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Last modified: 05/15/08
* Architecture to Zucchini: the People, Companies, and Organizations Pioneering Sustainability; Arnold Creek Productions; 2005; 120m. DVD 2555
Video clips of interviews and tours with the leaders of businesses that practice sustainability and with nationally recognized experts in the field. Companies and organizations represented include: Barrs & Genauer Construction, Stahlbush Island Farms, Norm Thompson, Zenger Farm, New Seasons Market, The Collins Companies, ShoreBank Pacific, Hot Lips Pizza, Ecotrust, Second Nature & Natural Step, U.S., Sustainable Northwest, Oregon Natural Step Network. Includes a list of resources/contacts.
* Black Gold; California Newsreel; 2006; 77m. DVD 3081
After oil, coffee is the most actively traded commodity in the world with $80 billion in retail sales. But for every $3 cup of coffee, a coffee farmer receives only 3 cents. Most of the money goes to the middlemen, especially the four giant conglomerates that control the coffee market. Tracing the path of the coffee consumed each day to the farmers who produce the beans, Black Gold asks us to “wake up and smell the coffee,” to face the unjust conditions under which our favorite drink is produced, and to decide what we can do about it.
* Broken Limbs: Apples, Agriculture, and the New American Farmer; Bullfrog Films; 2004; 57m. VHS 9302
Filmmaker Guy Evans looks at the plight of apple farmers in his hometown of Wenatchee, Washington. Using his father Danny’s business as an example, he describes how apple farming used to be, what it has become, and what changes are needed for it to succeed in the future.
* Farmer to Farmer: Strategies for Sustainable Agriculture; Rodale Institute/Rooy Media; 1991; 180m. VHS 2686
Using farmers to talk to their peers informally and frankly about their experiences with sustainable agriculture, these videos are designed to help farmers get acquainted with six key strategies for sustainable agriculture. Photographed over the course of a growing season, the structure allowsfor an introduction to the six subjects, while promoting follow-up discussion after viewing each video.
Contents: Pt. 1. Field crops — pt. 2. Rotational grazing — pt. 3. Vegetables — pt. 4. IPM for vegetables and small fruits — pt. 5. IPM for apples — pt. 6. High-value marketing.
* The Future of Food; Lily Films; 2004; 88m. DVD 2837
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.
* Global Gardner; Bullfrog Films; 1991; 120m. VHS 7568
Naturalist Bill Mollison takes viewers on an inspiring and informative worldwide tour spreading the word about permaculture, the method of sustainable agriculture that he devised.
* Good Food; Media That Matters/Arts Engine, Inc.; 2006; 77m. DVD 3347
A collection of short films on food and sustainability. Contents: Luckiest nut in the world — Young agrarians — Asparagus — Profit cola — Food justice, a growing movement — Water warriors — Recycle — Don't worry — Inch by inch: providence youth gardens for education — One more dead fish — Terminator tomatoes — Meatrix.
* How to Save the World: One Man, One Cow, One Planet; Cloud South Films; 2007; 98m. DVD 4627
Through the teachings of an elderly New Zealander many are calling the new Gandhi, this film tells the story of marginal Indian farmers who are reviving an arcane form of agriculture and exposing the bio-colonialism of multinational corporations and their failed mantra of infinite growth in a finite world. Presents a blueprint for a post-industrial future, and argues that the outcome of the battle for agricultural control in India may just dictate the future of the earth.
* King Corn; Mosaic Films/Bullfrog Films; 2007; 90m. DVD 4724
Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis, best friends from college on the east coast, move to the heartland to learn where their food comes from. With the help of friendly neighbors, genetically modified seeds, and powerful herbicides, they plant and grow a bumper crop of America’s most-productive, most-subsidized grain on one acre of Iowa soil. But when they try to follow their pile of corn into the food system, what they find raises troubling questions about how we eat,and how we farm.
* The Real Dirt on Farmer John; Collective Eye, Inc./Gaiam Media; 2008; 82m. DVD On Order
The award-winning true story of third-generation American farmer John Peterson’s journey of success, tribulation, failure and rebirth. Peterson is a true American original whose story parallels that of the family farm in 20th Century America.
* Affluenza; Bullfrog Films; 1997; 56m. VHS 5250
Uses personal stories, expert commentary, and old film clips to illustrate the causes and consequences of consumerism in American society.
