Environmental Insights Video Collection Descriptions

Air Pollution / Hazardous Waste / Greenhouse Effect / Non-Polluting Alternatives & Local Media on Environmental Issues

Ground Zero, Sacred Ground 9 min., 1997 United States

This tape is by Karen Aqua.
In south central New Mexico, an ancient Native American rock art site lies 35 miles from the detonation site of the world's first atomic bomb. This animated film explores the juxtaposition of these two sites and the contrasting cultures which created them: one which accepts and reveres the power of the natural world, and the other which strives to control and manipulate the forces of nature.

The Burning Barrel 27 min., 1996 United States

The Burning Barrel is a personal meditation which looks at the consumer culture from the vantage point of a declining rural community -- the filmmaker's hometown -- and connects the rise and fall of small towns and farms on the Great Plains to larger issues of consumption and waste throughout North America.

Trash Thy Neighbor 12 min., United States

An unusually imaginative tape, Trash Thy Neighbor is produced and narrated by a multi-cultural group of young urban New Yorkers studying at the Educational Video Center. The result is a lively, creative presentation on the garbage crisis and the role urban young people play in combating the problem. Fresh Kills, the largest landfill in the world, is the focus of these kid's concerns. Like landfills almost anywhere, Fresh Kills is rapidly running out of space. In an amusing and unpretentious manner, teenagers look at recycling and garbage reduction; that focus on alternatives to disposable items like shaving cream, plastic razors, Styrofoam and paper towels. Buyback centers and curbside collection of recyclables are identified as solutions.

Out of Space 18 min., 1989 United States

Produced by Hackensack Meadowlands Development Commission, this is a videotape that addresses the problems and possible solutions for solid waste disposal in New Jersey. Produced in a format suited to children 3 to 6 years of age.

The Garbage Crisis: What do we do with it all? 23 min., 1989 United States

Also produced by the Hackensack Meadowlands Development Commission similar to Out of Space but suited to individuals 12 and older, including adults. Features narration by TV personality Dr. Frank Field, CBS weather reporter.

The Death That Creeps from the Earth 35 min. 1991 Germany

Distributed by the World Uranium Hearing, New York, NY, this incisive work takes the position that "Nuclear Neo-colonialism" is threatening the Earth's last indigenous people from the Aborigines in Australia to the Polynesians in the South Pacific, the Laplanders in Europe and the Native Americans in the US. This provocative video looks at over consumption and its devastating impact on native peoples all over the globe-a chilling story of uranium mining underground nuclear testing and injustice. It is also an emotional testimony of people trying to preserve their way of life.

Three Mile Island Revisited 30 min., 1992 United States

This remarkable low budget tape by Steve Jambeck and Karl Grossman confronts the nuclear industry's and some governmental agencies' assertions that no one died as a result of the core meltdown crisis at Three Mile Island. This documentary offers the testimony of area residents and empirical data that indicate that deaths, especially from cancer, have been widespread since the 1979 accident. Human birth defects have also apparently increased as have mutations in flora and fauna throughout the region. Three Mile Island Revisited offers compelling evidence from the field that a great deal more than is typically reported may have occurred near Harrisburg in 1979. The effects are still quite tangible and have ongoing implications regarding the reliability of safety measures and assurances offered by nuclear power advocates.

When the Spill Hit Homer 27 min. 1991 United States

A personal documentary on a tragic environmental disaster, When the Spill Hit Homer gives a first-hand account of the Exxon Valdez oil spill from the perspective of the residents of Homer, Alaska. Through interviews and home videos, these people tell their story about the spill's destruction and their frustration involved with cleanup efforts.

Stepan Chemical 28 min., United States

A video by Mark Day depicting the story of the people of Matamoros, Mexico and their struggle with the Stepan Chemical Company. Residents who live near the plant have accused Stepan of polluting the surrounding neighborhoods. After the birth of under-developed babies, experts have investigated the role of Stepan Chemical and other companies dumping solvents in the area.

Women for America, for the World 29 min., 1986 United States

Parallels can be drawn between the women's movement and the nuclear disarmament struggle. Women for America, for the World showcases 22 women and their positive outlook on a world free from the threat of nuclear war. This Academy Award winning film is an inspiration, telling the story and struggles of various women, from scientists to teachers to politicians. This work gives a specialized account of a subject that has permeated society throughout the second half of our century.

Three Scripts for Performance 4.5 min., 1993 United States

An experimental piece directed by Robert Lawrence that gives the viewer some environmentally-conscious role-playing exercises. Visually captivating, utilizing some of nature's most brilliant images, 3 Scripts is an unorthodox work which challenges the audience to consider man's impact on nature.

