Environmental Studies Films
- 11th Hour (DVD)
Explores the indelible footprint that humans have left on this planet, and the catastrophic effects of environmental neglect and abuse, and calls for restorative action through a reshaping of human activity. 2008 - Alternative Agriculture: Food for Life (DVD)
This program asserts that ecological organic and ethical farming is a viable alternative to industrial agriculture, and offers a tremendous benefit to the environment while helping to preserve traditional rural life. 2005 - Aquatic Invaders (DVD)
Examines the threats posed by aquatic nuisance species-- such as the sea lamprey, zebra mussel, round goby, mitten crab and Eurasian ruffe-- to aquatic environments of North America. 2002 - Architecture to Zucchini: The People, Companies and Organizations Pioneering Sustainability (DVD)
An exploration of socially responsible businesses and the passionate leaders who drive them. 2005 - Asia: Mongolia, China, Nepal (DVD)
A young Englishman dedicates himself to protecting and preserving the panda population of China, whose land is being taken over by Chinese farmers. 2003 - Beloved Community (DVD)
DVD 4114 (2006, 57 min.) Summary: Explores the effects of chemical pollution on the inhabitants and environment of Sarnia, Ontario. 2006? - Beyond the Light Switch (DVD)
This 2-part 2-hour documentary series thoughtfully considers the trade-off of carbon capture and storage, hydraulic fracturing for natural gas, a nuclear renaissance, the costs of solar power, the sprawl of wind power and the feasibility of a super grid. - Bill Moyers Reports: Earth on Edge (DVD)
Filmed in collaboration with the World Resources Institute, this Bill Moyers program assesses the state of the environment. 2001 - Biome: Aquatic Biome (DVD)
DVD 5695 Summary: Forms part of a series designed to provide an understanding of interdependent biological communities or biomes. Introduces a variety of the world’s aquatic biomes, including rivers, lakes, wetlands, intertidal zones, coral reefs, and kelp forests. Describes the characteristics of saltwater and freshwater environments and the diverse plants and animals that inhabit them. Looks at the importance of evolution and adaptation for aquatic species. Notes: Licensed with public performance rights for non-commercial and educational exhibition when no admission fee is charged. - Biome: Desert Biome (DVD)
DVD 5699 2005, 2002 (17 min.) Summary: Forms part of a series designed to provide an understanding of interdependent ecological communities or biomes. Introduces a variety of the world’s desert biomes, which range from stretches of sand dunes in equatorial Africa to cactus-covered plains in California. Describes the characteristics of desert environments or regions that receive less than ten inches of rain per year. Examines how the few plants and animals that inhabit these ecosystems survive the extreme temperatures and severe lack of water that characterize the desert environment. - Biomes: Grassland Biome (DVD)
DVD 5698 (2002, 17 min.) Summary: Forms part of a series designed to provide an understanding of interdependent biological communities or biomes. Introduces a variety of the world’s grassland biomes, including the prairies of the American west, the pampas of Argentina, the steppes of Russia, and the veldt of South Africa. Describes the characteristics of temperate and tropical grasslands and discusses the life-forms and behavioral adaptations that exist in grassland biomes. Examines factors that threaten the survival of these habitats and their distinctive animal communities. Notes: Licensed with public performance rights for non-commercial and educational exhibition when no admission fee is charged. - Biomes: Rainforest Biome (DVD)
DVD 5697 (2002, 20 min.) Summary: Forms part of a series designed to provide an understanding of interdependent biological communities or biomes. Introduces a variety of the world’s rainforest biomes and describes the characteristics of temperate and tropical rainforests and their inhabitants. Describes some of the threats to these incredibly rich ecosystems, home to more than half of the different kinds of animals and plants that live on Earth. Notes: Licensed with public performance rights for non-commercial and educational exhibition when no admission fee is charged. - Biomes: Tundra Biome (DVD)
DVD 5696 (2002, 22 min.) Series: Biomes Summary: Forms part of a series designed to provide an understanding of interdependent biological communities or biomes. Introduces a variety of the world’s cold, dry, and treeless tundra biomes. Describes the characteristics of arctic and alpine tundra biomes and their inhabitants, including lichens, lemmings, sedges, snowy owls, dwarf willow bushes, and musk oxen. Examines the adaptations that enable life to exist in places where the temperature can drop to 70 degrees below zero. Notes: Licensed with public performance rights for non-commercial and educational exhibition when no admission fee is charged. - Blue Gold: World Water Wars (DVD)
Wars of the future will be fought over water, as they are today over oil, as the source of all life enters the global marketplace and political arena. Corporate giants, private investors, and corrupt governments vie for control of our dwindling fresh water supply, prompting protests, lawsuits, and revolutions from citizens fighting for the right to survive. Past civilizations have collapsed from poor water management. Will ours too? 2009 - Blue Vinyl (DVD)
With humor, chutzpah, and a piece of vinyl siding in hand, Peabody Award-winning filmmaker Judith Helfand and co-director and Daniel B. Gold travel to America’s vinyl manufacturing capital and beyond in search of the truth about vinyl. 2002 - Building the Gherkin (DVD)
A documentary that covers the four-and-a-half year development period of the Swiss Re building in London, England. 2006 - Burning season (DVD)
