Summary: The strategic key to the American Revolution, a vital transportation artery for a fledgling nation, and an enduring source of spiritual and artistic inspiration, the Hudson River is a true American icon. This Bill Moyers program focuses on the seminal role the Hudson has played in the development of America's culture, literature, art, economy, industry, and ideology. Interviews with historian...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
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Summary: Called "the rainforests of the sea," the world's coral reefs are home to millions of species. But these underwater ecosystems are in grave danger. This program travels to Chumbe Island Coral Park, Zanzibar; Mafia Island Marine Park, Tanzania; and Ras Mohammed National Park, Egypt, to study the fragile ecology and amazing biodiversity of coral reefs-and the impacts of tourism, pollution,...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
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Summary: After surviving an emergency crash-landing, Dr. Sam Chao resolved to do something that would make a difference in the world. This award-winning program follows the outcome of his resolution: ECO, the Ecological Conservancy Outreach fund. Donating his life savings to the project, Dr. Chao enlists his childhood friend, Dr. Larry Wang, to clean up the Yangtze River and its tributaries, ravaged by...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
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Summary: The Karuk, Yurok, and Hoopa peoples live along northern California's Klamath River, and each tribe's ancient culture revolves around the majestic Pacific salmon. Today, four large hydroelectric dams have made salmon extinction a real and frightening possibility. This case study follows tribal members as they confront the owners of the dams-specifically, a global energy giant in Scotland which...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
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Summary: They take hundreds of years to biodegrade and have sparked heated debate around the world. This documentary examines the controversy over plastic bags, from their often devastating environmental impact to their remarkable ubiquity in consumer culture. Outlining the bag's connection to Big Oil, the film presents environmental case studies in Mumbai, where clogged flood drains have sparked...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
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Summary: The last few decades have seen a dramatic increase in cases of low sperm count, sperm abnormalities, and testicular cancer—while, in more than 20 industrialized nations, the male birth rate has steadily declined. This program examines the phenomenon and its likely cause: synthetic chemicals found in everything from common plastics to meat and dairy products. Investigating these so-called...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
Summary: According to some environmental experts, the air inside our homes and offices could be more polluted than the outdoor air in the largest cities. Radon, mold, household cleaning products, and secondhand smoke are only a few elements that may pose health risks. This program examines the issue in detail and illustrates ways to improve indoor air quality. Case studies include a nonsmoker diagnosed...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
Summary: Its name conjures images of America's mythical past, encoded in the stories and novels of Mark Twain. But today's Mississippi River is rife with challenges no 19th-century storyteller could have imagined. From issues of basic survival to triumphs of creativity and profit, this program follows the day-to-day lives of those who dwell on the Mississippi. Starting in the town of Cairo,...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
Summary: This program investigates sources of runoff and the pollution that occurs when it washes contaminants such as pesticides, bacteria, oil, and unwanted nutrients into aquatic ecosystems. Cost-effective initiatives to divert and filter runoff are also spotlighted, including stormwater rehabilitation systems, highway runoff purification systems, construction site erosion controls, and waste...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: In an era of high-speed international commerce, safety standards and import inspection procedures are riddled with loopholes. The result? Quantities of dangerous substances found in goods manufactured overseas have risen dramatically. This program investigates the alarming global mobility of synthetic toxins, tracing egregious-yet often repeated-hazardous material violations from supplier to...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2010
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Summary: Flush toilets are one way to deal with human waste-but they themselves are wasteful, as clean water and nutrient-rich biological matter are allowed to simply go down the drain. This earthy but informative program addresses the benefits of the dry toilet and waterless urinal, ecosanitation devices that collect human waste for use as compost and fertilizer. Ideal for regions where conventional...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
Summary: Alongside the glittery promise of nanotechnology sits a Pandora’s box of potential concerns that range from worrisome applications like nano-enhanced surveillance devices and weapon systems to unintended consequences such as nanopollution and nanotoxicity. This program takes a balanced look at the debate over potential nanotech risks as it presents viewers with the informed opinions of...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2010
