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Conservation of natural resources Economic aspects Conservation of natural resources Waste disposal Environmental geography Environmental protection Human ecology Human geography Environmental aspects Nature Effect of human beings on Refuse and refuse disposal Toxicology Water PollutionSummary: Stretching over 4,000 miles across South America, the Amazon River has long defied human efforts to tame it. Not a single bridge crosses it, and not one dam halts its flow. This program visits urban centers on the banks of the Amazon and examines new attempts to harness-or exploit-the river's energy and natural abundance. The journey begins at Iquitos-a Peruvian city blighted by poverty and...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
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Summary: Among the most utilized waterways in the world, the Yangtze River is also one of the most volatile. This program sheds light on humanity's battle to tame and profit from the river-specifically, a project initiated by Chiang Kai-shek in the 1930s. The program also studies corresponding ecological problems. Viewers are introduced to the Three Gorges Dam, a concrete mega-structure visible from...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
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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
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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
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Summary: Were it not for the elemental forces of the Nile River, the great architecture of ancient Egypt and Ethiopia might never have been built. But in today's water-starved world, the river could lead both countries down a destructive path. This program examines lives and livelihoods that depend on the Nile, from the humble to the hugely ambitious. In Egypt, viewers encounter a struggling Cairo...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
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
View online at AVOD
Summary: Rising from a Himalayan ice cave and emptying into the bay of Bengal, the Ganges River is sacred to Hindus as a purifying spirit-yet it currently suffers from pollution and neglect. This program follows the Ganges through various Indian cities, studying their relationship with the river and assessing its uncertain future. Beginning in Gangotri, the program profiles a photographer who has...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
Summary: Our most valuable treasure, is how residents of Dakar describe the Bay of Han. But pollution from both residential and industrial sources is destroying the body of water that has long supported fishing families in the Senegalese capital. This program reports on Western-aided efforts to restore the bay's ecological health and its viability as an economic resource. Specific challenges include the...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2010
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Summary: Almost one-fifth of the world's electricity comes from nuclear power. Supporters claim it is safe, cheap, and the answer to global warming. Critics call it dangerous, expensive, and hardly the solution to climate change. This program presents arguments for and against nuclear energy while exploring scientific concepts behind it. Topics include: the disposal or storage of radioactive waste; the...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
Summary: The U.S. produces 200 million tons of municipal solid waste per year-and the landfill area used by the nation's ten largest cities alone is larger than the entire state of Indiana. Divided into two episodes, this program draws on the knowledge of William Mollere, of the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality; Marty Tittelbaum, of the University of New Orleans; and other experts, first to...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
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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
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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: 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
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
View online at AVOD
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
View online at AVOD
Summary: Despite great strides made in reducing point source pollution, America still has 300,000 miles of rivers and streams and 5 million acres of lakes that remain contaminated. This documentary examines how coastal and inland communities across the country are turning their attention to controlling non-point source pollution through watershed management and TMDL-total maximum daily load-programs....
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
View online at AVOD
Summary: Have Earth's vibrant waterways-its streams, rivers, lakes, and oceans-become delivery systems for pollutants and poison? This program points to signs that toxic substances are overwhelming our planet's aquatic ecosystems. Viewers encounter many of the causes for this concern, including a radical decrease in frog populations, distressed marine mammals in estuary habitats, and disturbing changes...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2010
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Summary: Made from waste, packaged in waste: that's the mantra of TerraCycle, an entrepreneurial startup that uses worms to turn premium organic garbage into fertilizer that is then packaged and shipped in repurposed plastic containers and cardboard cartons. This fast-paced program will have viewers sweating right along with TerraCycle's 22-year-old founder Tom Szaky as it tracks his company through...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2008
View online at AVOD
Summary: Consider the following irony: that we live twice as long as our ancient ancestors did, even though our bodies contain all manner of synthetic and sometimes toxic substances-an unpleasant requirement of life in our modern age. This program explores the health impact, wide variety, and alarming ubiquity of manufactured chemicals. Viewers will see how communities around the world-including Inuit...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2008
View online at AVOD
Summary: The tremolite asbestos-tainted vermiculite from Zonolite Mountain has spread its lethal legacy well beyond Montana and the town of Libby, where it was mined and milled for decades: over the years, 236 cities in 42 states received billions of pounds of it to be processed into a range of consumer products. This ABC News program focuses on trouble spots in Michigan, New Jersey, and Colorado. With...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
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Summary: This program illustrates the physical, biological, and chemical treatment processes required to decontaminate industrial and residential wastewater and describes ways in which discharge is being put to work. Two wastewater treatment facilities are toured-one a traditional bricks-and-mortar operation and the other a constructed wetland system. Also, Steve Woods, of the Bayou Marcus Water...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
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: Chemical irritants can cause a debilitating sensitivity or even a chemical injury. This program examines the all-too-common threat of chemical exposure-often from products and materials found in the average home or office building. Showing how contaminants and irritants can travel through heating and air conditioning ducts, the program highlights a case study in which a woman developed rashes,...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
Summary: The U.S. needs more than 340 billion gallons of fresh water every day, but industrial effluent, agricultural runoff, and municipal discharge are contributing to an ongoing decline in water quality. In this program, Marty Tittelbaum, of the University of New Orleans; a water quality consultant; an environmental attorney; teachers; and many others address public health concerns, the need for...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006