New studies show that the devastation of Indonesia's forests has helped to make the country the world's third-largest emitter of carbon dioxide. Can the trees be saved by selling their carbon credits? And if so, will small farmers whose livelihoods depend upon clearing the land reap a part of the profits? This...report takes a balanced look at the concept and implementation of carbon credits, profiling both an entrepreneur championing the plan and a farmer who fears he will be adversely affected and unable to make ends meet. In addition, former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack speaks with Aaron Brown about global warming and the need for America to innovate more aggressively - and to become a more responsible global citizen. - Burning the Future: Coal in America (DVD)
Writer/dirctor David Novack examines the explosive forces that have set in motion a groundswell of conflict between the coal industry and residents of West Virginia. Faced with toxic ground water, the obliteration of 1.4 million acres of mountains, and a government that appeases industry, the heroes launch a valiant fight to arouse the nation’s help in protecting their mountains, saving their families and preserving their way of life. 2007. - Bushmeat (DVD)
Documents the life and death story of the great apes of the Congo basin. At current rates of killing, our closest relatives in the animal kingdom will be extinct in 10 years. Explores the tradition of eating "bushmeat", the development of the illicit market in Europe and North America and consequences such as endangering the species, destruction of rainforests and ecosystems and the exploitation of the indigenous people. Chronicles the efforts of bioethicist Dr. Kerry Bowman, Dr. Jane Goodall and an international team, as they travel to the heart of Cameroon's rainforest seeking to stop the slaughter, and save the great apes from the dinner menu. 2002. - Call of Life (DVD)
The film investigates the growing threat posed by the rapid and massive loss of biodiversity on the planet. Examines the primary drivers of species loss: habitat destruction, global warming, pollution, and invasive species, all the result of human population and our consumption patterns. Features leading scientists, social scientists, environmentalists and others. - Can Tropical Rainforests Be Saved? (DVD)
Presents a global examination of tropical rainforests across the planet, focusing on the human dimension. 1991 - Captured Rain: Northern Water, Southern Drought (DVD)
Surveys the conditions leading to increasing demand, in the United States and Mexico, on the existing water supply, and the pressure to redistribute water, especially Canadian water, throughout North America. 2002 - Catching the Sun: the Physics of Solar Energy (DVD)
Two forms of energy that we use every day are electrical energy and heat. During the 20th century we came to rely on fossil fuels as the ultimate source of these energy forms but now, energy from renewable sources is becoming more commonly used. Explains the science involved in each type in straightforward terms. 2008 - Charcoal People of Brazil (DVD)
Shows the life and work of migrants in Brazil who produce charcoal for use in the production of pig iron. 2002 - Choropampa: the Price of Gold (DVD)
On June 2, 2000, 151 kilograms of liquid mercury spilled from a truck hauling the mercury away from the Yanacocha goldmine in the Peruvian Andes. The spill covered a 25-mile long area, contaminating three small mountain villages. 2002 - Corporate Agriculture: Cultivating Trouble (DVD)
Examines the cost to the environment and rural culture caused by a handful of multinational corporations involved in factory farming. 2005 - Crapshoot (DVD)
A hazardous mix of waste is flushed into the sewer every day. Where does it all go? What does it do to us? 2003 - Crash: A Tale of Two Species (DVD)
This is the story of the fabric of life, and how every species is interconnected - each one important, no matter how big or small. At its center is the humble horseshoe crab. 2008 - Creatures of the mangrove (DVD)
Shows the unique and complex ecosystem of the tiny island of Siarau off the north coast of Borneo, comprised of mangrove trees with roots above ground and salt-excreting leaves. Present are proboscis monkeys (Nasalis larvatus), mudskippers, fiddler crabs and other creatures that have adapted to life between the land and the sea. 2009, 60 min. - Crude (DVD)
"[T]ells the epic story of one of the largest and most controversial legal cases on the planet: the infamous $27 billion 'Amazon Chernobyl' lawsuit pitting 30,000 rainforest dwellers in Ecuador against the U.S. oil giant Chevron." -- Container. 2009. - Deconstructing Supper (DVD)
Documentary film that looks at the way modern food is produced through genetic modification and through organic farming. 2002 - Ecological Footprint: Accounting for a Small Planet (DVD)
In the film, Dr. Mathis Wackernagel introduces the Ecological Footprint, a resource accounting tool that measures human demand on the Earth. 2005 - Ecuador: Divided over Oil (DVD)
The Ecuadoran government granted Burlington oil a contract to explore and exploit oil in the Achuar Indian territory without consulting with the Achuar. 2005 - Empty Oceans, Empty Nets (DVD)
Examines the full extent of the global fisheries crisis and the forces that continue to push many marine fish stocks toward commercial extinction. 2003 - Energy on Earth (DVD)
As the third millennium begins, earth relies ever more heavily on fossil fuel energy. This program helps students understand basic laws of energy flow, the importance of energy supplies for industrial civilizations, and options for the new century. 2002 - Establishing a Food Forest (DVD)
Outlines the methods of designing and building a food forest from conception to completion. Demonstrates the evolution of a food forest from day one to a living 2,000 year-old example still flourishing in the Middle East. 2008 - Everything's Cool (DVD)