* Corporate Social Responsibility: From Principles to Profits; Films for the Humanities and Sciences; 2006; 51m. DVD 2879
Corporate social responsibility is not a high-minded luxury when bad press puts a chokehold on business growth and profits. This program looks at how product and service providers develop and implement better business practices to satisfy shareholders, customers, employees and the community. This features case studies from a number of diverse and high-profile businesses, which are assessed by the ethical audit specialist Good Corporation. These companies include ARM, DHL and Ladbrokes.
* The Corporation: A Documentary; Big Pictures Media Corp./Zeitgeist Films; 2004; 145m. DVD 1292
Based on the book The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power by Joel Bakan, this documentary examines the nature, evolution, impact, and possible futures of the modern business corporation.
* A Passion for Sustainability; Landfall Productions; 2008; 56m. DVD 4628
Follows fourteen business owners in Portland, Oregon using a sustainability tool called The Natural Step. Looking at their business plans through the lens of environmental sustainability, each of these individuals began a journey to create businesses that would be responsible for Earth's natural systems while building economic growth.
* Walmart: The High Cost of Low Price; Brave New Films; 2005; 97m. DVD 2272
Takes viewers behind the glitz and into the real lives of workers and their families, business owners, and their communities.
* Why Don’t Consumers Behave Ethically?: The Social Construction of Consumption; AGSM; 2006; 26m. DVD 3011
Examines consumer behaviors, beliefs, and attitudes through interviews with consumers in the United States, Australia, Spain, Turkey, Germany, Sweden, India, and China.
* Brazil: The Sleeping Giant/Cityscapes, Urban Sprawl; Annenberg; CPB; 2003; 60m. VHS 9575
Contains programs 23 and 24 from the Power of Place: Geography for the 21st Century series.
Program 23: Brazil, the sleeping giant. (30 min.) Part 1: Sao Paulo: The Outer Ring. The sprawling mega-city of Sao Paulo is evidence that Latin America is among the most rapidly urbanizing regions. Part 2: A Second Chance For Amazonia? An American scientist discovers new possibilities for sustainable development in the Amazon basin.
Program 24: Cityscapes, suburban sprawl. (30 min.)—Part 1: Boston: Ethnic Mosaic. How has federal empowerment zone funding helped Boston's diverse but poor neighborhoods? Part 2: Chicago: Farming On the Edge. As in many areas of the U.S., suburban Chicago just keeps expanding into the surrounding countryside.
* Building the Future; Chip Taylor Communications; 2002; 30m. VHS 9537
This program examines the cutting-edge achievements being made in the green technology revolution and explores the pioneering work now being developed to help society strike a practical balance between exploitation and conservation to create the sustainable city of the future.
* Chicago: City of Big Shoulders; Bullfrog Films; 2006; 57m. DVD 3200
Scott Simon interviews a group of inspirational environmental activists from various backgrounds dedicated to the greening of Chicago. The 24-acre Millennium Park, City Hall Roof Garden, Green Roof Initiative, and an outdoor classroom and nature preserve at Elgin High School are among the projects highlighted.
* Cities; Bullfrog Films; 2000; 49m. VHS 9559
Discusses the effects of the world's increasing urban population on the environment and on our quality of life while addressing issues such as transportation, urban sprawl, socioeconomic divisions, and pollution. Looks at what sustainability means in locations as diverse as East L.A., Vancouver, Portland, and São Paulo and Curitiba, Brazil. Includes commentary by Jane Jacobs, Bill McKibben, Bill Rees, California senator Martha Escutia, and John Ryan.
* A Convenient Truth: Urban Solutions From Curitiba, Brazil; Del Bello Pictures; 2007; 52m. DVD 4630
An informative, inspirational documentary aimed at sharing ideas to provoke environment-friendly and cost-effective changes in cities worldwide. The documentary focuses on innovations in transportation, recycling, social benefits including affordable housing, seasonal parks, and the processes that transformed Curitiba into one of the most livable cities in the world.
* Design e²: The Economies of Being Environmentally Conscious; PBS; 2006; 180m. DVD 3409
Examines the economies of being environmentally conscious in green building design.
Episode 1: The Green Apple — uses New York City, particularly One Bryant Park and the Solaire, to demonstrate how the ubiquitous skyscraper can be a model of environmental responsibility.
