The Virsa Foundation Brings Project reset. to Columbia Climate School With Third Degree Burnout Screening

The Fall reset. paired the award-winning documentary with a panel on food, health and planet, student perspectives and the reset Check-In.

NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, October 28, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Virsa Foundation, Inc. announced the successful Fall reset. at Columbia Climate School. On Wednesday, October 7, 2026, the School hosted an evening built around Third Degree Burnout: A Survivor's Guide, the award-winning feature documentary produced by The Virsa Foundation through its JIVINITI research program. Held at the Lee C. Bollinger Forum, the event paired a full screening with a moderated panel on food, health and planetary wellbeing and the reset Check-In, a short, anonymous reflection completed in the room.

The evening was hosted and moderated by Justine Herrera, MA, Senior Director of Academic Programs, Academic Affairs, Columbia Climate School. It followed the September 22 launch of Project reset., the film’s educational impact campaign, during Climate Week NYC.

“Third Degree Burnout: A Survivor’s Guide was powerful and compelling and also injected the perfect amount of humor to an extremely important topic. It recognizes the obvious link between our personal health and our planet's health, and shows how we as a collective group can begin to heal both,” said Herrera.

ABOUT THE FILM AND PROJECT RESET

Directed and executive produced by Nivi Jaswal-Wirtjes, the 101-minute documentary follows burnout beyond the workplace into our bodies, kitchens, screens and food systems. It brings together physicians, researchers, climate and mental health perspectives, Gen Z voices, humor and animation. The film has received 15 awards, including three Telly Awards and two UN-affiliated recognitions.

Project reset. connects documentary storytelling with reflection and practical action through five pathways: Nourish, Restore, Move, Connect and Rebalance. The reset Check-In helps participants identify a next step; hosts receive aggregate, de-identified results.

THE PANEL AND AUDIENCE VOICES

Following the screening, Herrera moderated a conversation with César Perez, MA, CAMS; Hava Chishti, MA; Lukas Paltanavicius, MSc; and Nivi Jaswal-Wirtjes, MBA, NBC-HWC, Founder and President of The Virsa Foundation and the film’s director and executive producer.

“Every plate is a vote for how we use our land. This film delivers the facts from so many disciplines, thus enabling us to reconnect the body in the chair to the soil that feeds it, and that is where real change starts,” said Lukas Paltanavicius, MSc, Food Systems Strategist and Consultant.

“We talk about climate finance as if it were abstract. It isn't. It is what we eat, what we subsidize and what we choose to value. The film makes that connection visible,” said César Perez, MA, CAMS, Climate Finance Specialist, Strategist and Consultant.

“I enjoyed the holistic approach the film took to connecting food production, climate, and the social determinants of health when describing people’s experience with burnout. It was inspiring to hear people’s stories of how plant-based diets enhanced connections to food systems and reduced burnout, and it made me think about how I can incorporate more plants into my diet,” said Madison Malthaner, current student and MS in Climate candidate.

“As a survivor of a climate-induced disaster, I saw my own story reflected in Third Degree Burnout. The compounded impact of human-made and climate-related crises changed my life to its core. Yet, what resonated most was the paradox of burnout: losing so much, only to discover a resilience I thought I had exhausted. Sometimes, starting over isn't a choice, but it becomes a second chance to write a new story with renewed purpose,” said Amina Diop, MA, Columbia Climate School alumna.

“We made this film because a report reaches a room of experts, and a film reaches a room of everyone. Columbia Climate School gave us a room of everyone. Watching students take the RESET together, and then stay to talk, is exactly why Project RESET exists,” said Jaswal-Wirtjes.

BRING THE FILM AND RESET TO YOUR COMMUNITY

The Virsa Foundation and Culture Bridge invite organizations to host a screening of the film together with the Project reset. experience, focusing on three audiences: campuses (universities, colleges and schools); women’s health programs and networks; and workplaces and conferences. Healthcare institutions, clinicians and community groups are also welcome to inquire.

Universities and colleges interested in bringing the film and Project reset. to their campuses can explore the campus screening experience.

Screening and partnership inquiries: jiviniti@thevirsafoundation.org or Brian Walker, CEO, Culture Bridge, at bwalker@culturebridgeimpact.com.

ABOUT THE VIRSA FOUNDATION AND JIVINITI

The Virsa Foundation, Inc. is a Greater Boston 501(c)(3) nonprofit connecting the dots between personal, public and planetary health. JIVINITI is its Research and Creative Communications Program. Its research includes The SHAKTI Study and The GAIA Study, a survey of 14,626 Americans conducted with Ipsos Public Affairs.

ABOUT CULTURE BRIDGE

Culture Bridge is a strategic consulting and social impact agency connecting storytelling, culture, and community to drive meaningful change. Working across entertainment, media, philanthropy, and the social impact sector, Culture Bridge develops audience engagement strategies, strategic partnerships, impact campaigns, and experiential programs that help organizations expand their reach, mobilize stakeholders, and translate compelling stories into measurable outcomes. Led by CEO Brian Walker, Culture Bridge brings extensive experience connecting content creators, institutions, brands, and communities around shared priorities.

Nivi Jaswal-Wirtjes
The Virsa Foundation Inc and JIVINITI Research Program
jiviniti@thevirsafoundation.org
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Burnout isn't just about work: why it belongs in the curriculum | Third Degree Burnout