Explains how United States government policy has contributed to a gap between what scientists know about global warming and what the general public understands. Documents the efforts of journalists, environmentalists, and activists to close this gap and to motivate citizens and the government to take action. 2007 - Extreme Oil 1: The Pipeline (DVD)
Follows the route of a pipeline linking the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean Sea and thus the global market. 2004 - Extreme Oil 2: The Oil Curse (DVD)
The discovery of oil is often celebrated as a one-way ticket to wealth and economic growth. But in some developing countries, striking it rich has the opposite effect--making oil more of a bane than a blessing for the poorest inhabitants. 2004 - Extreme Oil 3: The Wilderness (DVD)
Explores the tension between the world’s desire for oil and existing and proposed environmental restraints. 2004 - Farming the Seas (DVD)
This is the sequel to the award-winning PBS special Empty oceans, empty nets. "As the aquaculture industry explodes across the globe, a growing number of communities and fisheries experts are engaged in and intense debate over its environmental, socio-economic, and health and food safety consequences"--Container. 2004 - Fires of the Amazon (DVD)
More than a decade after his series "The Decade of Destruction", Adrian Cowell returns to Amazonia and finds that many friends and collegues of Chico Mendes are in power. 2004 - For Export Only: Pesticides (DVD)
Documents information about U.S. and Western European multinational corporations that export products prohibited or severely restricted in the countries where they are made. 1987 - Force of nature : the David Suzuki movie
DVD8470, 2011, 93 min. "David Suzuki, iconic Canadian scientist, educator, broadcaster, and activist, delivers a lecture on the eve of his 75th birthday, which he describes as a distillation of his life and thoughts, his legacy, what he wants to say before he dies. Filmed before a live audience, in front of a memory box of moving, distilled images, he articulates a core, urgent message: the limits of the biosphere have been exhausted and it is imperative that humans rethink their relationship with the natural world." - French fries-- to go (DVD)
This is a story about a young man and his truck. The truck is a 1980 International Scout. But this truck doesn't run on gasoline. Or diesel. Or electricity, or even the sun. This truck is powered by grease, all of it drained from restaurant deep fryers in the nearby resort town of Telluride. The documentary introduces Colorado's Charris Ford--better known as "The Granola Ayatollah of Canola," the unchallenged champion of Biodiesel, and eco-rapper--to the wider world. Follow Ford as he makes his rounds educating and inspiring folks in his veggie-powered rig, interspersed with interviews with some of his converts and co-conspirators. 2002. - Fresh (DVD)
Fresh celebrates the farmers, thinkers and business people across America who are re-inventing our food system. Forging healthier, sustainable alternatives, they offer a practical vision for a future of our food and our planet. Among others, Fresh features urban farmer and activist Will Allen, sustainable farmer and entrepreneur Joel Salatin, and supermarket owner David Ball. 2009. - Future Conditional (Journey to Planet Earth) (DVD)
Investigates the link between environmental change and the future health of the planet, a future conditional on how we cope with the spread of toxic pollution. 2005 - Future of Water (DVD)
The waterlords: Examines how management of the world’s fresh water supply will determine global political stability and economic development worldwide. Looks at conflicts over water rights in South Africa, Spain, Asia, and in the ten countries that share the Nile River Basin in Africa. The new uncertainty: Examines ways in which climate change has effected the world’s water supply, focusing on consequences for the peoples of impoverished countries. The water age: Examines how management of the world’s fresh water supply will determine global political stability and economic development worldwide, especially with the increasing uncertainty caused by climate change. Looks at proposals and projects for water transfer throughout the world. 2008. - Garbage Warrior (DVD)
Using empty beer cans, old tires, plastic bottles and other garbage, iconoclastic architect Michael Reynolds, based in New Mexico, has been building ecologically sustainable structures for 35 years. Calling his structures "earthships," Reynolds has had conflicts with government officials over inflexible zoning and housing laws, but his architectural ideas were put to use in the Andaman Islands following the 2005 tsunami. 2008 - Garbage! The Revolution Starts at Home (DVD)
Examines the problem posed by the vast amounts of garbage produced in the industrialized world and the effects of this output on nature, by following an average family in Toronto -- and the garbage they produce over a three month period. As they discover where their garbage goes and at what cost to the environment, the McDonald household engages the audience with an ’open door reality-check.’ 2007. - Ghost Bird (DVD)
Set in a murky swamp full of birders, scientists and reporters, explores the limits of certainty, the seductive power of hope, and how one phantom woodpecker changed a Southern town forever. This thrilling eco-noir investigates the strange but true story of a small town in Arkansas overrun by a nation of birders all in search of the Holy Grail with wings, the Ivory-billed woodpecker. Presumed extinct for over half a century, the iconic bird was seen flying through the bayous of eastern Arkansas in 2004 by scientists who announced the ivory-bill's miraculous rediscovery. Or was it? Despite years of searching, the bird's fate remains a mystery. This witty, intelligent documentary brings the Ivory-bill's blurry rediscovery into focus, revealing our uneasy relationship with nature and the increasing uncertainty of our place within it. - Going Green (DVD)