Ancient Forest . . . Vanishing Legacy . . . Pacific Northwest 14 min., 1989 United States

A production of the Wilderness Society, this work points out that a mere one percent of the United States virgin forest remains standing, the bulk of that in the Pacific Northwest. Current logging practices could spell the end of those ancient forests within the next 35 years. Disappearing with the ancient trees will be a rich ecosystem, including the Spotted Owl that scientists are just beginning to understand.

Earth First! The Struggle for the Australian Rainforest 58 min. 1986 United States

Earth First! highlights the plight of our oldest living link with the past, the majestic rainforests, and the dramatic struggle to save them. The program looks at a 70 square kilometer stand of Australian rainforest, which is all that remains from an age when the country was the center of a mighty supercontinent called Gondwanaland, covered by an emerald canopy. It is also the story of people who care, who went to the most extraordinary lengths to save these rainforests and stirred the conscience of a nation through their risk-taking actions.

Manu National Park, Peru 27 min., 1990 United States

An offering of Superflow productions, Manu is a visual catalogue of fauna and flora aimed at helping people in Peru appreciate the intrinsic equilibrium of their tropical system. Though threatened by gold miners, Manu National Park in Southeastern Peru is one of the last wilderness areas in South America. As a result of this film, officials created a new 4.5 million acre wilderness: the Tamblopata Reserve.

Transportation 2000: Moving Beyond Auto America 28 min., 1991 United States

This engaging work questions America's dependence on traditional gasoline powered automobiles and the potential hazards to wildlife and the atmosphere. It presents alternative transportation systems already in use around the globe. Moving Beyond the Automobile is a fast-paced video which features consumer advocate Ralph Nader and 17 of the nation's foremost transportation experts, who thoughtfully analyze our "love affair" with the car and question how much longer we can rely so heavily on our petroleum burning personal vehicles. A wide variety of alternatives are illustrated and discussed, including electric cars, magnetic trains. light rail systems, and several highly futuristic approaches as well as some traditional low-tech alternatives such as the reliable and highly efficient bicycle. The video leaves the viewer with the positive impression that there are realistic alternatives to improve transportation as well as the quality of our lives.

Wind: Energy for the 90s and Beyond 28 min., 1991 United States

How can we harness the power of the wind to provide for our energy needs? In California wind energy is now annually generating enough electricity to meet the needs of a city the size of San Francisco for a full year. Wind: Energy for the 90s and Beyond provides an in-depth examination of this promising source of alternative energy. The program begins with a brief newsreel-style look at the history of harnessing the wind. The video then explains in simple terms how wind turbines generate electricity and provides a first-hand look at several wind "farms". Through a combination of graphics, animation and interviews with leading experts, this fast paced program explores the potential for increased use of wind energy nationwide, as well as the remaining technical and political obstacles private companies and government agencies are working to overcome.

Ocean Issues

Strip-mining the High Seas 26 min., 1989 United States

Produced by the Earth Trust, Honolulu, this piece points out that as late as 1988 the ecological horror of driftnet fishing went unnoticed by all but a relatively few environmentalists. Asian driftnet fleets sailed the Eastern Pacific Ocean spinning 50-mile long webs of monofilament each day. These floating webs of death continue to trap everything that lives on or in the ocean-from sea birds to great whales. More than 60% of the kill never make it aboard the fishing boats. A gut-wrenching study of a technique that has erased whole species and continues to endanger fragile Pacific ecosystems.

Trashing the Ocean 7 min., 1989 United States

Made by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, this short work documents a serious problem; trash dumping in the world's oceans. The video focuses specifically on floating plastic waste, which litters beaches and maims and kills seabirds and aquatic wildlife.

Wilderness Preservation; Rainforests, Wetlands, Woodlands, Wildlife and their Exploitation

The Penny Jar 13 min., 1997 United States

This moving work by Lisa Hammert & Jeffrey May deals with pet overpopulation and euthanasia as told through the words of an animal control officer. The Penny Jar is a film about responsibility.

The Watershed Keeper 14 min., 1997 United States

A piece by Sandra Lee Sheffield that analyzes the importance of conservation as well as women's issues. Sandra Sheffield takes a thoughtful look at a third generation watershed keeper in California and the obstacles she must face.

Connections 54 min.,1996 United States

The National Park Service has just released a list of historic landscapes that are at risk of being altered forever. This land holds the key to our past as well as our future. The story is about people too, the people who have passed through this sacred land and those that call it home. Sponsored by the American Society of Landscape Architects, Connections empowers us all to become stewards of the earth and to pay attention to its history.

Endangered 30min., 1994 United States

Endangered provides a good introduction to how human activities are endangering thousands of species and why protecting nature's diversity is important to us all. This video helps to describe the ESA ( E ndangered S pecies A ct) and answers some of the common questions about the law. It also presents the case for broadening the focus to protecting whole eco-systems, rather than simply on saving individual species.