Episode 2: Green For All — features architect and activist Sergio Palleroni as he works to provide design solutions to regions suffering from social and humanitarian crises.
Episode 3: The Green Machine — follows Mayor Richard M. Daley as he strives to make Chicago “the greenest city in America” with numerous LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)-certified buildings, a solar-powered public transportation system, and many green roofs, including one on Chicago’s City Hall.
Episode 4: Gray To Green — Takes the notion of the three R’s (reduce, reuse, recycle) to grand proportions by turning Boston’s “Big Dig” steel and concrete waste into spectacular residential design.
Episode 5: China: From Red to Green? — depicts a rapidly urbanizing country at its tipping point and finds a sustainable solution in Steven Holl”s Beijing Project, which will have the largest geothermal heating/cooling and grey water recycling system in the world upon completion.
Episode 6: Deeper Shades of Green — presents three visionaries who are changing the face of architecture and environmentalism and features some of their projects.
* Endangered: Biodiversity and Economic Development; Films for the Humanities & Sciences; 2005; 59m. DVD 1775
Part of a three-part series highlighting the conflicts arising from the right to buy and sell property and the interests in greener building practices, better resource management, and biodiversity. In this program a panel discussion focuses on choices that must be made between development and maintenance of biodiversity.
* End of Suburbia: Oil Depletion and the Collapse of the American Dream; Electric Wallpaper; 2004; 78m. DVD 2160
Through interviews with scientists and policy makers this documentary explores the premise that American suburbs, built on the easy availability of fossil fuels, may become untenable.
* Future By Design; Docflix; 2006; 130m. DVD 3756
A documentary film sharing the life and far-reaching vision of Jacque Fresco, a modern day Da Vinci. Peer to Einstein and Buckminster Fuller, Fresco is a self-taught futurist who describes himself most often as a multi-disciplinarian or “generalist”—a student of many inter-related fields. He is a prolific inventor, having spent his entire life conceiving of and devising inventions on various scales which entail the use of innovative technology. The film explores Fresco’s world of the future, where scientific method, not politics, rules world operations, and all human activities and efforts are directed towards achieving dynamic equilibrium between man and nature.
* Livable Landscapes: By Chance or By Choice?; Bullfrog Films; 2002; 57m. DVD 1800
Five communities explore solutions to the effects of growth and sprawl on the quality of life in New England.
* Philadelphia: The Holy Experiment; Bullfrog Films; 2006; 57m. DVD 3201
Faced with severe budget limitations, Philadelphia created a network of volunteer organizations that have brought about rebirth through volunteerism and community outreach. Mayor John F. Street created the Neighborhood Transition Initiative program to come up with practicable and affordable solutions to remove blight, promote quality restoration, stimulate investment in new housing, and improve how the city delivers services to its businesses and residents.
* Sprawl: Inner Cities and Outer Suburbs; Films for the Humanities and Sciences; 2005; 60m. DVD 1774
Moderated by Harvard Law School’s Arthur Miller, this Fred Friendly Seminar seeks to understand the housing situation facing the U.S.—a burgeoning nation that creates more than 1.5 million new households per
year.
* Alternative Power; Films for the Humanities & Sciences; 2000; 22m. VHS 8182
This program demonstrates how wind turbines, solar cells, hybrid automobiles, and coal gasification plants are beginning to transform the way the world is powered. Also discussed is the challenge of satisfying the rapidly increasing global demand for energy while developing environmentally friendly forms of power generation to reduce air pollution and lessen the threat of global warming.
* A Crude Awakening: The Oil Crash; Docurama/New Video Group; 2007; 83m. DVD 4346
A documentary film that “debunk[s] the conventional wisdom that oil production will continue to climb, and instead stare[s] bleakly at a planet facing economic meltdown and conflict over its most valuable resource.” Contents: Precious and non-renewable — We use it for everything! — From boom to bust — A magnet for war — The numbers don't add up — Peaking out — An insatiable demand — The end of the American Dream — Technology to the rescue? — Life after the peak.
