I Am Greta

It’s hard to watch this 2020 documentary on Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg without feeling guilty for not having done more to help right the environmental wrongs she has tackled, publicly, since she was a kid. But there’s also awe in seeing Thunberg speaks bluntly and fearlessly to those in power at a global level. Thunberg is a force of nature, and this film showcases the outspoken young woman who has inspired generations around the world. Streaming free on CBC Gem. Click here to watch

Out There – A National Parks Story

A young filmmaker sets out on a 10,000-mile exploration of the national parks with his childhood friend during the centennial year of the formation of the National Park Service. Along the way, the two record stories of the people that work in the parks and those that come to enjoy them, as part of the rich tapestry of the history of the park system emerges. They hear profound stories of people from all ages, walks of life, and cultures that come to the parks seeking tranquility, healing, motivation, and connection to the natural world. Between spectacular visuals of the parks and compelling interviews are colorful bits of old maps, posters, and travelogues. This stunning road trip is a tribute to the national parks and their history, and is also a recognition of the people that appreciate them and work to maintain their beauty. Read more

New PBS Documentary Features Work on the Eastern Shore

A documentary that aired on PBS highlights the challenges the Eastern Shore faces, with an emphasis on UVA’s work to address flooding and resilience on the coast.

“Against the Current” provides a powerful glimpse of how Virginia’s Eastern Shore residents are subject to the challenges of rising water’s effects on their lives and livelihood. Through resilience and perseverance, they learn to co-exist and celebrate their rural home. How can this unique community shed light on the national conversations happening around these climate issues?

Environmental stalwart Stewart Udall celebrated in new documentary

Stewart Udall sits behind the desk in his Washington, D.C., law office, one block from the White House, Aug. 13, 1977. After serving as Secretary of the Interior to Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson, Udall opened a private legal practice, specializing in environmental, energy and Indian affairs. (AP Photo/Jeff Taylor)

The former Secretary of the Interior helped establish the Pacific Crest Trail, four national parks – including one in Washington – and many groundbreaking environmental laws.

Rachel Carson. David Brower. Aldo Leopold. These luminaries are often credited with igniting the modern environmental movement. Yet there’s another monumental figure, now sometimes overlooked, who spearheaded many of the movement’s most important ideas and initiatives: Stewart Udall.

A Westerner who fought what he called “the myth of superabundance,” and a prevailing attitude of growth for its own sake, Udall appealed for a new “land conscience” to conserve public lands already threatened by deforestation and exploitation. Washingtonians of a certain age may remember this conservation icon, a secretary of the interior through the 1960s, for establishing the North Cascades and Redwood national parks, among others, and for creating the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail, part of the massive National Trails System Act that now comprises a network of more than 86,000 miles of trails across the country.

Having entered public office as a Congressman representing Arizona, Udall was appointed Secretary of the Interior by President John F. Kennedy in 1961. He later served under President Lyndon Johnson until 1969.

Many of the landmark environmental laws that we now take for granted can be traced back to Udall’s leadership, making him, according to Seattle filmmaker John de Graaf, “one of the unsung heroes of 20th-century American history.”

Read more

Deep Rising

Join us on an epic journey from the deepest depths of our ocean – the most uncharted and inaccessible place on our planet – to the future of green energy, and learn how the two are inextricably linked.

Narrated and executive produced by Jason Momoa, and interwoven with awe-inspiring footage of the deep’s most dazzling creatures, Deep Rising illuminates the vital relationship between our ocean’s fragile and mysterious ecosystems, and sustaining all life on Earth.

A riveting tale of geopolitical, corporate and scientific intrigue, the film exposes the inner workings of the International Seabed Authority (ISA): a secretive United Nation instrument which oversees nearly half our planet’s surface on the ocean floor. The ISA is empowered to greenlight the massive extraction of metals from the seabed which are deemed essential by some to fulfill demand for the current electric battery technology.

As extractive conglomerates pivot investments from oil and gas to deep-ocean mining, Deep Rising asks why we don’t instead choose to develop abundant resources to solve our growing energy demands.

Deep Rising reminds us that the seabed is the common heritage of humankind and highlights the urgent need to make the right decision for generations to come.

Virunga

Conservation is war.