With Earth Day fast approaching on April 22, now is a great time to curate an Earth Day programming event at your school or library. The perfect place to find a range of environmental documentaries is the streaming service, Kanopy. Through this unique on-demand streaming service available through your university or library, Kanopy users can access a wide variety of different films, including Kanopy’s curated environmental studies collection.
Kanopy divides its Earth Day titles into five categories: Earth Day Favorites, Our Amazing Planet, Endangered Species, Sustainability, and Climate Change. Each title is hand selected by the Kanopy team to inspire and embolden viewers to take action and advocate for environmental justice.
These titles are the perfect way to learn more about the plants and animals that inhabit our world and the ways we can protect them from climate change and other environmental disasters. Whether you are a librarian, educator, student, or library patron, there is something for everyone within Kanopy’s Earth Day Collection.
Earth Day Favorites
The seven films in the Earth Day Favorites category showcase some of the most sought-after and beloved environmental documentaries that Kanopy offers. Favorite titles include the 2009 documentary, Food Inc., a popular film that reveals the shocking truths about how food in the United States is produced. Another film that inspires viewers to take action against animal cruelty is the 2013 documentary Blackfish, which examines the ethical dilemma of keeping intelligent killer whales in captivity.
Earth Day Favorites also features An Inconvenient Truth, a 2006 documentary that shows Al Gore’s persuasive argument to acknowledge the clear signs of climate change and take action against them. This educational documentary is a wake-up call that becomes more relevant every day.
A more recent title in this category is the 2020 film Spaceship Earth, a documentary about eight individuals who spent two years in a self-engineered biome as part of an experiment in 1991. Selections in this category are a great place to start planning your Earth Day programming, as they cover a range of different topics and emotions and inspire viewers to take action.
Our Amazing Planet
Films in the Our Amazing Planet category highlight the beautiful and diverse species that inhabit our planet. Animal documentaries focus on a wide array of different species from around the globe, like snow leopards in the highlands of Tibet, hippos struggling to survive as floodwaters dry in Botswana, and the elusive behaviors of wild pandas in the mountains of China.
These titles also educate viewers about parts of the natural world beyond animals, by examining wonders like trees and volcanoes. One title in this category that would be ideal for public screening events is Animal Babies: First Year on Earth, which focuses on the challenges wild animals face within their first year of life. Our Amazing Planet documentaries would be ideal for young viewers and people who want to learn more about specific plant and animal species.
Endangered Species
Films in the Endangered Species section pay special attention to animal species that are endangered. They highlight the behaviors of endangered species and understand the devastation their extinction would have on entire ecosystems.
These educational documentaries encourage viewers to take action so that species like killer whales, rhinos, and honeybees are not lost forever. They also highlight animals that many viewers may not know are endangered, such as the bird species thrushes, warblers, and orioles.
The 2021 film Escape from Extinction is an excellent selection that emphasizes just how many animals need our help to be saved from disappearing from the planet. This documentary narrated by Helen Mirren showcases critical efforts to preserve the countless species that are on the brink of extinction. These titles would be ideal for raising environmental awareness at your school or library.
Sustainability
The Sustainability category includes documentaries that explore various ecological disasters that ravage our planet and the measures that we can take against them. These films expose the dangers of rapidly growing crises like air pollution, the plastic industry, and fast fashion. However, they also showcase groups of activists and everyday civilians that are working to undo the damage created by these practices.
For example, the 2009 documentary, Fresh, profiles farmer and business people that are reimagining sustainable food production in America. The 2020 film Current Sea explores the efforts to create a marine conservation area and combat illegal fishing.
One recommended title is the 2020 PBS documentary, The Man Who Tried to Feed the World. This film follows the story of Norman Borlaug, a man whose “Green Revolution” agriculture programs remedied India’s famine problem and saved millions of lives. These titles would be ideal for undergrad and graduate students studying environmental studies, political science, and sustainable solutions for the future.
Climate Change
Finally, films in the Climate Change category tackle the enormous issue of climate change head-on. These films examine how climate change affects all parts of the world, from rising sea levels on the Marshall Islands, destructive wildfires in the Western woodlands, melting polar ice caps, and the destruction of coral reefs. The Climate Change documentaries also examine how public opinion and skepticism impede the handling of these issues.
For example, the 2012 Frontline film, Climate of Doubt, examines how public opinion on climate change has cooled considerably from hot-button issues, with many politicians ignoring or rejecting the idea that it is occurring. This film discusses the organizations and political measures that have shifted the direction of the climate debate. These titles would be the perfect way to inspire awareness and change at a variety of different educational or library programming events.
Kanopy is the place to be awestruck by our amazing planet and to be encouraged to curb the dangers our planet is currently facing. Visit kanopy.com/category/17330 to view the curated Earth Day collection. Libraries who don't yet have Kanopy can find out more and join at lib.kanopy.com. Kanopy is also home to a wide variety of films suitable for all patrons, students, and audiences.