Compilation of 12 ABC News stories shows how governments, businesses, and individuals around the world are taking eco-friendly action. 2007 Licensed with public performance rights for non-commercial and educational exhibition when no admission fee is charged. - Good Food, Good Business: New Connections for Farms and Markets (DVD)
Examines the economic and social benefits of connecting regional agriculture with new markets and consumers. 2006 - Great Green Fuel Gamble? (DVD)
Explores the controversy over biofuel technology, raising questions about sustainability and environmental impact while evaluating potential solutions. 2008 - Great Transformations / Extinction! (Evolution 2-3) (DVD)
Great transformations focuses on the evolutionary changes that triggered the earth’s incredible diversity. Extinction! explores why, then confronts a frightening notion: are humans causing the next mass extinction. 2001 - Green (DVD)
In the 100 miles between Baton Rouge and New Orleans there are over 150 petrochemical plants which are responsible for producing 25% of the nation’s petrochemicals. 2000 - Guns, Germs, and Steel (DVD)
DVD 2233 (2005, 165 min.) Why did Eurasians conquer, displace, or decimate Native Americans, Australians, and Africans, instead of the reverse? 2005 - Home (DVD)
"Spanning 54 countries and 120 locations, Home captures the Earth’s most amazing landscapes in a new and astonishing light, showcasing its incomparable beauty and acknowledging its vulnerability to change" 2009. - Homo Toxicus (DVD)
DVD 6437 (2008, 88 min.) The majority of the 100,000 industrial compounds developed since World War II that are in daily use around the world have never been tested for the type of consistent, low-level exposure we experience in our day-to-day lives. These compounds find their way into food, air, through the skin, and passed from mother to infant in the womb. Up to 247 toxic substances have been found in newborns alone. Homo Toxicus explores the links between these toxic substances and health problems such as cancer, allergies, hyperactivity, and infertility. Interviews with industry scientists and independent researchers shed light on inconsistent standards used for evaluation and regulation of chemical agents. The findings challenge us to re-evaluate the laws and procedures to safeguard our health against chemicals and environmental pollutants - Hospital at the End of the Earth: Collapse of the Aral Sea Ecosystem (DVD)
The Aral Sea used to be one of the world’s largest and most productive inland bodies of water until a Soviet plan to turn Central Asia into the greatest cotton producer on Earth destroyed it. 2002 - Hot Zones (Journey to Planet Earth) (DVD)
Explores the link between environmental change and global outbreaks of infectious diseases. Journeys to Kenya (malaria), Peru (dengue fever), Bangladesh (cholera), and the United States (West Nile Virus). 2003 - Inconvenient Truth (DVD)
Former Vice President Al Gore explains the facts of global warming, presents arguments that the dangers of global warning have reached the level of crisis, and addresses the efforts of certain interests to discredit the anti-global warming cause. 2006 - Inheritance : A Fisherman's Story (DVD)
Follows a man’s efforts to preserve a way of life, and documents his transformation from quiet fisherman into a man who stands alone against huge corporations. It exposes the environmental, and human, consequences of globalization. 2003 - Is There a Crisis? Biodiversity in Decline (DVD)
The most striking feature of life on earth is its richness and variety. But research shows that the planet’s biodiversity is seriously threatened with destruction by human activities. 2003 - Jane Goodall-- reason for hope : a spiritual journey (DVD)
Catches primatologist Jane Goodall at various junctures in Tanzania, England, Paris, and San Francisco as she meets with various groups and individuals regarding her work as a primatologist and her personal concerns regarding the environment. Focuses on spiritual and philosophical aspects of Goodall's life as well as her stated belief that the human race is evolving in such a way as to become increasingly harmonious with nature. - Jane's journey
DVD8560, 2011, 111 min. "In Jane's Journey, we travel with her across several continents, from her childhood home in England, to the Gombe National Park in Tanzania where she began her groundbreaking research and where she still returns every year to enjoy the company of the chimpanzees that made her famous. An inspiring portrait of the private person behind the world-famous icon, featuring a wide range of interviews and spectacular footage from her own private collection (including her years in Gombe)." - Kids and Chemicals (DVD)
All across the U.S., growing numbers of children are being diagnosed with asthma, childhood cancers, and learning and behavioral disabilities. Is exposure to an ever-increasing number of untested chemicals to blame? 2002 - Killing coyote (DVD)
This documentary looks at how the coyote is viewed as a predator by ranchers and hunters while conservationists are trying to responsibly monitor the coyote population. Interviews are conducted with wildlife conservationists, ranchers, hunters, and others who give opposing viewpoints regarding the value of the coyote. The contemporary sport of coyote hunting is presented along with local government hearings on this issue. 2000 - King Corn (DVD)
An examination of the modern corn agricultural industry, the filmmakers use a humorous touch to investigate the trends and market forces which are transforming this once-simple food. Through a subsidized system of industrial processing , corn has become something quite different and unexpected, a far-reaching commercial product almost omnipresent in modern life. 2007 - Lagos/Koolhaas (DVD)
For the past four years, Rem Koolhaas and students from The Harvard Project on the City have come to Lagos regularly to research the type of urban environment that is produced by explosive population growth. 2003 - Libby, Montana (DVD)
