You’ve just gotten home after a hard day of work and you want to relax by watching a movie. We’ve got your back. Check out these informative environmental documentaries. Who knows, you may just end up learning something new. Grab some popcorn and get ready to save the world one documentary at a time.
Movies to Buy:
Trashed: Garbage is one of the fastest growing businesses in North America. You’re probably wondering how garbage could be such a big money maker. Well, you better believe it’s a growing industry! This provocative film “examines a fundamental element of modern American culture…the disposal of what our society defines as ‘waste.’ It is an issue influenced by every American, most of whom never consider the consequences. Nor, it seems, the implications to our biosphere. At times humorous, but deeply poignant, Trashed examines the American waste stream fast approaching a half billion tons annually.”
An Inconvenient Truth: A documentary on Al Gore’s campaign to make the issue of global warming a recognized problem worldwide. Most of us have heard of this Oscar winning movie, but have you seen it yet?
The 11th Hour: “Global warming, deforestation, mass species extinction, and depletion of the oceans’ habitats are all addressed” in this documentary. You may not be aware of it, but “the future of humanity is in jeopardy.” Some of the potential solutions to the problems presented in this film include “reshaping and rethinking global human activity through technology, social responsibility and conservation.”
Last Call at the Oasis: This movie “presents a powerful argument for why the global water crisis will be the central issue facing our world this country.” Many communities across the world are already struggling with a lack of water. Water plays a vital role in our lives, but most individuals take it for granted. This film exposes the defects in the current system and what the future may hold if we don’t make some serious changes.
No Impact Man: “Author Colin Beavan, in research for his new book, began the No Impact Project in November 2006. A newly self-proclaimed environmentalist who could no longer avoid pointing the finger at himself, Colin leaves behind his liberal complacency for a vow to make as little environmental impact as possible for one year. No more automated transportation, no more electricity, no more non-local food, no more material consumption — no problem. That is, until his espresso-guzzling, retail-worshipping wife Michelle and their two year-old daughter are dragged into the fray.” Inspiring, entertaining and at times a little extreme this movie is a must watch.
Free Documentaries Online:
Permaculture: A Quiet Revolution: This movie is a great introduction to permaculture, which is the development of agricultural ecosystems intended to be sustainable and self-sufficient. It’s packed with information and is a mere 27 minutes long.
Cradle to Cradle: A super short, six minute video explaining the concept of keeping all materials in continuous cycles, stimulating the use of renewable energy and celebrating diversity. Interesting indeed.
Damocracy: This free documentary “debunks the myth of large-scale dams as clean energy and a solution to climate change. It records the priceless cultural and natural heritage the world would lose in the Amazon and Mesopotamia if two planned large-scale dams are built, Belo Monte dam in Brazil, and Ilisu dam in Turkey.”
Edible City: Grow the Revolution: A “fun, fast-paced journey through the Local Good Food movement that’s taking root in the San Francisco Bay Area, across the nation and around the world. Inspirational, down-to-earth and a little bit quirky, Edible City captures the spirit of a movement that’s making real change and doing something truly revolutionary: growing the model for a healthy, sustainable local food system.”
Life After People: “The very notion is deliciously ghoulish: What happens to earth if – or when – people suddenly vanished? The History Channel presents a dramatic, fascinating what-if scenario, part science fiction and part true natural science. Welcome to Earth, Population: 0 is the catchy tagline, Life After People’s 94 minutes are so gripping you nearly forget while you watch that you, yourself, will be gone too.”
Natural World: A Farm for the Future: “Wildlife film maker Rebecca Hosking investigates how to transform her family’s farm in Devon into a low energy farm for the future, and discovers that nature holds the key.”
The World According to Monsanto: Curious about Monsanto? Look no further. This documentary explains how Monsanto became an agricultural powerhouse.
The Story of Stuff: A “20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It’ll teach you something, it’ll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.”
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