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Did you know that in the U.S., it’s estimated that we waste 30-40% of our food supply? Or that our use of single-use plastic water bottles also amounts to 17 million barrels of oil used yearly? In honor of Earth Day (April 22nd), we’re brushing up on a few facts about how our everyday decisions are impacting our planet and the solutions like; reducing food waste or using a reusable water bottle. We’ve also earmarked a few inspiring films about the beauty of human stories. Because not all Earth Day documentaries are about pollution and oil. Some shed light on everything from art made from trash to mountain gorillas.
So, from films that highlight the environmental and social impacts of big oil companies to how art can empower a community, here are several documentaries The Wellness Feed recommends for Earth Day.
Wasteland
Our society has created an abundance of waste. If there is one message behind this award-winning documentary it’s that we must rethink our careless disposal of items. Director Lucy Walker takes the viewer on a journey beginning on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro’s largest garbage dump. Her lens follows artist Vik Muniz who turns what might otherwise be counted as garbage into his artwork and the scavengers- trash pickers who pluck valuable recyclables from the garbage in the hopes that they can sell them and improve the lives of the families within their communities.
Interesting Fact: Approximately 7,000 tons of garbage arrive daily at the Jardim Gramacho landfill site.
Watch: Amazon
The Last Mountain
The consequence of mining and burning coal is looked at through this film which focuses on activists and local community members as they fight against a coal company for the preservation of a mountain along the Appalachian Trail in West Virginia. Through this local story, an international problem is brought to light about how our energy use is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and how the regulations against the coal industries are never met thanks to entanglement with local and federal political systems.
Interesting Fact: Coal mining has flattened 500 hundred of Appalachia’s mountains.
Watch: Amazon
Virunga
Located in the heart of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Virunga National Park is home to the world’s last mountain gorillas. This documentary follows them and a group- of park rangers during the 2012 M23 Rebellion. While the film was originally scripted to highlight the progress made by the park authorities for protecting the region, the outbreak of rebellion quickly made the film shift gears to also explore how war, poaching, and industry affect the wildlife in the Congo. As one of the most recommended and well-known Earth Day documentaries, if you haven’t seen this enthralling film, now is the time.
Interesting Fact: Since 2010, the Virunga Massif mountain gorilla population has grown from 480 to 604.
Watch: Netflix
Life In A Day
This film is a combination of films, with clips from the submissions of several of the 80,000 people from 192 countries who submitted footage of their life from 1 day. Director Kevin Macdonald, who has an Oscar win under his belt: compiled and edited the footage into this film that shows the beauty of our various stories across this planet.
Interesting Fact: There are 195 countries in the world when including the Holy See and the State of Palestine.
Watch: Youtube
Tapped
Whether you know it or not, the bottled water industry impacts our lives even if we don’t purchase from them. Directors Stephanie Soechtig and Jason Lindsey filmed Tapped after their research about ocean pollution continued to lead them back to a common denominator- single-use plastic water bottles. Together, they dive into the social, economic, and ecological effects of the companies who buy and sell water back to us. And, the oil giants who help them put it onto our shelves are included too.
Whiskey is for sipping and water is for fighting.
~ Mark Twain.
Interesting Fact: 29 Billion single-use plastic water bottles are produced yearly.
Watch: Buy or Rent on Youtube
Dive! Living Off America’s Waste
As the name suggests, this is one of those Earth Day documentaries that take you into the world of dumpster diving to unload the problems surrounding our throwaway culture. Jeremy Scott is your host who roams the back alleys of stores and supermarkets to uncover the ugly truth lurking in America’s dumpsters- thousands of dollars worth of perfectly eligible food is thrown out each night. Food waste is not only a big problem rotting and fueling carbon emissions in our landfills, but it’s also food that could feed the billions of people who experience food insecurity around the world.
Interesting Fact: In the US it’s estimated that we throw out 263 million pounds of food a day.
Watch: Buy the DVD
