11 Must-Watch Movies on Sustainability
Cowspiracy
Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret is a groundbreaking feature-length environmental documentary following intrepid filmmaker Kip Andersen as he uncovers the most destructive industry facing the planet today – and investigates why the world’s leading environmental organizations are too afraid to talk about it. Animal agriculture is the leading cause of deforestation, water consumption and pollution, is responsible for more greenhouse gases than the transportation industry, and is a primary driver of rainforest destruction, species extinction, habitat loss, topsoil erosion, ocean “dead zones,” and virtually every other environmental ill. Yet it goes on, almost entirely unchallenged.
*NEW* Down to Earth with Zac Efron
is an American web documentary series that was released on Netflix on July 10, 2020. It stars Zac Efron along with Darin Olien, a Minesotta-born wellness entrepeneur formerly married to Eliza Coupe. The documentary revolves around Efron and his travels around the world to France, Puerto Rico, London, Iceland, Costa Rica, Peru and Sardinia, and focuses on themes of travel, life experience, nature, green energy and sustainable living practices.
Chasing CORAL
Coral reefs around the world are vanishing at an unprecedented rate. A team of divers, photographers and scientists set out on a thrilling ocean adventure to discover why and to reveal the underwater mystery to the world.
No Impact Man
Author Colin Beavan and his family were a perfect example of SUV driving, fast food eating New Yorkers who would assuage their guilt with the rest of us at the mall for some good old American retail therapy. Then Colin turned things upside down—he came home and announced that for his next book he would become No Impact Man. For starters that would mean no trash, no electricity, no cars, no toilet paper, no TV, and no buying anything new for an entire year. The hitch was that he wanted his wife and their two-year-old daughter Isabella to join him for this year-long experiment.
Story Of Stuff
From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It’ll teach you something, it’ll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.
Before the Flood
If you could know the truth about the threat of climate change — would you want to know? Before the Flood, presented by National Geographic, features Leonardo DiCaprio on a journey as a United Nations Messenger of Peace, traveling to five continents and the Arctic to witness climate change firsthand. He goes on expeditions with scientists uncovering the reality of climate change and meets with political leaders fighting against inaction. He also discovers a calculated disinformation campaign orchestrated by powerful special interests working to confuse the public about the urgency of the growing climate crisis. With unprecedented access to thought leaders around the world, DiCaprio searches for hope in a rising tide of catastrophic news.
*Warning You might Cry*
TRUE COST
his is a story about clothing. It’s about the clothes we wear, the people who make them, and the impact the industry is having on our world. The price of clothing has been decreasing for decades, while the human and environmental costs have grown dramatically. The True Cost is a groundbreaking documentary film that pulls back the curtain on the untold story and asks us to consider, who really pays the price for our clothing?
More Than Honey
Over the past 15 years, numerous colonies of bees have been decimated throughout the world, but the causes of this disaster remain unknown. Depending on the world region, 50% to 90% of all local bees have disappeared, and this epidemic is still spreading from beehive to beehive – all over the planet. Everywhere, the same scenario is repeated: billions of bees leave their hives, never to return. No bodies are found in the immediate surroundings, and no visible predators can be located
KID FRIENDLY
Wall-E
WALL-E, short for Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-class, is the last robot left on Earth. He spends his days tidying up the planet, one piece of garbage at a time. But during 700 years, WALL-E has developed a personality, and he's more than a little lonely. Then he spots EVE…
The Lorax
the Lorax opens in Thneedville--a town never depicted in the original book. Thneedville is an artificial place, made primarily from plastic. It sports inflatable trees, fast cars, and air quality so poor that the residents are forced to purchase bottled fresh air. In another new twist to the story, 12-year-old Ted (Zac Efron) discovers that his crush Audrey (Taylor Swift) wants nothing more than to see a long-extinct Truffula Tree, so he sets out to impress her by finding one. Since there are no real trees in Thneedville, Ted acts on the crazy stories of his grandmother (Betty White), venturing beyond the city's walls into the desolate wasteland to locate a mysterious creature called the Once-ler (Ed Helms). Here the story and animation begin to more closely follow the book. Ted discovers the grumpy recluse, who reluctantly begins to tell him a tale about a once-perfect landscape filled with beautiful Truffula Trees and cute frolicking animals--a landscape now decimated by one greedy young man's insatiable appetite for profit.