* The Ecological Footprint: Accounting For a Small Planet; Bullfrog Films; 2005; 30m. DVD 3399
“We can choose to live on a depleted planet or we can choose to live on a rich, biologically diverse, more stable planet,” proposes Dr. Mathis Wackernagel, co-creator of the Ecological Footprint. He suggests that an essential step in avoiding depletion is to track ecological assets, allowing us to make more informed choices. In the film, Wackernagel introduces the Ecological Footprint, a resource accounting tool that measures human demand on the Earth. Footprint accounts work like a bank statement, documenting whether we are living within our ecological budget or consuming nature's resources faster than the planet can renew them.
* Energy Crossroads: A Burning Need to Change Course; Tiroir A Films; 2007; 111m. DVD 4629
Discusses current energy consumption patterns and their damaging effects on our environment, the global economy, and the geopolitical balance in the world today.
* An Inconvenient Truth; Paramount Pictures; 2006; 96m. DVD 3014
A passionate and inspiring look at former Vice President Al Gore’s campaign to expose the myths and misconceptions of global warming, and to create public awareness on the subject.
* Journey to Planet Earth; Screenscope; 1999-2007; 10 videodiscs, each 57m. DVD 4508
Discusses achieving a balance between the needs of people and the needs of the environment, focusing on loss of farmland, river pollution, inadequate housing and water resources, environmental pressures, grasslands, wildlife, and the link between environmental change and human health.
* Life After Oil: The New Energy Alternatives; Centre Communications, Inc./Ambrose Video; 2008; 30m. DVD 4471
Illustrates ways we can solve our dependence on fossil fuels through the use of alternative energy sources including wind power, fuel cells, hydrogen fuel, ethanol, biomass and solar power.
* Power Play; Landmark Films; 2006; 156m. DVD 3679
With contributions from leading scientists, politicians, industrialists, and energy experts around the world, the three-part series examines every aspect of the energy game. The films discuss the basic raw materials of coal, gas and oil; where they originate, how we get them, who controls them, how we use them, and how they may have to change in the near future.
* Powershift; WorldLink Media; 2003; 26m. DVD 4436
Examines how current energy use affects the earth and people around the world. Suggests ways to create a sustainable future by shifting from fossil fuels to alternative energy sources such as solar, wind, geothermal, and water power. Discusses action steps that individuals can take such as requesting renewable energy from utilities, driving hybrid cars, and buying energy-efficient appliances. Features commentary by architect William McDonough.
* Saved By the Sun; WGBH Video; 2007; 56m. DVD 3701
Originally produced as an episode of the documentary television program, NOVA. Presents a provocative mix of scientists, economists, and ordinary citizens who are all pushing the envelope of solar power's untapped potential.
* Six Billion and Beyond; Linda Harrar Productions/Filmmaker's Collaborative; 1999; 57m. VHS 8446
Explores the issues of reproductive health, population, and environment in six nations: Mexico, Kenya, India, China, Italy and the United States. Viewers will meet young people in each of these countries dealing with a very basic issue -- reproduction and its implications in their lives. Also explores how rapidly growing populations may present challenges to nations and to the global environment, including the increased need for jobs; growing needs for health care and education; greater scarcity of fresh water, food, and fuel; disappearing habitat and loss of biodiversity, and heightened climatic changes due to global warming.
* Trashed; OXI Productions; 2006; 77m. DVD 4648
A provocative investigation of one of the fastest growing industries in North America — the garbage business. The 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 or the implications to our biosphere. Analyzes the causes and effects of the seemingly innocuous act of “taking out the garbage” while showcasing the individuals, activists, corporate and advocacy groups working to affect change and reform the current model.
* Turning Down the Heat: The New Energy Revolution; Bullfrog Films; 2000; 47m. VHS 7466
Profiles innovative and successful projects of the new energy revolution that are showcasing alternative sources of power, including solar energy in Holland, Japan and California; biogas in Denmark and Vietnam; wind energy in Holland and India, and hydrogen fuel cells and ground source heat in Vancouver.
* Who Killed the Electric Car?; Sony Pictures Classics/Electric Entertainment; 2006; 93m. DVD 3017
Investigates the birth and death of the electric car, as well as the role of renewable energy and sustainable living in the future.
* World in the Balance; NOVA/WGBH Boston; 2004; 120m. DVD 4517
Contains two programs. The Population Paradox explores how, 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 dramatically different directions. China Revs Up Examines China”s booming economy and its growing impact on the environment. What will happen as China follows America’s affluent lifestyle and begins to rival the U.S. as the world’s biggest polluter?
