Three Stunning Documentaries to Raise Awareness this Earth Day
Founded in 1970 by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson, Earth Day has become a national wake-up call to pay close attention to our planet’s health and well-being. Yet, despite the increased level of awareness about everything from endangering entire animal species to polluting the very air we breathe, pressing environmental problems still persist. In honor of Earth Day, help educate students about some of Earth’s most critical environmental issues with these eco-conscious documentaries.
“An Inconvenient Truth”
Included in science curricula taught around the world, this Davis Guggenheim-directed documentary dives deep into former United States Vice President Al Gore’s plight to educate citizens about the dangers of global warming with a presentation he’s delivered more than a thousand times. By turning this exact keynote speech into a film, “An Inconvenient Truth” went on to win two Academy Awards for Best Documentary Feature and Best Original Song and is credited with raising international public awareness of global warming.
“Future generations may well have occasion to ask themselves, ‘What were our parents thinking? Why didn't they wake up when they had a chance?’ We have to hear that question from them, now.” Al Gore, Former United States Vice President
“Earth”
Explore the animal kingdom and learn more about the diverse habitats of the world’s most endangered and vulnerable wild animals as you follow the survival journey of three particular species – the polar bear, African bush elephant and humpback whale. Over the course of a calendar year, this nature documentary highlights threats to the animals’ survival in the face of rapid environmental changes. Beginning with the story of a mother polar bear and her two new cubs, "Earth" gradually moves south to follow a herd of African bush elephants as they try to navigate a dust storm in the Kalahari Desert while avoiding predators. The documentary then turns to a humpback whale mother and calf as they try to find food in the shallow seas of the tropics before concluding in Antarctica in December of the same year.
“We wanted to tell an epic story about the whole planet. We spent a record 2,000 days in the field. We filmed in 46 countries worldwide, on every continent." Alastair Fothergill, filmmaker for “Earth”
“No Impact Man”
A documentary based off of the book by the same name, “No Impact Man” shows how Manhattan-based author Colin Beavan and his family made drastic adjustments to live 365 days without harming the planet. Abandoning their posh 5th Avenue lifestyle, Beavan's family give up modern-day conveniences, like transportation and electricity, and everyday necessities, like toilet paper, to show what it takes to become truly “eco-friendly.”
“The climate change crisis had begun. I realized I could no longer ignore the world’s problems.” Colin Beavan, Author of “No Impact Man”
View our entire list of environmental films or contact us to find out more about how you can incorporate Earth Day programming on your campus.