ESC Library
Environmental Sustainable Committee Library
All materials can be checked out at the Public Library
 
Some of the below can be found on Amazon Prime, NetFlex, and other streaming platforms as well as the Ellensburg Public Library.
 
Documentaries
 
The 11th Hour: (DVD). 2007 documentary film on the state of the natural environment created, produced, co-written and narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio. It was directed by Leila Conners Petersen and Nadia Conners and financed by Adam Lewis and Pierre André Senizergues, and distributed by Warner Independent Pictures. Its world premiere was at the 2007 60th Annual Cannes Film Festival 
 
Attenborough in Paradise and Other Personal Voyages. (DVD, 2 discs). 2007. Seven specials starring Sir David Attenborough are collected here, including ATTENBOROUGH IN PARADISE, in which he visits the spectacular birds of New Guinea; THE AMBER MACHINE, in which he embarks upon a quest sparked by the gift of a piece of amber by a refugee girl many years ago; THE LOST GODS OF EASTER ISLANDS; and more.
 
BARAKA: (DVD, 2 discs). A World Beyond Words. 1992. From Nepal to Kenya, from Australia to Brazil, people try to cope with the changes that have altered their landscape, crowding them together and speeding up daily life. The film shows us these alienated people, but also images of traditions--whirling dervishes and Tibetan monks--that offer different, peaceful ways of existence. Shot in 70mm in 24 countries, this awesome musical and visual montage expresses the global existence of nature and man in the broadest sensory terms. The non-narrative documentary film was directed by Ron Fricke. BARAKA in ancient Sufi language , is a word that translates to ‘the thread that weaves life together’.
 
Before The Flood: (DVD). 2016. Documentary film about climate change directed by Fisher Stevens. The film was produced as a collaboration between Stevens, Leonardo DiCaprioJames PackerBrett Ratner, Trevor Davidoski, and Jennifer Davisson Killoran. Martin Scorsese is an executive producer. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2016, and was released theatrically on October 21, before airing on the National Geographic Channel on October 30. As part of National Geographic's commitment to covering climate change, the documentary was made widely available and free of charge on various platforms.
 
Blue Planet: (DVD, 4 discs). 2001. The Blue Planet is a British nature documentary series created and produced by the BBC. It is narrated by David Attenborough. Described as "the first ever comprehensive series on the natural history of the world's oceans", each of the eight 50-minute episodes examines a different aspect of marine life. The underwater photography included creatures and behavior that had previously never been filmed. The series won a number of Emmy and BAFTA TV awards for its music and cinematography. The executive producer was Alastair Fothergill and the music was composed by George Fenton.
 
Blue Planet II: (Blu-Ray). David Attenborough narrated. 2017 British nature documentary series on marine life produced by the BBC Natural History Unit. Like its predecessor, The Blue Planet (2001), it is narrated and presented by naturalist Sir David Attenborough, while the main music score was composed by Hans Zimmer. The series was debuted on 29 October 2017 and was simulcast on BBC OneBBC One HD and BBC Earth, making it the first natural history series to premiere on the same day in the United Kingdom, Nordic regions, Europe and in Asia. In the United States, the series premiered on Saturday, January 20, 2018, at 9 PM as part of a five-network simulcast on BBC America, AMC, IFC, Sundance, and WE tv. Subsequent episodes aired on successive Saturdays on BBC America.
 
Chasing Ice: (DVD). 2012 Documentary film about the efforts of nature photographer James Balog and his Extreme Ice Survey (EIS) to publicize the effects of climate change, directed by Jeff Orlowski. It was released in the United States on November 16, 2012. The documentary includes scenes from a glacier calving event that took place at Jakobshavn Glacier in Greenland, lasting 75 minutes, the longest such event ever captured on film. Two EIS videographers waited several weeks in a small tent overlooking the glacier, and were finally able to witness 7.4 cubic kilometres (1.8 cu mi) of ice crashing off the glacier. "The calving of a massive glacier believed to have produced the ice that sank the Titanic is like watching a city break apart.
See also Chasingice.com, Extremeicesurvey.org. https://earthvisioninstitute.org https://www.facebook.com/chasingice. https://www.ted.com/speakers/james_balog
 