OUR PLANET
Experiencing the planet's natural beauty through an examination of how climate change impacts all living creatures in this ambitious documentary of spectacular scope.
Zero Waste Holidays
Are you ready for Christmas? It's the most common phrase this time of year. It seems like everyone has Santa fever. The shops are overcrowded with people and my building's mail area is overflowing with packages (will children write letters to Amazon in the future?) With all the chaos of the holidays, it's easy to lose track of why we celebrate or better yet the impact of this one season.
One of the 2.65 Billion Christmas cards sold in the USA.
Environmental Impact of Christmas
It's a big one.
- There are approximately 25-30 million real Christmas trees sold in the U.S. every year.
- Holiday Retail sales in 2013 were $655.87 Billion. That's a lot of gifts!
- Americans throw away 25% more trash during the Thanksgiving to New Year's holiday period than any other time of year.
- Approximately 25 million tons of garbage or about 1 million extra tons per week during the season!
- 2.65 billion Christmas cards sold each year in the U.S. could fill a football field 10 stories high.
- Don't even get me started on wrapping paper!
This season, I tried to combat my holiday waste by implementing these 5 things.
1. Bye Bye Tree.
Okay, I know. The smell of fresh pine is amazing, but it's a living tree. The thought had never dawned on me as a child that I was gathering around a wilting tree. While a real tree is said to be a more eco-friendly option than PVC fake ones, I still chose to opt-out of this tradition.
This wasn't my first year without a tree. On a holiday ski trip one year we decorated our hotel plant. I spent hours making paper ornaments to adorn our beloved vacation tree. This odd experience made this particular Christmas a memorable one.
My eco-friendly cardboard Christmas tree. Made and decorated with used furniture packaging.
This year, I created this gem. I saved a mega furniture box and packaging back in September. I liked this idea because cardboard boxes are easily available at large stores ( Ask nicely and it's free!) and the materials can be recycled at the end or saved for the following year.
2. No gifts, please.
Extreme? Yes. But as I've decluttered my life, I have learned to value other things over possessions. I am blessed to have essentially everything I need and so much more. In all honestly, I don't desire more items. You can watch this video for more minimalist gift ideas.
3. Eco-friendly Wrapping Paper.
If every family reused just two feet of holiday ribbon, the 38,000 miles of ribbon saved could tie a bow around the entire planet. If every American family wrapped just 3 presents in re-used materials, it would save enough paper to cover 45,000 football fields. Those are some crazy statistics!
My solutions:
- Don't wrap gifts. (I know, it kind of kills the magic)
- Old paper bags or other recycled materials which can provide a cute aesthetic
- Or make reusable gift bags. The minimalist in me doesn't want to store gift bags all year, but it's a great solution for more stable families.
4. Vegan FOODS.
After having such an amazing vegan thanksgiving feast, I've been dreaming of my Christmas supper.
This year, I'm spending Christmas with around 40+ Colombian relatives who probably don't know what "vegana" means. So 'll be skipping the traditional Colombia buñuelos and opting to make my own dish.
The plan:
Vegan Colombian Empanadas (recipe coming soon).
My mother's amazing carrot salad which happens to be vegan.
Mashed potatoes & mushrooms.
homemade vegan empanadas
I plan on simply bring my own plate and eating my meal alongside my family members.
5. Focusing on the true meaning of Christmas.
For some the holidays signifies time with family for others it's a religious expression, regardless of your beliefs I hope you enjoy this time of year with those you love.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays
xx Manuela