View online at AVOD
Summary: A great many materials can impact the environment in a negative way-and while the by-products of manufacturing are a significant factor, pollution can also consist of discarded and post-consumer items. This program explores how pollution can affect the air, water, and land in the form of gases, liquids, and solids. Viewers learn about substances that constitute pollution, such as petroleum...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2010
View online at AVOD
Summary: An excellent example of governmental and community cooperation in the face of long-standing legal enmity, this program explains how the Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power are working to eliminate hazardous concentrations of airborne dust from the Owens Lake lakebed-drained nearly dry to supply L.A. with water. The biggest...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: Harnessing the power of the atom is a staggering technological achievement-but how is it done, exactly? This program guides viewers through the complex science and basic operation of a nuclear power station. Outlining the nuclear fuel cycle-including mining, milling, enrichment, fabrication, storage, and reprocessing-the video looks at specific mining procedures; discusses the structure and...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
Summary: Much of what is known about the environmental disaster in Libby, Montana, has been due to the unflagging efforts of residents Les Skramstad, U.S. attorney for Montana, and Gayla Benefield. In this ABC News program, these determined individuals are joined by Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter Andrew Schneider; Drs. Brad Black and Alan Whitehouse, of Libby's Center for Asbestos-Related...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: In 1980, three frustrated mothers made American history by taking federal officials hostage in the community built on the site of New York's toxic Love Canal. In this riveting expose, the three activists-Lois Gibbs, Barbara Quimby, and Patti Grenzy-and research scientist Dr. Beverly Paigen, who staunchly stood by the residents, discuss their volatile four-year political battle to have the...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
View online at AVOD
Summary: With more than half of America's landfills already closed, it is predicted that 22 states will soon run out of landfill capacity. Episode one of this program presents regionalization, the pooling of municipal resources across political boundaries, as a partial solution. Environmental project specialist Elizabeth Tarver, representatives of BFI and Waste Management, and others address topics such...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2008
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Summary: Rich in history, the Rhine feeds Europe's collective identity-as well as its divisions. Flowing from Switzerland through Austria, Germany, France, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, the river intersects a multitude of towns and cities in the process. This program follows the Rhine on its multifaceted journey and examines economic, political, environmental, and historical issues surrounding it....
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
Summary: This program examines the harm done to the Everglades by decades of exploitation and contamination. The impact of the sugar and orange industries, of flood control efforts, of Florida's burgeoning population, and even of competing conservation initiatives are considered. The points of view of environmentalists, industry, Native Americans, and academics are represented by John Ogden, of the...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: The Donana marshland. The oyster beds below Rio. The Caspian's sturgeon fishing grounds. The coral reefs of the South Pacific. This program travels to Spain, Brazil, Iran, and Fiji to observe efforts to mitigate severe ecological damage to these sensitive regions-places primarily spoiled by water pollution, with causes as varied as upland agricultural runoff and the rupture of a mine tailings...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: Household waste can cause pollution of all kinds, but more and more of these wastes can be recycled effectively and economically. The result is reduced pollution and a useful new source of raw materials and energy. Hospital waste disposal presents the additional problems of contaminated waste, which is a series of problems depending on the nature of the waste: contaminated blood waste, for...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
Summary: A typical city of 100,000 produces millions of gallons of wastewater every day. In this program, Harold Gorman, of the New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board; Teresa Battenfield, director of Houston's wastewater treatment plant; Casi Callaway, executive director of Mobile Bay Watch; and many others consider the challenges of collecting wastewater via aging pipes as populations continue to grow....
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: As fresh water sources dwindle in the arid American Southwest, California faces growing difficulty in managing and sustaining its irrigation infrastructure. This program analyzes the multifaceted problem, sifting through environmental and political factors and assessing a number of potential solutions. Beginning its fact-finding tour at the Water Education Foundation in Sacramento, the film...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009