almost like a welcome mat.
DESCRIPTION: The Green Squad uses the stencils to pour the powder into patterns.
SHREYAS: Exactly.
LISA: What's really awesome about this is that it's completely safe and non-toxic. So we could eat it, or even sweet Leah could.
DESCRIPTION: Lisa holds Shreyas’ dog in her lap.
LISA: Wanna try some? She could if she wants to. Do you want to help us?
DESCRIPTION: In the kitchen, Shakira places flower petals into small metal bowls.
SHAKIRA: I noticed some flowers in the kitchen and I asked mom for approval. She said that we can use some of the petals for our rango
LISA: I also got some leftover lentils and tapioca that we can use to decorate.
DESCRIPTION: Lisa, Shreyas, and Shakira continue to add to their rangoli.
SHREYAS: I think it looks really cool, especially around the edges.
SHREYAS: And how they're a bunch of different colors. And then that circle by the yell and that circle by the white. And that's probably my favorite part.
DESCRIPTION: The rangoli features green, blue, and yellow flower-shaped patterns cascading away from real flower petals at the centre of the rangoli. Surrounding the pattern are two large circles made from purple, blue, yellow, and green powders, as well as white tapioca.
LISA: Well, my job here is done. The rangoli looks awesome.
SHAKIRA: Now I want to help you make the lights that guide the god home as eco-friendly as possible. It's time for the diyas and I know just the place to go.
DESCRIPTION: Shakira, Lisa, Eric, and Kyle dance around over a bright pink and green background.
[Text reads] “Green Beat”
DESCRIPTION: A photograph of Lisa plays along with a video montage. Videos play of monkeys, birds, cows, and superworms.
LISA: Making the ragnoli pattern with food safe dye means it's less harmful to any animal who might think it looks like a tasty treat. There are other yucky things out there that they can eat though. Like plastic, which can make many animals really sick. But get this! There are little critters that actually love to eat that stuff. They're called super worms and their favorite food is plastic.
DESCRIPTION: Videos play of animated superworms eating plastic.
LISA: They have stupendous stomachs. Scientists found out that these worms can munch on plastic, and bacteria in their gut, breaks it down into tiny bits. They think the bacteria could help us figure out how to clean up plastic waste faster without releasing an army of super worms into the wild. Which is great, because that kind of gives me the creeps.
DESCRIPTION: Shreyas, Shakira, and Lisa play in the kitchen.
[Upbeat Music]
DESCRIPTION: Later in the day, Shreyas and Shakira arrive at Crack Pot Studio. A pottery instructor, Cathleen, welcomes them into the studio.
CATHLEEN: Hi, welcome to Crack Pot. Come on in.
[Text reads] “Cathleen, Pottery Instructor.”
LISA: Thank you.
CATHLEEN: Let's have a look around.
DESCRIPTION: Inside the studio, shelves are filled with ceramic cups, bowls, figurines, statues, and more. The Green Squad goes to a back room and sits at a table. In front of them are blocks of clay.
SHREYAS: So we're going to make diyas just like those. Thank you Shakira.
DESCRIPTION: Shakira sets down two diyas onto the table. One is red and has a gold goddess sitting on it, and the other is terracotta.
SHREYAS: They're traditionally like lights and meant to be made out of clay. But today people go to stores and buy them, and some of them are plastic. When they're made out of clay, they're perfectly eco friendly and great. When they're made of plastic, it's not good for the environment.
SHAKIRA: Traditionally they were oil lamps, but today we're going to use some beeswax candles that I got because these ones are even more eco-friendly.
DESCRIPTION: Shakira takes a small beeswax candle out of her bag. Cathleen smells it.
CATHLEEN: And they smell so good
SHAKIRA: They do!
CATHLEEN: Shall we get started?
SHAKIRA: Yes.
SHREYAS: Yeah.
DESCRIPTION: Cathleen begins a pinch-pot demonstration. She places her thumb in the centre of a ball of clay and begins to manipulate it.
CATHLEEN: Ok, put your thumb in and squeeze with your fingers at the tips of your fingers.