The Look that Kills 5 min., 1988 United States

Made for the Humane Society with the World Society for the Protection of Animals, The Look that Kills employs graphic examples. This tape details the basic arguments behind the anti-fur campaign, whose exponents object strongly to the treatment of animals trapped or raised only for their pelts.

Flyin' Fur 12 min., 1990 United States

Should communities like Aspen, or any others. ban fur sales and harass fur wearers? This TV news report examines the pros and cons of the fur issue that was on the ballot in Aspen in the spring of 1990 by interviewing anti-fur activists fur wearers store owners, trappers and ranchers.

Bug in the Bayou 5 min., 1991 United States

A 16mm film by Larry Schmehl of Philadelphia PA - Bug in the Bayou is a vibrant, evocative homage to an organic hierarchy. This poetic animation captures the essence of a serene day in a Louisiana bayou by adopting a hungry mosquito's point of view - at once both intimate and panoramic, parasitic and symbiotic. Chance encounters with the sounds sights and events found among the flora and fauna of the bucolic locale are punctuated by an ending which evokes the natural order of life. *Limited Availability.

The Shark's Fin 5 min., 1994 United States

The age old conflict between man and nature is explored in William Lebeda's The Shark's Fin . This melodic film incorporates imaginative animation with an original folk tale that tells the story of how people went from living in the ocean to living on land.

Alaska's Whales and Wildlife 28 min., 1991 United States

A seductive visual journey to one of America's most pristine and scenic wilderness areas - the southern coastal estuaries of Alaska - part of America's Last Frontier and home of our national symbol, the Bald Eagle. Alaska's Whales and Wildlife provides a compelling insight into the southeast coastal estuaries of Alaska, a unique marine and coastal ecosystem that is home to an amazing variety of wildlife found nowhere else, as well as massive glaciers and the world's largest temperate forest. Naturalists provide a guided tour through the lush rainforest and the region's other natural wonders; from unusual mosses and mollusks to black and brown bears otters, hump-back whales and of course bald eagles. A portion of the southeast coast includes Prince William Sound, site of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. The event provided a warning: the raw scenic beauty of this area is endangered by a range of increasing human activities petroleum exploration and transportation.

Coyoteland 17 min. 1992 United States

Coyoteland is a video that captures the conflict between urban development and wildlife. A wandering coyote begins eating neighborhood pets and an animal trapper is called in to stop him. The trapper encounters a wildlife activist, and through their confrontation they express the conflict of development and the wildlife habitat. Shot using a hand held camera, Coyoteland shows a common dilemma that occurs when wildlife tries to exist in a developed area.

New Jersey at the Crossroads 10 min., 1991 United States

This video produced by the New Jersey Audubon Society! Franklin Lakes, NJ, outlines the story of bird migration and native species in New Jersey, a state located on one of the nation's major flyways. New Jersey at the Crossroads delineates the precarious conditions which threaten the future of this vital and crucially situated habitat so critical to the survival of numerous migrating avian species. Because of New Jersey's strategic location and diversity so critical to the Western Hemisphere's bird populations, NJAS has a particular interest and expertise in research on migratory birds and in preserving New Jersey habitats essential to their existence.

Food for Thought 28 min. 1990 United States

A videotape by Roger Bingham, Patricia Kunkel, Robert Dean and Elicott Haimoff for KCET-TV Public Television for Southern California. It takes 2,500 gallons of water and 16 pounds of grain to yield 1 pound of usable beef. 95 pounds of topsoil disappear when we grow the grain to produce one pound of beef. Is the bite we take out of a hamburger also taking a bite out of the rainforest? Is the meat on our dinner table contributing to worlds starvation, desertification, groundwater pollution and the greenhouse effect? This very accessible work follows both sides of the debate with opposing arguments of the California Beef Council (Jane Anderson, Executive Director) and a working rancher, Bill Rankin, verses those of biologist Paul Ehrlich from Stanford University and Francis Moore Lappe author of Diet for a Small Planet. Host Roger Bingham likens a cow to a gas-guzzling automobile and explains the inefficiency of using meat as fuel for the human body.

The Last Days of Maplewood 17 min., 1989 United States

This is a fantasy with songs. Made by Maplewood video producer Jackie Herships for young people, the tape is about the solid waste crisis and the environment. It addresses children's concerns over a globe that faces potential catastrophe. An engaging group of kids find themselves in a future wastescape world, the inhabitants of which emerge as garbage creatures who have reached "critical mass" and come to life. The message is that there is still time to change before the comic-serious nightmare comes true.

Newark: The Global City 11 min., 1990 United States

Made by Tim Stollery and Kirk Sohr for Newark's Earth Day, this work examines commercial industrial recycling as well as public sector efforts response which together are approaching a 50% recycling rate in the state's largest city.

