This past April 22 was the 55th Earth Day celebrated around the world, with billions of people participating in Earth Day activities. Including on campus, with the UW Sustainability Office Earth Day planting of 175 native trees and shrubs.
Since Earth Day was designated in April 1970, April has also become recognized as Earth Month. It offers both a time to get involved in local and global activities and reflect on how together, change can be made to protect our environment and communities. As the official Earth Day and Earth Month has passed, here are some short documentaries to continue engaging with environmental and sustainability work around the world and keep momentum for collaborative change going!
1. Heart Of The Osa (WaterBear Network, 2024, 13 minutes)
“We will maximize our impact if we all work together to accomplish our mutual goals.” – Spencer Ocean
In this documentary we are taken on a journey through the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica, seeing several of the over 250,000 unique species that inhabit the landscape. The Osa Peninsula is highly biodiverse, but this biodiversity is at risk due to climate change factors. The high intensity use of pesticides in Costa Rica has polluted the local environment, along with urban areas contributing to plastic pollution in the water. Learn about how the challenges are being addressed by non-governmental organizations. Organizations such as Raising Coral, COPROT Tortugas de Osa, BioSur Foundation, Biriteca Agroecológica, and more are working together through the Global Sustainability Collective to promote positive change.
2. Climb-It Change (WaterBear Network, 2017, 15 minutes)
“Some of these plants are hundreds of years old, when they burn they are not coming back.” – Trevor Bloom
This documentary follows Trevor Bloom and Matt Kneipp as they conduct research for the Arctic alpine lab in the U.S. Their research is attempting to understand what climate in the past has done to lead to diversity of organisms today and how changes in future climate and environment might impact the distribution and survival of these organisms. Alpine species are losing habitat due to the effects of climate change such as pathogen outbreaks, flooding, wildfires. There is a rapid destruction of alpine ecosystems due to high altitude fires. Through their research, they determined at a burned site it is 3.5 times more likely to find a species extinct. They emphasize the importance of familiarizing yourself with the nature around you and taking action to protect it.
3. Meet the Guardians of Earth’s Last Untouched Lands (WaterBear Network, 2024, 5 minutes)
“Our life cannot be without the trees, without the rivers, without the wild animals, without the cows that we keep.” – Tina Timan, Maasai Pastoralist
Learn about the work Indigenous Peoples’ Rights International (IPRI) is doing to help amplify the voices of Indigenous peoples globally. Addressing human rights violations, protecting Indigenous land rights and supporting the Maasai in bringing forth to the United Nations their case of displacement due to corporate and government exploitation of resources and land.
4. Shiringa (WaterBear Network, 2024, 11 minutes)
“We do not take more than we need. We create beauty for us while respecting and protecting the beauty of the jungle.” – Doris Pape Petsa
Hear from the Indigenous Awajún community in the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest, where they are making a bio-leather alternative to animal-derived and synthetic materials. The alternative comes from the shiringa tree, which they have used for years to create clothing. This tree is under threat from deforestation, which they are defending against. Awajún women are harvesting the sap from the tree to create bio-leather. Their work creates with nature, not against it, taking only what they need and letting the trees rest.
These four short documentaries are all available to watch for free on WaterBear Network, along with hundreds of other short and feature length documentaries across a range of climate, social and environmental topics. Keep learning and connecting with friends, family and community to work together for change!
