Health & Environment 2013

A Forest in Flux

A Forest in Flux

Travis Kidd/2012/11 min/Health & Environment

A Forest in Flux explains the impacts of a recent mountain pine beetle outbreak in the Rocky Mountains. The film takes a narrative approach to explain the ecology of the mountain pine beetle to kids aged 8-12. We follow a young boy on his quest to discover what is killing all the pine trees in his back yard.  He uses a smart phone to do take photos of what he sees and does research about the clues he is finding.

Call of Life

Call of Life

Monte Thompson/2010/60 min/Health & Environment

All over the world species are becoming extinct at an astonishing rate, from 1000 to 10,000 times faster than normal. The loss of biodiversity has become so severe that scientists are calling it a mass extinction event. Call of Life: Facing the Mass Extinction is the first feature documentary to investigate the growing threat to Earth’s life support systems from this unprecedented loss of biodiversity.

Dying Green

Dying Green

Ellen Tripler/2011/26 min/Health & Environment

Have you chosen to live a greener life?  One man has and he has taken it one step further: he not only wants to live green but he wants die green as well and is helping others do the same.  Dying Green is a short documentary set in the foothills of the Appalachians, explores one man’s vision of using green burials to conserve land.

For the Price of a Cup of Coffee

For the Price of a Cup of Coffee

Hypatia Angelique Porter/2007/15 min

What is the cost of convenience?  For the Price of a Cup of Coffee is a short environmental documentary examining the life cycle of a paper cup and the repercussions of a society reliant on convenience.  Why are less than 1% of coffeeshop patrons bringing their own cup?  Why do we have so much garbage, and where does it go? What is the true cost of a disposable culture?

Play Again

Play Again

Tonje Hessen Schei/ 2010/ 82 min/ Health & Environment

FILM DESCRIPTION: This moving and humorous documentary follows six teenagers who, like the “average American child,” spend five to fifteen hours a day behind screens. Play Again unplugs these teens and takes them on their first wilderness adventure – no electricity, no cell phone coverage, no virtual reality. Through the voices of children and leading experts including a journalist, sociologist, environmental writer, educator, neuroscientist, parks advocate, and geneticist, Play Again investigates the consequences of a childhood removed from nature and encourages action for a sustainable future.

Searching for Shangri-La

Searching for Shangri-La

2012/60 min/Health & Environment

Dr. Richard Jackson explains the link between our health and the way our communities — especially our suburbs — are designed.  Obesity, asthma, diabetes and heart disease are all aggravated by the auto-centric way we live our lives today. It’s no secret that today’s generation of children are likely to have shorter lives than their parents because of their unhealthy lifestyles.  It doesn’t have to be this way. Well-designed communities can improve both physical and mental health, as Dr. Jackson explains in this four-part public television series and the accompanying book.  Searching for Shangri-La is part four of the series.

Stories of TRUST

Stories of TRUST

Kelly Matheson; Christi Cooper-Kuhn/2012/9 min per segment/Climate

Stories of TRUST: Calling for Climate Recovery, is about the perfect trifecta of youth, law and justice.  This series of short documentaries features the voices of daring youth from across the country who went to court to compel the government to protect our atmosphere, in trust, for future generations.  Calling for Climate Recovery is a 10-part groundbreaking documentary series of nine young people who bravely share their stories of harm, activism and hope around the climate crisis.