Green Living

In honor of Earth Month, I thought I’d give a run-down of a few of my favorite environmentally-themed films on DVD you may want to check out in April.

The Real Dirt on Farmer John : This one is definitely more hopeful. It is a portrait of John Peterson, a man who was born and raised on a farm in Illinois, and his struggle to keep his family’s farm alive. His answer: Community Supported Agriculture. Farmer John is a real eccentric and exceedingly endearing with his loud costumes and hippie excursions (unless you ask some of his conservative neighbors). This artist, thinker and soulful organic farmer will have you planting your own tomatoes or buying them from a local farmer in no time.

The Future of Food: Make sure you eat dinner before watching this—it’s pretty heavy. An expose of genetically modified food in North America, this documentary goes in depth on the science behind GMOs as well as the politics of agribusiness that got us where we are now. It’s hard to take, but just might inspire you to watch your labels and take action (I was emailing the USDA and seed companies the next day).

The End of Suburbia: Though it was released a few years ago, The End of Suburbia is more relevant than ever, with pump prices what they are. It explores peak oil, the idea (or fact) that we will one day run out of black gold, a limited resource, and what we need to do to prepare for that day. Ultimately, it is a fascinating look at the genesis of the suburbs and a call to change them with new urbanism, a movement advocating local, walkable communities that don’t require cars to get around—something we need more of in Los Angeles.

Manufactured Landscapes : The arresting work of photographer Edward Burtynsky documents quarries and mines and exhibits the beautiful destruction we’ve wrought in the world. Filmmaker Jennifer Baichwal journeys with Burtynsky to China in her documentary—the place where most minerals and raw materials taken from all over the earth end up. It reveals how people’s lives there are affected by industry including immense factories that go on and on for miles, a town being leveled for a dam, and villages where everyone spends the day digging through and breathing in the heavy metals in electronic waste (e-waste) the West has sent over. A must-see.

The Story of Stuff : Annie Leonard and Free Range Productions made this brilliant little 20 minute film you can view online or download to share. It explains through plain English and simply-drawn graphics how the current system of stuff works—from extraction to manufacturing to disposal—and why it isn’t working. You will never look at your stuff the same way again.

Tags: Eco Films, environmental films, green films