This documentary looks at the small logging and mining town of Libby, Montana in the context of its being deemed by the E.P.A. as the worst case of community-wide exposure to a toxic substance in U.S. history. In this case, the substance is asbestos, and hundreds of the townsfolk are sick or have already died from exposure due to asbestos contamination from the W.C. Grace & Co.’s vermiculite mine. This film presents the stories of the people of Libby who have been affected by asbestos poisoning and the plight of these people and their supporters to receive recognition of this local tragedy. 2007 - Life After People (DVD)
What will the world be like when mankind is extinct? The pyramids may stand forever, but the cities will disappear. Our greatest masterpieces will fade and crumble. As global warming and the depletion of natural resources become ever more pressing issues it is critical to consider how we can reduce our impact on the planet. Journey to locations around the globe already going through the processes of a lack of human intervention. See the changes wrought in just decades in ghostly settlements like Chernobyl, which was abandoned since only 1986, and island towns off the coast of Maine. How long would it take before the last remnants of mankind completely disappeared? 2008 - Life Running Out of Control (DVD)
Explores the possibility and other frightening implications of market-driven genetic engineering. 2004 - Living Soil (DVD)
Soil is a remarkable substance - in essence, a self-sustaining biological machine. This program shows how nutrients are endlessly replenished in healthy soil through the interaction of plant roots, nitrogen-fixing bacteria, and fungi. 2002 - Living downstream (DVD)
DVD7621, 2010, 2 discs. The film follows Sandra during one pivotal year as she travels across North America, working to break the silence about cancer and its environmental links. But Sandra is not the only one who is on a journey - the chemicals against which she is fighting are also on the move. We follow these invisible toxins as they migrate to some of the most beautiful places in North America. We see how these chemicals enter our bodies and how, once inside, scientists believe they may be working to cause cancer. At once Sandra's personal journey and her scientific exploration, Living Downstream is a powerful reminder of the intimate connection between the health of our bodies and the health of our air, land , and water. - Living with Chernobyl and the Future of Nuclear Power (DVD)
Fear of global warming has fractured the environmental movement on nuclear energy. Nuclear is one of the few large-scare carbon-free energy sources, yet the very real dangers caused by our nuclear waste storage policy are unresolved. This documentary explores these issues and the dilemmas created by our fears of nuclear. 2007. - Lord of the Ants (DVD)
Profiles soft-spoken Southerner E.O. Wilson, a naturalist renowned for his scientific study of ants that led to his 1975 book Sociobiology : the new synthesis, where he put forth the notion that evolutionary principles could explain social behavior throughout the animal kingdom, including in humans. Shows the evolution of sociobiology from a controversial new discipline to one supported by experimental science that has shown that genes do play a role in aspects of human behavior. Examines Wilson’s work as a writer and winner of two Pulitzer Prizes, as well as his efforts for conservation around the world. 2008. - Manufactured Landscapes (DVD)
Follows photographer Edward Burtynsky, internationally acclaimed for his large-scale photographs of nature transformed by industry, as he travels through China photographing the effects of that country’s massive industrial revolution. 2007 - Maquila: A Tale of Two Mexicos (DVD)
DVD 2709 (2000, 54 min.) Examines the displaced Mexican farmers who have migrated to border cities to work in maquiladoras, U.S.-owned export factories. - Melanoma: Winning the Battle Against Skin Cancer (DVD)
This year, 38,000 people will contract melanoma; 7,300 of them will die. This program examines the problem from its roots in overexposure to the sun, to up-to-the-minute treatments that prevent recurrence. 2003 - My Name is Allegany County (DVD)
Chronicles the struggle in 1989-90 and later against the siting of a low-level radioactive waste storage facility in Allegany County, NY. 2008. - Mysterious Poison (DVD)
They are now banned worldwide - but the toxins known as PCBs are not going away. This program explains how the compounds have almost irreparably polluted the globe and still threaten future generations. 2006 - Natural Connections (DVD)
Uses interviews with scientists, photography, graphics, and original music to introduce the basic concepts of biodiversity, underline the importance of maintaining biodiversity, explore how nature and human nature are intertwined and how everyday decisions affect biodiversity. Takes a close-up look at salmon, rainforests, and marine ecosystems as examples. 2000 - Natural Gas Hydrates: The Fuel of the Future? (DVD)
Tracks the progress of an international research team as they study deposits of natural gas hydrates located in the Canadian tundra. 2004 - Nature's Cleaners: Balancing the Biosphere
DVD 5694 (2004, 52 min.) Summary: Arguably the most basic law of the biosphere is this: waste matter must be recycled into fresh building blocks if life is to continually renew itself. To illustrate this principle, this program, divided into 10-minute segments. Viewed together, these five very visual episodes underscore the interconnectedness of all living things. Table of Contents: Where do dead things go? -- Where do fallen leaves go? -- Cleaning up faeces -- What happens at sewage treatment plants? -- Cleaning up after civilisation. Notes: Licensed with public performance rights for non-commercial and educational exhibition when no admission fee is charged. - Nobody's perfect (DVD)