SHAKIRA: Where does the word Diwali come from?
SHREYAS: So the word Diwali comes from the Sanskrit word called Deepavali, which basically means like a row of lights. When people lit these lights, it represented like spiritual protection against darkness.
SHAKIRA: That's so beautiful.
CATHLEEN: Not only is it eco-friendly, but it's so beautiful to make a gift handmade. Your family and friends will see your personality in this work. They'll always think of you when they use it
SHAKIRA: And you can have it for so many years.
CATHLEEN: The table is filling up with diyas, and so I think we can let them dry a bit before we apply color. And while they're drying, why don't we try the pottery wheel?
DESCRIPTION: On the other side of the studio, Shakira and Shreyas sit on low stools in front of pottery wheels.
SHAKIRA: Ooohhh
CATHLEEN: Make yourself comfortable.
SHAKIRA: Thank you.
CATHLEEN: It's a good idea to test out the gas pedal, to get a sense of the speed.
DESCRIPTION: Shakira and Shreyas press on the pedal below the pottery wheel. As they do, the wheel begins to spin.
SHREYAS: Whoa!
CATHLEEN: Yeah, try to go slow also.
CATHLEEN: Good. You both get your driver's license.
SHREYAS: Yes!
DESCRIPTION: Shreyas and Shakira smile and high-five each other.
CATHLEEN: Here's your clay. I'll smack it down.
DESCRIPTION: Cathleen smacks down a ball of clay on each of their wheels. As the wheel starts to spin, Cathleen kneels beside Shreyas’ wheel and holds her hands over his to squeeze the clay.
CATHLEEN: Squeeze. Let go. That's in the middle. Woah, like a pyramid.
DESCRIPTION: Shakira is forming a hole in the centre of her clay.
SHAKIRA: That's not right.
CATHLEEN: Of course it's right. You're experimenting, you're learning.
SHREYAS: It's a lot more fun than I thought it would be, and it's not even that, like, complicated or difficult.
DESCRIPTION: Cathleen helps Shreyas form his bowl. Then, he uses a wire to cut the bowl from the wheel.
CATHLEEN: Pretty simple, its physics. Pull straight back. Keep going, keep going. Yep. Perfect. Sit it on the tile gently. That's one.
DESCRIPTION: Shreyas places his bowl onto a tile.
[Upbeat music]
DESCRIPTION: In a video recording, Shreyas plays hockey around Lisa and Shakira.
[Text reads] “Green Squad”
DESCRIPTION: Back in Crack Pot Studios, Cathleen brings out all of Shreyas’ and Shakira’s bowls.
CATHLEEN: Our next step is to put color on.
DESCRIPTION: Shakira is painting a diya blue, and Shreyas is painting a diya yellow.
SHAKIRA: So which family member is this one for?
SHREYAS: I think this is going to be for my grandpa. Hopefully he likes the yellow I put on it. I'm sure he will.
[Upbeat Music]
DESCRIPTION: In a video montage, Shakira and Shreyas paint many diyas in a variety of bright colours and patterns.
SHAKIRA: Okay, I think we're all done. Now let's test what it will look like with the candles. Everyone grab one!
DESCRIPTION: Shakira hands out the beeswax candles and everyone places one in a diya.
SHAKIRA: Okay, let's try it out. I think it looks really nice. And they all fit.
CATHLEEN: We'll let it dry for a few more hours, maybe a day, and then it’ll go into the kiln.
Slowly heat up to over 1000C, and then we'll put a clear glaze on it.
DESCRIPTION: A video plays of a kiln being shut with a tight lock.
[Text reads] “1000C” “Glaze”
CATHLEEN: And that will make the colors brighter. It will help it be washed easier. And make it more waterproof. And then we'll have it ready for you in time for Diwali. It will be beautiful.
SHAKIRA: We had so much fun today and I can't wait to see how everything's gonna turn out.
CATHLEEN: Thank you for coming.
SHAKIRA: Thank you.
SHREYAS: Thank you. Bye!
