Recommended Documentaries & Videos

• 

  An Inconvenient Truth

  From director Davis Guggenheim comes the Sundance Film Festival hit, AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH, which offers a passionate and inspirational look Former US Vice President and Nobel Laureate Al Gore’s fervent crusade to halt global warming's deadly progress in its tracks by exposing the myths and misconceptions that surround it. In this eye-opening and poignant portrait of Gore and his "traveling global warming show," Gore also proves himself to be one of the most misunderstood characters in modern American public life. Here he is seen as never before in the media - funny, engaging, open and downright on fire about getting the surprisingly stirring truth about what he calls our "planetary emergency" out to ordinary citizens before it's too late.

  With wit, smarts and hope, AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH ultimately brings home Gore's persuasive argument that we can no longer afford to view global warming as a political issue - rather, it is the biggest moral challenges facing our global civilization.

  

• 

  The Age of Stupid

  A new film from McLibel director Franny Armstrong. Oscar-nominated Pete Postlethwaite stars as a man living alone in the devastated world of 2055, looking at old footage from 2008 and asking: why didn’t we stop climate change when we had the chance?

  http://www.ageofstupid.net

• 

  The End of Suburbia

  The End of Suburbia explores the American way of life and its prospects as oil supplies decrease.

  http://www.endofsuburbia.com

• 

  The Power of Community

  Cubans share how they transitioned from a highly mechanized, industrial agricultural system to organic methods of farming and urban gardens.

  www.powerofcommunity.org

• 

  Seeds in the City: The Greening of Havana

  This Cuba film focuses on the food shortages Havana. It demonstrates how urbanites began growing food on rooftops, in schoolyards, and in front of office buildings to create over 20,000 urban farms.

  http://www.sounddevelopment.com/globalheroes/seeds/home/index.htm

• 

  Manufactured Landscapes

  Edward Burtynsky’s striking and jarring camera charts mankind’s impact on the planet. These images encourage viewers to see our way of life in a new lens.

  http://www.mercuryfilms.ca/index.php?show=3

• 

  Kilowatt Ours

  An exploration of the problems caused by energy production including mountain top removal, childhood asthma and global warming. Solutions highlighted are energy conservation, efficiency and renewable power.

  www.kilowattours.orgt

• 

  H2Oil

  H2Oil is a collection of stories of people who are at the front lines of Canada’s tar sands.

  http://h2oildoc.com/home

• 

  Downstream

  This expose of Alberta’s multi-billion dollar oil sands industry features a doctor’s fight for the lives of aboriginal people living and dying of rare cancers downstream from one of the most polluting oil operations in the world.

  http://downstreamdoc.com

• 

  The 11th Hour

  The film explores how we’ve arrived at this moment in history -- how we live, how we impact the earth’s ecosystems, and what we can do to change our course. Featuring ongoing dialogues of experts from all over the world, including former Soviet Prime Minister Mikhail Gorbachev, renowned scientist Stephen Hawking, former head of the CIA R. James Woolsey and sustainable design experts William McDonough and Bruce Mau in addition to over 50 leading scientists, thinkers and leaders who discuss the most important issues that face our planet and people.

  

Online Programs

The Hour: Sheila Watt-Cloutier
Nobel Peace Prize joint nominee Sheila Watt-Cloutier has put a human face to global warming. As chair of the International Inuit Circumpolar Council, she has drawn attention the fact that global warming isn’t just melting the Arctic it’s destroying her people’s way of life.
http://www.cbc.ca/thehour/videos.html?id=1075347870

The Suzuki Diaries, from The Nature of Things online
David Suzuki and his daughter Sarika tour four European countries and offer an incredibly inspirational look at how far ahead of Canada these countries are in terms of renewable energy, deeper connections, and quality of life.
http://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/natureofthings/2008/suzukidiaries/

The Nature of Things: Antarctic Mission
This four part series looks into the effect of climate change on the Antarctic
http://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/natureofthings/2008/antarcticmission/

The Nature of Things: Living City, A Critical Guide
Urban Affairs columnist Christopher Hume travels across Canada to find out how ready we are to face up to the new realities of the 21st Century. He looks into issues of sustainability, crumbling infrastructure, connectivity – the things we’ll need to deal with to survive and thrive in the decades ahead. Hume asserts that the urban virtues of the past: compactness and close-ness, are exactly what need to see us into the future.
http://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/natureofthings/2009/livingcity/

Short Videos

Friends of the Earth Act Now
A compelling dramatization produced by the British ENGO of the urgent need for climate action.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7mETr1SqXk

The Story of Stuff
The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fact-filled look at our production and consumption patterns. The film draws connections between environmental and social issues, calling us to create a more sustainable and just world.
www.storyofstuff.com

TED Talks: A Greener Future videos
Al Gore argues that the simple steps we might take to avert disaster would also fuel the economy. Architect William McDonough shows how the power of great design -- working on entire systems rather than local components -- can foster an abundant, sustainable future. Majora Carter discusses her work to green spaces in the South Bronx. And biologist E.O. Wilson shares his grandest wish -- that the human community band together to save life on Earth.
http://www.ted.com/index.php/themes/a_greener_future.html