DVD 7595 Niko von Glasow looks for eleven people who, like him, were born disabled due to the disastrous side-effects of Thalidomide, and who are prepared to pose nude for a book of photos--to allow those who regularly throw furtive glances at Thalidomiders and other physically disabled people, to take a good, long look. In the process, Niko discovers many fascinating characters who work in such diverse areas as politics, the media, sport, astrophysics and acting; extraordinary people who have learned to live with their disability to an impressive level of "normality". - Oil on Ice (DVD)
A documentary connecting the fate of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to decisions America makes about energy policy, transportation choices, and other seemingly unrelated matters. 2005 - On the Brink (Journey to Planet Earth) (DVD)
This film "explores a growing national security threat throughout the world: how environmental pressures can lead to violence, terrorism and regional conflict." 2003 - One Night in Bhopal (DVD)
DVD 1808 CORE. This program provides a chilling reconstruction of the Union Carbide methyl isocyanate disaster and details its horrific and protracted consequences. 2005 - Open Sky (DVD)
In rural northwest Argentina [Jujuy and Salta provinces], the indigenous Kolla's land and quality of life is threatened after the government permits a Canadian company, Standard Silver, to open an ambitious open-pit silver mine in the region of Mina Pirquitas. The residents, mostly poor llama, goat and chinchilla farmers with little political clout, become understandably inflamed that the government would allow this use of land without offering any sort of compensation for long-term environmental damage and share of the profits of the non-renewable resources. The residents feel that they are being bamboozled with promises of mining jobs that will enable them to stay in the area, yet the government ministers turn a deaf ear when reminders are made of long ago requests for a local clinic, school and improvements to drinking water quality. (2009) - Pale Male (DVD)
A bold and daring red-tailed hawk, nicknamed Pale Male, lives on the cornice of a 4th floor window of an apartment building on 5th Avenue, in the heart of New York City. Watch as Pale Male mates, breeds, and teaches his offspring to fly. 2002 - Pandemic: Facing AIDS (DVD)
This theatrical version of the HBO series takes us around the globe to reveal stories of people who have been touched by AIDS: James (Uganda), a seven-year-old orphan who is taking care of his little sister Jessica; Sergei and Lena (Russia), young parents whose previous drug use has left them HIV-positive; Nagaraj and Bhanu (India), a young family facing life with AIDS in a small village, Alex (Brazil), a 27-year-old gay man who is trying to rebuild his health and get back to living a full and productive life; and Lek (Thailand), a former sex worker. - Plagues and Pleasures on the Salton Sea (DVD)
There was a time when the Salton Sea, tucked into the southeast corner of California, was known as the Riviera of the West. Today it’s considered one of America’s worst ecological disasters. 2005 - Planet Earth (BBC, discs 1-5)
A BBC 11-part nature series. 2007 Disc 1. From pole to pole (59 min.) -- Mountains (58 min.) -- Fresh water (59 min.). Disc 2. Caves (57 min.) -- Deserts (58 min.) -- Ice worlds (59 min.). Disc 3. Great plains (59 min.) -- Jungles (59 min.) -- Shallow seas (59 min.). Disc 4. Seasonal forests (59 min.) -- Ocean deep (59 min.). Disc 5. Saving species (59 min.) -- Into the wilderness (59 min.) -- Living together (59 min.). - Polyface Farm Video (DVD)
A look at an environmentally friendly family farm. Farming entrepreneur Joel Salatin explains balance and interconnectedness in the landscape, community, plants and animals. 2001 - Population 6 Billion (DVD)
Discusses problems creating by the growing human population, which surpassed the 6 billion mark in 1999. Covers topics such as poverty, illiteracy, the toll on the environment, and water, food and other resource shortages. Addresses the grim realities of life in third-world nations while discussing population control initiatives in Vietnam, Uganda, and Mexico that include family planning, HIV/AIDS testing and counseling, sex education, and efforts to improve the economic status of women. - Powder River Country (DVD)
Looks at coal bed methane (CBM) development in the Powder River Basin areas of Wyoming and Montana, and how it impacts the environment and lives of local landowners. 2005 - Processes that shape the Earth
DVD 9160 (2010, 22 min.) "This program uses animated topographical maps, a broken pane of glass, a fortune in diamonds, a floor-sanding machine, stalactites, flowing glaciers, a merry-go-round, a greenhouse, and more to help students visualize the structure and composition of the Earth and the processes that shape our world. Dangerous impacts of humankind-most notably pollution and deforestation-are also considered"--Container. - Prometheus Principle: Energy for the Future (DVD)
The rise in the number and severity of weather phenomena and natural disasters over the past years furnishes ominous proof that the earths climate is changing. 2000 - Rachel Carson's Silent Spring (The American Experience) (DVD)
This film combines excerpts from letters, books, television programs, and archival footage with interviews to create a vivid picture of Carson and the controversy surrounding her book. 1993 - Radiation, a Slow Death: A New Generation of Hibakusha (DVD)
This disturbing documentary illustrates the damage caused by radiation, focusing on the lives of those who have suffered through the harmful effects of nuclear warfare as well as those who live near plants and factories that disperse radiation. 2005 - Radioactive reservations (DVD)
