By Topic - Films, Podcasts, Books
Prepare for Emergencies:
Videos & Movies:
A Village Called Versailles
In a New Orleans neighborhood called Versailles, a tight-knit group of Vietnamese Americans overcame obstacles to rebuild after Hurricane Katrina, only to have their homes threatened by a new government-imposed toxic landfill. A VILLAGE CALLED VERSAILLES is the empowering story of how the Versailles people, who have already suffered so much in their lifetime, turn a devastating disaster into a catalyst for change and a chance for a better future.
Podcast:
The Big One - Season One
When The Big One hits it'll take under two minutes for more than 10 million Southern Californians to lose internet, power, and a sense of security. Host Jacob Margolis and Producer Misha Euceph take you on a journey to understand what the catastrophic earthquake will mean for Los Angeles, the U.S., and the world. This is what you need to know to survive.
The Big Burn - Season Two
As the world enters a new age of wildfires, science reporter Jacob Margolis dives deep into personal stories that illuminate the history of how we got here, why we keep screwing things up, and what we can do to survive and maybe even thrive while the world around us burns.
Books:
Restore Nature:
Videos & Movies:
Gather
This documentary is an intimate portrait of the growing movement amongst Native Americans to reclaim their spiritual, political and cultural identities through food sovereignty, while battling the trauma of centuries of genocide.
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.
Endgame 2050
Part fiction, part documentary, this film examines where we’re headed in the next 30 years, covering six categories: Sixth Mass Extinction, Ocean Acidification, Plastic Pollution, Overfishing, Population Growth, Climate Crisis, Food Security, Vegan Diets.
YouTube: How Radical Gardeners Took Back Their City
New York City looked a lot different in the 1960s and 1970s. A sharp economic decline and white flight meant there was mass disinvestment and urban decay, particularly in the city’s lower-income neighborhoods. It’s what Hattie Carthan and Liz Christy noticed in their communities when they each set out to revive their neighborhoods by making them greener. Ultimately, their radical acts of gardening would transform the landscape across New York City.
Podcast:
Rich Roll interviews Paul Hawkin
This in-depth interview uncovers some very important core principles to the current planetary crisis that Paul Hawkin lays out in his book Regeneration. Hawkin reflects on what he has learned since publishing the popular compilation of climate solutions in Drawdown and focuses more on a wholistic view of life on earth.
Books:
Climate: A New Story
By Charles Eisenstein, this book flips the script on climate change. Eisenstein makes a case for a wholesale reimagining of the framing, tactics, and goals we employ in our journey to heal from ecological destruction, putting love and beauty front and center.
Regeneration: Ending the Climate Crisis in One Generation
By Paul Hawkin, this book is a second look at the climate crisis after the initial success of Drawdown. Regeneration puts life at the center of every action and decision. Explore the website - it’s even better than the book. And listen to this Rich Roll podcast for an in-depth overview of the key concepts.
Braiding Sweetgrass
By Robin Wall Kimmerer, this beautiful book of indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge, and the teaching of plants will help you fall deeply in love with the mirage of life on earth.
The Lorax
By Dr. Seuss, this children’s classic should be read over and over - "Unless someone like you... cares a whole awful lot... nothing is going to get better... It's not."
Improve Buildings:
Videos & Movies:
What's a Good Ancestor, and how can I be one?
Climate change is something that will impact generations to come. That’s why Bev and Geoff Ainscow of Sunnyvale, CA decided their main goal was to help pass down a world in which their great-great-grandchildren can say, “Our good ancestors, back in the early 21st century, stopped using coal and burning fossil fuels for our sake. Because of them, we have a healthier, cleaner planet today.” This sweet and instructive 7-minute video will leave you wanting to do the same!
YouTube: The debate over gas and induction stoves
Scientists and professional chefs suggest there are plenty of reasons to cook with induction stoves instead of gas — fewer indoor air pollutants, more energy efficiency and better culinary results.
