Blog Update!
For those of you not following me on Facebook, as of the Summer of 2019 I've moved to Central WA, to a tiny mountain town of less than 1,000 people.

I will be covering my exploits here in the Cascades, as I try to further reduce my impact on the environment. With the same attitude, just at a higher altitude!

Sunday, March 2, 2008

Enviro movie poll

Just a quick, simple poll for you today...



Why did you vote for the one you did? What about it made such an impact for you? What other movies do you recommend?

21 comments:

Chile said...

I'm not going to vote because I've only seen one of those. Does this mean I lose all my credibility now? :(

Wendy said...

I've only seen two of the films - An Inconvenient Truth and Who Killed the Electric Car?. Both had an incredibly profound impact on the way I live my life. However, An Inconvenient Truth really was the one that was "life changing" for me.

One you don't have listed that was also life changing for me is the The Story of Stuff.

And the one movie that REALLY changed how I view my world and my economy is Zeitgeist, The Movie, although it's not necessarily an "environmental" movie ;).

Anonymous said...

You need a category for people that have not seen any of the movies. I love to vote, even if my vote doesn't matter!!

Greenpa said...

Yup- haven't seen ANY. Shocking, huh? :-)

I also tend to avoid movies about the Holocaust, and massacres of natives. I already know, and they're really depressing!

Which does NOT mean I don't think the movies are a good idea; on the contrary! Here's a comment of mine from a recent DotEarth blog artists needed

Anonymous said...

I've only seen an Inconvenient Truth -- and only saw that because NOBODY could believe I hadn't seen it. I don't watch a lot of TV or movies. Finally I broke down and got it and figured I'd fold laundry or clean while it was on as background noise. Then I could say I saw it and people would leave me the heck alone! :) I know it sounds trite as everyone says an Inconvenient Truth was life changing, but for me, it really was. I had no idea. None. Completely clueless about environmental change until I saw that movie. And it completely changed my opinion of Al Gore. I only wish he would have shown that side of himself while he was running for President.

Anyway, that's the only one I saw, but it was the only one I needed to see. I've read lots of books, gotten hooked in to the internet enviro change blogs, etc. I make baby changes and make them stick. Slowly, slowly, I am moving along in the right direction now!

just ducky said...

I've only seen one of the movies as well...so I voted for it...does that mean that I just mucked up the poll?...oh bother...

I agree about The Story of Stuff...I found it fascinating. Although it was a short movie, it was PACKED with really important information.

And I agree with Greenpa's statement as well (I'm just so stinkin' agreeable today, amazing!)...in order to reach the masses, the artistic community must be involved. From the comments here alone...quite a few said that they watched An Inconvenient Truth because of "peer pressure" of sorts...If we had a number of movies come out and create that kind of buzz...many more people would inevitably be reached.

Anonymous said...

What about Our Daily Bread?

http://www.ourdailybread.at/jart/projects/utb/website.jart?rel=en&content-id=1130864824947

A big negative vote for An Inconvenient Truth. Why is Al Gore either DRIVING in a LIMO or FLYING in every single cutaway from the stage? I could only watch half of it I was so disgusted with this hypocrisy. It's like making a film about all the starving children in Africa and then having the film's narrator chow down on a giant all-you-can-eat buffet every five minutes. Enough is enough!

Anonymous said...

Oh, one other recommendation.

Manufactured Landscapes. It's a look at how industry in China and India have affected people and the landscape. Well worth watching. The segment on the Three Gorges Dam is mind-blowing.

It's based on industrial landscape photography by Ed Burtynsky.

http://www.mongrelmedia.com/films/ManufacturedLandscapes.html

Unknown said...

I'm making a note of everyone's recommendations so I can see the ones I haven't yet viewed. Here's one that impressed me: The End of Suburbia http://www.endofsuburbia.com/ It inspired me to get on my bike and out of my car more.

Erika said...

I second Chile - I've only seen one of 'em.

:-)

Anonymous said...

Can't vote because I haven't seen any (gasp!), but I'll throw my hat into the Story of Stuff ring, too.

Unknown said...

I've only seen An Inconvenient Truth. I tried to see The Future of Food, but I had to take my daughter to the screening because my husband was out of town and she wasn't having any of it. I felt o bad about being a disruption that i bought the dvd from the organizers. 2 years later, I still haven't watched it. How pathetic is that? Ah well, there was a pregnancy and baby in there to keep me busy (he turns one on Tuesday. woohoo!)

Lisa said...

Hi, I just found your blog, via "our slice of heaven." I am looking for a place to recycle shoes, I live in a small town so I am not near a Nike outlet.

ruchi said...

I've only seen An Inconvenient Truth and Who Killed The Electric Car. I loved them both, but I think I'd have to give the nod to Inconvenient Truth just because I think it really forced me to think about the bigger issues more. It for me was a catalyst for change and had I never seen it, I may never have gone down the path I'm going down now.