CATHLEEN: Bye!
DESCRIPTION: Shakira, Lisa, Eric, and Kyle dance around over a bright pink and green background.
[Text reads] “Green Beat”
DESCRIPTION: An animated photograph of Shakira plays over an animation of the sky and the earth.
SHAKIRA: Way up in the sky, there's a super cool, super important secret. We can't see it, but it's always protecting us.
[Text reads] “Ozone Layer”
SHAKIRA: The ozone layer is an invisible layer of gas. It's like a giant shield that blocks some of the sun's harmful rays. It's pretty stealth, but in the 1980s, scientists spotted a massive hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica.
DESCRIPTION: Sitting on a globe, an animated penguin frowns. Duct tape is applied over Antarctica.
[Text reads] “Antarctica”
SHAKIRA: Not the kind of thing you can fix with duct tape. They found out that things like spray cans and old fridges released gases called CFCs, that floated up and damaged the ozone layer. It was a disaster waiting to happen. So the world teamed up and agreed to stop using those gases. Now the ozone layer is healing. It's one of the biggest environmental victories ever. If we can do this, what else can we accomplish together?
[Upbeat Music]
DESCRIPTION: In a video recording, Shakira, Lisa, and Shreyas play in the leaves together.
[Text reads] “Green Squad”
DESCRIPTION: Later in the day, Shakira and Shreyas sit on a bench together.
SHAKIRA: That was fun.
SHREYAS: Yeah.
SHAKIRA: Yeah, I learned a lot that I didn't know before, and it was really cool to see how your family celebrates and also the reasons why you do certain things for the holiday.
SHREYAS: Yeah.
SHAKIRA: So before we did talk about fireworks and how they're a big part of the Diwali holiday. They're also harmful for the planet, especially because it causes air pollution. However, I did find an alternative. It's super, super fun and cool and it's really close by to where you live. Do you want to see it?
SHREYAS: Yeah.
SHAKIRA: Ok.
DESCRIPTION: Shakira holds up her tablet and presses ‘play’ on a video. In the nighttime sky, lights glow in patterns, shapes, and words.
[Lights read] “Diwali”
SHAKIRA: That's using drones. Isn't it fascinating how they can still do all the lights in the whole show, but using drones instead of fireworks.
SHREYAS: And looks really cool.
SHAKIRA: What if I told you that you're going to go to this drone show, And not only that, but you're going to get a VIP behind the scenes experience, and you get to see how they set it up and how they use the drones.
DESCRIPTION: Shreyas’ eyes widen, and he smiles brightly.
SHREYAS: I would not believe you.
SHAKIRA: Well, believe me, because it's going to happen. Yeah. Isn't that really crazy?
SHREYAS: Yeah it is. That's crazy.
SHAKIRAL I know how much you love technology, and I thought it'd be a great opportunity for you to learn more and connect one of your passions to your culture.
SHAKIRA: I can't wait to see how everything works out in the check-in with the rangoli, the diyas, how it looked with the lights in it, and then if you liked the drone show as well.
SHREYAS: I know I'm going to like it and I had so much fun today with you and Lisa.
SHAKIRA: High Five!
DESCRIPTION: Shreyas and Shakira high-five.
[Upbeat Music]
DESCRIPTION: Shakira, Lisa, Eric, and Kyle dance around over a bright purple and green background.
[Text reads] “Check- In”
DESCRIPTION: A few months later, Eric, Shakira, Lisa, and Kyle sit on the couch in their colourful living room. They face a tablet screen.
SHAKIRA: Let's see how Shreyas’ Diwali celebrations went.
DESCRIPTION: In a video recording, Shreyas is outdoors at night. Videos play of Shreyas interacting with the drone operators and the drone show.
[Text reads] “Anugrah, Drone Operator”
SHREYAS: Hi squad, I'm here at the Diwali drone show and I'm really excited.
SHAKIRA: I'm so glad that he was able to go for like a behind the scenes VIP access to this drone show. This is right up his alley because he loves all this stuff.