Podcast:
Books:
Transform Transportation:
Videos & Movies:
Motherload
Inspiring stories that begin with a Marin County new mother’s quest to understand the increasing isolation and disconnection of modern life, its planetary impact, and how cargo bikes could be an antidote. It will make you want to get on a bicycle and ride!
YouTube: Neighborhood of the future? No-car community coming to Tempe
By designing for people, Culdesac Tempe is able to shape their neighborhood in wonderfully inviting ways. In places you could have seen parking, you’ll instead see beautiful landscaping. And to keep all this space cool, they are building with absolutely zero asphalt! They offer residential units at a variety of price points integrated with local retail, commercial uses, and open space for nature and public plazas. Very cool!
YouTube: Why bike lanes don't make traffic worse - It’s complicated
Wondering how bike lanes and car traffic affect each other? Check out this thoughtful 5-minute video that explains the impact of bike lanes on congestion, pollution, and our health.
You Tube: How Can Walkable Cities Become the Norm?
Living in walkable cities is not only healthier for you, it's healthier for the environment — here’s how we can make more cities accessible and how that could benefit us in the long run. This episode is sponsored by Pikmin Bloom, which makes walking around your neighborhood even more fun.
Podcast:
Books:
Thoughtful Consumption:
Videos & Movies:
Interview with Dr. David Suzuki
In this powerful one-hour interview, Dr David Suzuki talks about climate change and the need to move beyond business as usual. The environmentalist, activist, professor of genetics and science broadcaster hits us with some hard truths about what our future will look like if we continue to live the way we have been.
The True Cost
The price of clothing has been decreasing for decades, while the human and environmental costs have grown dramatically. This groundbreaking documentary film pulls back the curtain on the untold story and asks us to consider, who really pays the price for our clothing?
Podcast:
Books:
On Care of Our Common Home
By Pope Francis, this encyclical letter calls for a “bold cultural revolution” in how we think about technological progress and economic growth. The degradation of our environment, he says, is a symptom of deeper problems. He offers a variety of solutions, including a change in lifestyles away from “extreme consumerism” and toward a greater sense of social responsibility.
Expand Your Impact:
Videos & Movies:
Paris to Pittsburgh
From coastal cities to America’s heartland, this National Geographic documentary celebrates how Americans are demanding and developing real solutions in the face of climate change. These stories will inspire you to think globally and act locally.
The Reluctant Radical
What happens when you really, truly take climate science to heart? Activist Ken Ward lets the audience consider if he is out of touch with reality, or if the rest of society is delusional for not acting when faced with the unsettling evidence that we are collectively destroying our world.
The Island President
Jon Shenk’s The Island President is the story of President Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives, a man confronting a problem greater than any other world leader has ever faced—the literal survival of his country and everyone in it. After bringing democracy to the Maldives after thirty years of despotic rule, Nasheed is now faced with an even greater challenge: as one of the most low-lying countries in the world, a rise of three feet in sea level would submerge the 1200 islands of the Maldives enough to make them uninhabitable.
TEDx: How to Build a Better Block
Have you ever looked at an empty building and imagined what could thrive there? (Perhaps the empty Couches building on the corner of Kentucky and Western?) Have you ever stepped out onto an inhospitable street and wondered what could make it a thriving place for people? (Maybe McDowell Blvd or East Washington St or Lakeville St?) If you are curious about what might transform these places, this TEDx talk by Jason Roberts on "How to build a better block" will definitely get you thinking!
Podcast:
Books:
Facing the Climate Emergency: How to Transform Yourself with Climate Truth
By Margaret Klein Salamon with Molly Gage, this self-help guide for reckoning with the climate crisis asks us to confront some heavy truths and become the hero humanity needs! This book works well when read with others and offers questions for reflection and discussion at the end of each chapter.
Bright Green Future
Inspiring true stories to envision the sustainable future of our dreams. Bright Green Future chronicles a renaissance at the edge of a crisis. As climate change shifts our planet towards an uncertain future, a movement of unlikely heroes are building a blueprint for a better world. It’s a world where clean power grows wealth for local communities, resources regenerate themselves, city planning is driven by the people, and healthy soil is our greatest asset.