With that said WKTEC was really good, and King Corn is high on my Netflix queue.

Anonymous said...

Crunchy, I really admire your efforts. I think it is important to get the messages out in as many different ways as there are people. Film and television are highly effective for some. I am astonished at the amount of film our local schools use in their curriculum. It is not my preferred method. I find it mildly irritating when over used in the classroom. The eldest of my 3 children is highly influenced by this source (unfortunately), so if this medium is what I have to use to reach her and others who share this interest, then this is what I'll use. 'The End of Suburbia' is the film which for me, as ll says...stands out. 'An Inconvenient Truth' communicates the message well and seems to have significantly affected many people. David Suzuki and his foundation is our Canadian counterpart. 'The Story of Stuff' is fabulous and again will reach another type of audience. 'Black Gold' is another eye opening documentary, well worth a viewing. ‘The Corporation’ and ‘Sicko’ spread a little insight into where our society is situated. Other films, which I haven’t seen, but have been recommended are: ‘Toxic Trespass: How Safe Are Your Children?’, Build Green’, ‘A Crude Awakening: The Oil Crash’, ‘Weather Report’, ‘Freedom Fuels’, ‘Exposure: Environmental Links to Breast Cancer’, ‘Out of Balance: ExxonMobil’s Impact On Climate Change’, ‘Being Caribou’, ‘God Grew Tired Of Us’, ‘The Edge of Eden: Living With Grizzlies’. I know there are plenty more out there, but here are a few suggestions for viewing, or in case you want to organize an Environmental Film Festival fundraising event for your wonderful causes.

Sam said...

I've only seen an Inconvenient Truth and it was because I was forced to for a class. Books influence me more than movies.

Although not an environmental movie, I recently watched "Life in the Freezer" - its about the wildlife in Antartica. I learned some new things, such as Antartica has 3/4 of the world's fresh water supply so I got sad because it may be the next battleground and the poor little penguins and seals will be killed.

Jason C said...

I just saw The 11th Hour. It comes out on DVD in April and is only $5 most places. I recommend picking it up and sharing it or donating it to your library when you're done. I really want to see it again to fully digest all of it.


-Jason
http://www.screamtobegreen.com

Humble wife said...

I will be honest and say that I am with another that posted the hypocrisy of the movie An Inconvenient Truth. I live to be a good steward but before I start to buy into another's cause, I want to see that they live the way they speak.

Now I read something the other day that places me in a category of being more responsible...that is being one who is living on a budget and trying to put the most healthy things I can into me and my family.

I really cannot fathom how so many join the rally behind these movies when Mr. Gore lives in such a way that 40 - 50 of my family styles could live, and it is just Al and Tipper.

I personally wish that YOU would make a movie of your beliefs and the way that you live, and why, because then you would get more humble folks like me to truly see what is going on.

Make no mistake I do believe that global warming exist along with global cooling, but that the champions of the movement are not respectable.

Of course this is my opinion. I do respect you and have been a lurker to your blog for some time, for the very reason that I have made huge lifestyle changes and now live on a small farm that we are working to make self sustainable.

hannah said...

I voted for Who Killed the Electric Car? - it made me realize that we as consumers really do need to be aware of how our dollars are casting votes. Another one that was particularly powerful for me was The Corporation. While it wasn't particularly focused wholly on green topics, it did address the unsustainable nature of the American (well, international) corporation. A third recommendation: is The Real Dirt on Farmer John - loved it.

Anonymous said...

I loved Who Killed the Electric Car? as well as The Story of Stuff, Manufactured Landscapes, Sicko, and The End of Suburbia. I voted for Who Killed the Electric Car?

I want to also add to the comments about An Inconvenient Truth. When I saw it I learned a lot of things - it really educated me and that was definitely a positive. However, I also noticed the limos and planes, and for me, it isn't enough just to pay for carbon offsets.

Additionally, after I learned more about food politics, especially how we use land and resources for our beef industry, which damages the earth as much as cars do, I expected Gore to say something about it. He's been asked several times but he will not commit to encouraging environmental action through food aside from eating locally. That seems really bad to me.

I admit that I do not think environmental action is an all or nothing prospect. Maybe I should say, it is good that he's gotten info out there to impact and educate people. Yet it seems that it is much easier for him to spend money on a new car or on carbon offsets while he keeps most of his lifestyle the same. You can bet he can afford all the green and eco products and isn't switching to cloth toilet wipes or freezing his buns off.

Laura said...

I've seen Inconvenient, 11th and Who killed.
Voted for Who killed. :)

I think movies are a neat way to reach a larger number of people. In addition to movies, I read a lot of books on the subjects that interest me. It's always best to get info from several different sources and make a decision for yourself. :)!