Tribal leader Ron Eagleye Johnny travels to four Indian reservations in Oregon, Utah, New Mexico and Nevada to discuss with the inhabitants their negotiations with the U.S. government to place Monitored Storage Retrieval sites for radioactive waste from nuclear power plants on their land. He also visits a power plant in Minnesota. - Renewable energy (DVD)
Explains how air, water, earth, and fire are transformed into clean, reliable sources of heat, electricity, and even automobile fuel. Looks at a solar roof implementation by FedEx at a regional sort facility in Oakland, Calif., a wind power project in central New York using fewer, larger turbines, and the widespread use of geothermal energy in Iceland. Visits Lovecraft Biofuels in Los Angeles, an auto repair shop that converts diesel car and truck engines to run on one hundred percent vegetable oil. Examines the potential use of hydropower from ocean tides, such as tidal barrages, as well as a tidal stream (or flow) power project off the shore of England that uses propeller-like turbines to capture the kinetic power of underwater currents. [2008], 50 min. - Rivers: Shapers of Earth Landscapes (DVD)
Explains the water cycle, categorizes types of streams and explains fluvial processes with footage of the Amazon, Mississippi, Nile, Rhine, Ganges, and Mekong rivers and smaller streams around the world. 2001 - Sastun (DVD)
DVD 2047 (2004, 20 min.) Documentary account of an ethnobotanist who explored the rain forest of Belize and befriended a Maya shaman. - Saving a Species: Gorillas on the Brink (DVD)
Examines the plight of the endangered mountain gorillas of Rwanda and efforts by conservationists to protect them. 2008 - Seas of Grass (Journey to Planet Earth) (DVD)
Investigates various growing threats to Earth’s grasslands. 2003 - Seeds of change : the eco story (DVD)
After surviving an emergency crash-landing, Dr. Sam Chao resolved to do something that would make a difference in the world. This award-winning program follows the outcome of his resolution: ECO, the Ecological Conservancy Outreach fund. Donating his life savings to the project, Dr. Chao enlists his childhood friend, Dr. Larry Wang, to clean up the Yangtze River and its tributaries, ravaged by erosion due to deforestation. As the video shows, sustainable ecological improvement must be linked to economic improvement for farmers whose very lives hang in the balance of such plans. Filmed largely in China's Yunnan province, Seeds of Change visits the farmers who switch from growing crops on the riverbanks to forest-based agriculture. - Sense of Wonder: Two Interviews with Rachel Carson (DVD)
A documentary style film, which depicts Rachel Carson in the final year of her life. Struggling with cancer and in the wake of the uproar after the publication of her book Silent spring, she recounts with both humor and anger the attacks by the chemical industry, the government, and the press as she focuses her limited energy to get her message to Congress and the American people. 2008 - Shaman's Apprentice (DVD)
DVD 6235 (2001, 54 min.) Documentary account of an ethnobotanist who explored the rain forest of Suriname and befriended a Trio shaman. - Silent Killers (DVD)
Slipping beneath the radar of everyday awareness are things that can kill the unsuspecting. This 48 Hours report uses compelling personal accounts to raise viewers’ awareness about four of them. 2004 - Silent Sentinels (DVD)
Are coral bleaching and global warming connected? An examination of the coral reef organism and how it interacts with its environment, focusing on damaging climatic changes that cause coral bleaching. 1999 - State of the Ocean's Animals (Journey to Planet Earth) (DVD)
Investigates why so many of our ocean’s animals are disappearing. Case studies focus on global issues including climate change, sea-level rise, over-fishing and habitat destruction. 2007 - State of the Planet (Journey to Planet Earth) (DVD)
Investigates some of the most critical environmental and earth science questions of the 21st century. 2006 - State of the Planet's Wildlife (Journey to Planet Earth) (DVD)
Speculates that almost half of the world’s wildlife species may become extinct in the next fifty years as a result of loss of habitat, climate change, predation by humans, and other human activities. 2005 - Strange disappearance of the bees (DVD)
A frightening documentary about how mass deaths of bees have recently swept all over the world. Increasingly each spring, beekeepers open their hives to find entire colonies wiped out. And beekeepers arent' the only ones who are worried. Bees pollinate at least a third of the world's crops. If the dramatic decline in the worldwide bee populations continues, essential food crops could disappear, along with entire ecosystems. - Sustainable Table (DVD)
What's on your plate? Where does it come from? What effects does it have on the environment and your body? What can you do to help? There are many questions about the sustainability of our current agricultural practices. This film tries to find some of the answers to problems that we face today and will face tomorrow. 2006 - Sustainable Urban Living: A South American Case Study (DVD)
This documentary, presented in 5 segments, looks at the management of city waste, the planning of urban parks, an integrated transportation system, a practical support scheme for low income workers and the establishment of a vibrant city mall. 2003 - Taken for a Ride (DVD)
Film follows the trail of the demise of public transportation and the rise of the automobile in the United States. 1996. - Tambogrande [videorecording] : mangos, murder, mining
(2007, 85 min.) "In 1999, the residents of Tambogrande, a small town in northern Peru, learned that the Fujimori government had secretly granted mining concessions on their land to the multi-national corporation, Manhattan Minerals. The company's plans for an open-pit gold mine would involve relocation of half of the town's residents, and contaminate the soil and ground water in this agricultural region famous for its fruit orchards."--Container. - The Future of Food (DVD)
