Celebrate Earth Day With These 9 Environmental Films

Earth Day is this coming Sunday, April 22nd. And not only that, the entire month of April is Keep America Beautiful month. There are lots of things we can do to help the environment. From simple acts like remembering to bring our reusable shopping bags when we grocery shop, bringing our own drink cup when we fill up at our favorite coffee shop, or even volunteering to plant trees or simply organizing a neighborhood clean-up.

If you’re feeling particularly “environmental” this earth day, here are a few movies you can watch that either celebrate our planet, or serve as a gentle reminder that how we take care of it makes a difference on a global scale.

 

Wall-E – Starz

Waste Allocator Load Lifter Earth-class, that’s Wall-E’s full name. What is at once the story of an adorable robot’s search for companionship across the galaxy, is also the story of what our world could potentially become. Give or take 700 years.

 

The 11th Hour – Rent or buy from $0.99 and up.

Produced by Leonardo DiCaprio, The 11th Hour is part terror and part hope. Documenting scientific research and linking unthinkable natural disasters to the climate change crisis, this film gives us some insight into what still could be possible if we act now.

 

Gorillas in the Mist – Rent or buy from $2.99 or up.

There are an estimated 880 mountain gorillas left on earth. In this 1988 biopic, Sigourney Weaver plays the late Diane Fossey, a scientist determined to help save the species. Without this brave woman, mountain gorillas may have been decimated even further. But despite this progress, animal conservation is even more important now than ever.  This film is a celebration of her life and her good work and a reminder to keep fighting to protect these beautiful creatures. 

 

Chasing Ice – Netflix

As visually arresting, as it is terrifying, Chasing Ice is a documentary film that chronicles the way that our footprint on this planet is literally changing the shape of the earth.

 

Ferngully: The Last Rainforest – Starz

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2OHc4OvjVc

Starring Robin Williams as the adorable sidekick Batty, and Tim Curry as the toxic villain Hexxus, Ferngully is a must-see. On the surface, it’s a story of a sprite named Crysta, who shrinks a human boy called Zak, and the magical world he discovers in the rainforest. But there is a lot more to Ferngully than meets the eye. From deforestation, to pollution, to animal testing, Ferngully touches on a myriad of environmental topics.

 

More than Honey – Rent or buy from $2.49 and up.

Speaking of conservation, unless you are living under a rock, you’ve probably heard about the drastic honey bee population decrease. Learn more about this crisis, and what we are doing to help, by checking out this 2012 Swiss documentary.

 

Erin Brockovich – HBO/Cinemax

Erin Brockovich isn’t just the story of a single mom who takes on a big corporation. It’s the story about how regulations regarding how companies dispose of the waste they create is important, not just in the grander scheme of things, but in the lives of the people who live in the nearby communities.

 

Home – Amazon Prime/Fandor/IndieFlix

Usually, those sweeping aerial documentaries are gorgeous and calming. At times, this is no different. Except it forces us to recognize, with absolute certainty, that we are responsible for this place we call home.

 

The Day After Tomorrow – Rent or buy for $2.99 and up.

This disaster film starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Emmy Rossum is basically every doomsday preppers worst nightmare come to life. Tornadoes, blizzards, tsunamis, hurricanes, you name it, this movie’s got it. And the really scary thing is that this is not too far from what many scientists warn could be a very real part of Earth’s future.