Climate Refugees: (DVD). 2010. As the impact of global climate change grows, in many parts of the world the key question is no longer how to prevent the consequences of this threat to the environment, but what to do as people struggle to deal with the effects of mankind's carelessness. Parts of the world that were once habitable are slowly but dramatically changing, and the people that once lived on islands slowly submerging under rising oceans and plains that are turning to deserts have to find somewhere else to go. What is do be done with the people who have been displaced by climate change, and which nations should take them in? Filmmaker Michael Nash explores this side of the climate change debate in the documentary CLIMATE REFUGEES; filmed over the course of two years, the film examines the causes of climate change, nations that are suffering most from its effects, and the political, economic and environmental issues behind moving the people are becoming the first victims of this crisis. CLIMATE REFUGEES was an official selection at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.
 
The Cove: (DVD). 2009 documentary film directed by Louie Psihoyos which analyzes and questions dolphin hunting practices in Japan. It was awarded the 2010 Oscar for Best Documentary Feature in 2010. The film is a call to action to halt mass dolphin kills, change Japanese fishing practices, and to inform and educate the public about the risks, and increasing hazard, of mercury poisoning from dolphin meat. The film is told from an ocean conservationist's point of view. The film highlights the fact that the number of dolphins killed in the Taiji dolphin drive hunting is several times greater than the number of whales killed in the Antarctic, and asserts that 23,000 dolphins and porpoises are killed in Japan every year by the country's whaling industry. The migrating dolphins are herded into a cove where they are netted and killed by means of spears and knives over the side of small fishing boats. The film argues that dolphin hunting as practiced in Japan is unnecessary and cruel.
 
Cowspirancy: (DVD) 2014 documentary film which explores the impact of animal agriculture on the environment, and investigates the policies of environmental organizations on this issue. The film looks at various environmental concerns, including global warmingwater usedeforestation, and ocean dead zones, and suggests that animal agriculture is the primary source of environmental destruction. The documentary was directed by Kip Andersen and Keegan Kuhn. Environmental organizations investigated in the film include GreenpeaceSierra ClubSurfrider FoundationRainforest Action NetworkOceana.
The Union of Concerned Scientists has disputed the film's assertion that the majority of greenhouse gases driving climate change are produced by animal agriculture, as this runs counter to scientific consensus which is that the main cause is fossil fuel emissions. Also, in contrast to claims made in the film, a 2018 peer-reviewed meta-analysis estimates that the food supply chain is responsible for 26% of anthropogenic GHG emissions.
 
Food Inc. (DVD). 2008. You’ll Never Look At Dinner The Same Way Again: American documentary film directed by filmmaker Robert Kenner. The film examines corporate farming in the United States, concluding that agribusiness produces food that is unhealthy, in a way that is environmentally harmful and abusive of both animals and employees. The film is narrated by Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser. The film received positive responses and was nominated for several awards, including the Academy Award and the Independent Spirit Awards in 2009, both for Best Documentary Feature.
 
Forks over Knives: DVD. 2012. The Extended Interviews. Documentary filmmaker Lee Fulkerson explores the possibility that so-called "diseases of affluence," such as heart disease, can be reversed by simply adjusting our diets to include less processed and animal-based foods. discoveries. The film also records the experiences of a group of patients suffering from chronic maladies as they participate in an experiment in which their diets are substantially altered and wholesome, plant-based food is, essentially, used as medicine.
 
Happy: (DVD). 2011 feature documentary film directed, written, and co-produced by Roko Belic. It explores human happiness through interviews with people from all walks of life in 14 different countries, weaving in the newest findings of positive psychology. Roko Belic was inspired to create the film after producer/director Tom Shadyac showed him an article in The New York Times titled "A New Measure of Well Being from a Happy Little Kingdom. The article ranks the United States as the 23rd-happiest country in the world.
 