DESCRIPTION: Shreyas and Anugrah, the drone operator, hold drones in their hands. They are standing in front of a field full of drones. Shreyas moves the drones around, clicks on the lights, and places them in different formations.
ANUGRAH: Okay, so we're gonna be doing testing for these four drones.
SHREYAS: Really fun to see how they have to test every single drone and move the drone around so it can, like, calculate where it is. He presses a button on the computer, and then all the drones just go in the air at once.
THE GREEN SQUAD: That's awesome. Yeah.
SHREYAS: Wow!
ERIC: That's awesome. So cool!
DESCRIPTION: Later in the evening, the drone show has started. A huge crowd has gathered to watch the light show.
[Lights read] “Happy Diwali”
SHREYAS: I just really like how each of the drones, they disappeared for a second and then reappeared in a completely different shape. And how you can see them moving and changing color.
CROWD: Oh....
DESCRIPTION: The lights appear in the shape of a hand, and then move to create the face of a goddess.
SHREYAS: I thought it looked so much cooler than normal fireworks. It also wasn't loud, so I could have brought my dog.
SHAKIRA: Oh, that's a great point. A lot of animals are scared of fireworks.
SHREYAS: I'm going to convince the rest of my family to just come with me every year here.
DESCRIPTION: Shreyas and his family smile up at the lights.
SHREYAS: I'm going to remember this for years to come. It's probably going to be something I tell my kids about if I have any.
SHAKIRA: Oh, that's so exciting.
ERIC: I think that was awesome and is almost an upgrade to traditional fireworks.
ERIC: to see those 3D shapes.
DESCRIPTION: In a video recording, Shreyas sits in his living room where diyas and sculptures have been placed on red silk cloths.
SHREYAS: Hi Squad. Welcome to my family's Diwali celebration.
SHAKIRA: It looks beautiful.
DESCRIPTION: On Shreyas’ kitchen table are the Mason jars of coloured corn flour. Shreyas and his family pour the powder onto stencils.
SHREYAS: I'm super excited to show everyone everything we prepared. Store bought powders contain tons of harmful chemicals.
SHREYAS: I think it turned out amazing.
KYLE: Did he say that those dye were all non-toxic?
SHAKIRA: Yes, Lisa made them.
DESCRIPTION: In another video recording, Shreyas gives his dad a homemade clay diya, along with a beeswax candle.
SHREYAS: Here you go dad.
SHREYAS DAD: Thank you so much.
SHREYAS: The candle there is made with bees wax. So it smells good.
SHREYAS DAD: Nice!
SHREYAS: And it's environmentally friendly.
SHREYAS: I found it really cool that you can still replicate the sustainable ways that my ancestors did it.
DESCRIPTION: Shreyas gives diyas to the rest of his family members. His mother gives him a hug and a kiss on the forehead. Animated hearts appear.
SHAKIRA: Aw, she's so excited. I love how they look.
DESCRIPTION: All the diyas sit in a line on the windowsill.
SHAKIRA: Now those are glazed, they look and I'm really excited because I helped to make all the designs specifically for each and every single family member.
DESCRIPTION: In a video recording, Shreyas stands outside holding a diya. Shreyas waves ‘goodbye’.
SHREYAS: Right here I have my favorite diya. I like it so much because it says Happy Diwali Green Squad.
ERIC: Awwww.
SHREYAS: Bye Squad.
LISA: That was literally amazing.
ERIC: I think it's just a win win win win. Every point here, it's just been upgraded. It's way better.
LISA: I like how it's still really true to his culture and traditions, which I was so happy to learn about. It was so, so great.
THE GREEN SQUAD: Happy Diwali!
[Text reads] “Go Shreyas!”
[End credits] TVOKids. Apartment 11 Productions. The Squad: Eric Arsenault, Shakira Botticelli, Kyle Meagher, Lisa Pryce. Creator and Executive Producer: Jonathan Finkelstein, Producer: Stephanie Blanshay. Canada Media Fund, Quebec Film and Television, Canada, ACTRA, AQTIS 514 IATSE.
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