Documents the trend of unlabeled genetically-modified foods which have become increasingly prevalent in grocery stores. Unravels the complex web of market and political forces that are changing the nature of what we eat. Explores organic and sustainable agriculture as alternatives to large-scale industrial agriculture. 2004 - The Last Mountain (DVD)
The fight for the last great mountain in America's Appalachian heartland pits the mining giant that wants to explode it to extract the coal within, against the community fighting to preserve the mountain and build a wind farm on its ridges instead. Robert Kennedy Jr. joins the fight to preserve the mountain. - The Next Industrial Revolution (DVD)
Tells the story of the movement led by architect Bill McDonough and chemist Michael Braungart to bring together ecology and human design. Shot in Europe and the United States, the film explores how businesses are transforming themselves to work with nature and enhance profitability. 2001 - Thirst
The survival of communities is threatened when big business buys the water supply in the third world. This is a look at how water is becoming the catalyst for community resistance to globalization, and at the conflict between public stewardship and private profit. 2004 VHS - Thirsty Planet: Water for the Cities (DVD)
Takes a hard look at the mounting challenge of providing millions of people in urban areas with potable water and adequate disposal of waste water. 2004 - Trade Secrets: A Moyers Report (DVD)
This documentary exposes the 40 year history of the American chemical industry’s suppression of information regarding the threats to public health by synthetic chemicals being introduced into the environment at all levels. 2001 - Trees tropiques (DVD)
This documentary subtly explores the difficult issues that arise when the ethics of deforestation and the ethnographic encounter intersect. The film incisively poses the question: "Who has the right to cut... both trees and film footage?" Seemingly an observational ethnographic immersion in life along the waterways where the sweet water of the Amazon basin mixes with the salty Atlantic Ocean, the film is suddenly interrupted by questions about the ethics of including images of deforestation, which could land the protagonist in trouble with Brazil's environmental police. - Turning garbage into gold (DVD)
It is made from waste and packaged in waste. That's the mantra of TerraCycle, an entrepreneurial startup that uses worms to turn premium organic garbage into fertilizer that is then packaged and shipped in repurposed plastic containers and cardboard cartons. Watch 22-year-old founder Tom Szaky as he tracks his company through three stressful years of unceasing effort that finally leads to pay dirt. TerraCycle is a triumph of eco-capitalism, which makes this program an excellent case study for both business and environmental science courses. - Unconquering the Last Frontier (DVD)
Documents the story of the Elwha River from the late 1800’s to the present, showing the effects of the Elwha dams on the Klallam tribe, the salmon population, and the city of Port Angeles, Washington. 2002 - Urban Garbage: Landfill or Recycle? (DVD)
As landfills continue to close, recycling is becoming a higher priority in urban locations around the world. 2005 - Veins in the Gulf : a story of disappearing wetlands
DVD8842, 2012, 78 min. "Veins in The Gulf is a documentary that traces the rapidly disappearing bayous, the environmental crisis of southern Louisiana, and the international impact of Cajun culture, which is quickly losing ground." - Watershed Revolution (DVD)
Watershed Revolution asks the question, "What is a watershed?" The answer is explored through interiviews and stunning cinematography of the Ventura River. 2009 - We Feed the World (DVD)
Vividly reveals the dysfunctionality of the industrialized world food system and shows what world hunger has to do with us. Includes interviews with fishermen, farmers and drivers, as well as Jean Ziegler of the UN, Karl Otrok of seed manufacturer Pioneer, and Peter Brabeck of Nestle International. 2005 - When is Enough, Enough? (DVD)
The story of the Mikisew Cree’s challenge to the expansion of the oil sands industry. The Cree are worried about the scale and rate of expansion planned for the Athabasca oil sands, with its effect on the environment and their way of life. 2004 - When the Dust Settles: The Owens Lake Remediation Project (DVD)
Describes cooperation between the Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District and the Los Angeles Dept. of Water and Power to eliminate hazardous concentrations of airborne dust from the now nearly dry Owens Lake. 2004 - Whose Plants are they, Anyway? (DVD)
Surveying the vast biodiversity of the medicinal plant world, this program examines the challenges facing countries rich in such natural resources. 2006 - Why Not Clone a Human? (DVD)
One day very soon, ordinary people could have the ability to choose their children’s genes and perhaps even grow themselves completely new body parts. 2003 - World Population Issues: How Many is Too Many? (DVD)
Provides an historical background to population growth and explores how the population grows, changes, and what it means for the future through sample studies in India, Rwanda, and China. 1998 - World Population: a graphic simulation of the history of human population growth.
DVD4061, 2003, 8 min. Educators agree that World Population is the best-ever graphic simulation of human population growth. As the years roll by on a digital clock from 1 A.D. to 2030, dots light up on a world map to represent millions of people added to the population. From Population Connection: http://www.populationconnection.org/site/PageServer - World in the Balance (DVD)
In Japan, Europe and Russia, birth rates are shrinking and the population is aging. In parts of India and Africa, more than half of the still growing population is under 25. The world population is now careening in two different directions. 2004