Rush to Burn 35 min., 1989 United States

Commissioned by Greenpeace USA, this work reveals that hazardous waste incineration is an oft-proposed and misunderstood solution to the industrial waste problem. Rush to Burn investigates every issue surrounding the controversy; including current legislation and impact on communities where violations have been revealed. Includes interviews with individuals living near or in problem areas.

Greenhouse Crisis: The American Response 11 min., 1989 United States

Presented by the Union of Concerned Scientists and Mediawrights, Inc., this is an incisive, factual and objective overview of the potential causes and implications of global warning in the United States.

Growing like a Weed 29 min., United States

To maintain nice, green lawns most homeowners make extensive use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers, as well as large amounts of water and gas. Naomi Robinson's Growing like a Weed looks at this questionable practice and proposes a new philosophy of lawn and garden care. Mixing humorous skits, personal stories and practical advice, this informative program presents the case against chemical gardening and offers a quick lesson in organic lawn care.

Return of the Scorcher 28 min., 1993 United States

Filmmaker and film instructor from San Francisco, Ted White became inspired to make this video at an Earth Day bicycle parade in 1990. His Return of the Scorcher looks at the bicycle historically from many angles: as an alternative to the automobile; as a way to enjoy better health through exercise; and as a tool for reacquainting ourselves with our senses, the natural world and each other. Also addressed is the liberating role the bicycle played in the women's rights movement and in past courting rituals. Shot in the United States, the Netherlands and China, the video includes interviews with those who have incorporated the bicycle into their daily life either as a career or simply as an effective way to get from place to place.

Fat of the Land 55 min., 1995 United States

This offbeat documentary features 5 women who toured America in a van powered by a truly alternative fuel. Fat of the Land investigates vegetable oil as a usable fuel and explains the process of turning used frying fat into a working fuel for vehicles. Through interviews and encounters, this timely video humorously engages ordinary people throughout the United States in a discussion about transportation fuel.

Undermining Yellowstone 22 min., 1992 United States

This video by Gene Bernofsky and Mark Wilson is an incisive exposé of how the intrusion of mining operations around the perimeter of, and penetrating directly into the National Park itself, damage the environment and have a decidedly adverse effect on wildlife and water resources. This well-documented and important tape lucidly chronicles the issues related to mining in the Yellowstone region and advocates preservation in support of future and current generations' ecological well-being.

Amazonia - Voices from the Rainforest 70 min., 1991 United States

Winner of three prestigious awards including one from the Sundance Film Festival, this video is a powerful statement about the plight of the indigenous Indian tribes. For the last 500 years the native peoples of the Amazon forest have defended their homelands against an invasion that brought them mass extinction of over 700 tribes and the destruction of the rich rainforests in which they live. This tape gives voice to the native people as well as river dwellers, rubber trappers and small farmers - all of whom depend on the rainforests along the Amazon River. This extremely well-crafted work blends vivid first person accounts with stunning cinematography and feature an original score by famed Brazilian composer Egberto Gismonti.

Wilderness: The Last Stand 54 min., 1993 United States

A powerful documentary filmed in the Rocky Mountains of Montana which looks at the performance of the US Forestry Service. The video explores why so many public forests have been sacrificed for the convenience of commercial exploitation. Also discussed is the beauty and wealth of irreplaceable diversity only in natural forests, many of which have been destroyed at the hands of mankind. Directed by Miranda Smith and Narrated by Susan Sarandon, Wilderness: The Last Stand is an informative piece that asks "who's responsible for what's left of the American rainforests?"

North to Katahdin 28 min . 1992 United States

By Thomas Hogeboom, this video is a compelling portrait of the filmmaker and his colleagues' harrowing six month 2 000 mile journey on foot over the renowned Appalachian Trail from Springer Mountain, Georgia to the rugged Mt. Katahdin. The filmmaker walked the entire trail with his professional camera and camping gear stuffed in his backpack. Eight years in the making, North to Katahdin presents a tapestry of challenges and transcendent beauty to audiences From the spring flowers in the southern Appalachians to some of the world's most daunting weather conditions on Mt. Washington, Mr. Hogeboom's film on video bears witness to the importance of preservation of natural resources.

Our Vanishing Forests 58 min., 1992 United States

This tape by Arlen Slobodow, narrated by native American Pulitzer Prize winning author Dr. Scott Momaday, addresses a growing concern that our nation's forests may be mismanaged. Examining 100 years of Forest Service practice, the video seeks to discover why original principles have been abandoned in favor of a policy which permits continued harvesting from national forests. The politics of preservation are viewed from the perspectives of various constituencies within the Forest Service; from a regional viewpoint (where concern over employment chafe with local forest-watch groups' challenges of existing management plans); and nationally where Congressional and administrative issues can and often do conflict.

Last updated June 11, 2002. Version 5.1.

XHTML tagging and design by Kenneth Chandler