Home: (DVD). 2009. Narrated by Glenn Close and featuring the provocative and uniquely jaw-dropping aerial photography of famed photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand, this soaring trip across planet Earth allows viewers to experience their home as never before.
 
Life: (DVD, 4 discs). 2009. The original script was written and narrated by David Attenborough.
Life is a British nature documentary series created and produced by the BBC in association with The Open University. It was first broadcast as part of the BBC's Darwin Season on BBC One and BBC HD from October to December 2009. The series takes a global view of the specialized strategies and extreme behavior that living things have developed in order to survive; what Charles Darwin termed "the struggle for existence".
 
More Than Honey: (DVD). 2012  Swiss documentary film directed by Markus Imhoof about honeybee colonies in California, Switzerland, China and Austria. The film was submitted for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film at the 86th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.
 
No Impact Man: (DVD). 2009. Colin Beavan and Michelle Conlin playing themselves. Documentary film directed by Laura Gabbert and Justin Schein, based on the book by Colin Beavan. The film, which premiered September 4, 2009, follows Colin Beavan and his family during their year-long experiment to have zero impact on the environment. The film mostly takes place in New York City.
 
One Life: (DVD). 1996. An epic Adventure with a Cast of Millions. BBC. This nature documentary narrated by Daniel Craig compiles visually stunning footage filmed over the course of 3000 days, spanning all five continents, and featuring a wide variety of life forms throughout every stage of the life cycle.
 
Planet Earth: (DVD 5 discs). The Complete Series. David Attenborough narrated. 2006 British television series produced by the BBC Natural History Unit. Five years in the making, it was the most expensive nature documentary series ever commissioned by the BBC and also the first to be filmed in high definition. The series received multiple awards, including four Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award, and an award from the Royal Television Society.
 
Plastic Paradise: (DVD). The Great Pacific Garbage Patch: 2014. Thousands of miles away from civilization, Midway Atoll is in one of those most remote places on earth. And yet it's become ground zero for The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, siphoning plastics from three distant continents. In PLASTIC PARADISE journalist/filmmaker Angela Sun travels on a personal journey of discovery to uncover this mysterious phenomenon. Along the way she meets scientists, researchers, influencers, and volunteers who shed light on the effects of our rabid plastic consumption and learns the problem is more insidious than we could have ever imagined.
 
Trashed: (DVD). 2013 Film narrated by Jeremy Irons. If you think waste is someone else’s problem… think again. See also: WWW.trashedfilm.com. Trashed is an environmental documentary film, written and directed by British film-maker Candida Brady. It follows actor Jeremy Irons as he investigates the global scale and impact of humanity's modern wasteful consumerism and pollution. The film is a call for urgent action to resolve the issue of existing deposits and drastically reduce our consumption towards sustainable levels and zero waste, but also demonstrates how this is already being achieved successfully in many communities around the world.
 
Vanishing of the Bees: (DVD). 2009 documentary film by Hive Mentality Films & Hipfuel Films, directed by George Langworthy and Maryam Henein and released in the United Kingdom in October 2009. The story is centered on the sudden disappearance of honey bees from beehives around the world, caused by the poorly understood phenomenon known as Colony Collapse Disorder or CCD. Although the film does not draw any firm scientific conclusions as to the precise cause or causes of CCD, it does suggest a link between neonicotinoid pesticides and CCD.
 

An Inconvenient Truth: A 2006 American concert/documentary film directed by Davis Guggenheim about former United States Vice President Al Gore's campaign to educate people about global warming. The film features a slide show that, by Gore's own estimate, he has presented over a thousand times to audiences worldwide.

The idea to document Gore's efforts came from producer Laurie David, who saw his presentation at a town hall meeting on global warming, which coincided with the opening of The Day After Tomorrow. Laurie David was so inspired by his slide show that she, with producer Lawrence Bender, met with Guggenheim to adapt the presentation into a film. Premiering at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival and opening in New York City and Los Angeles on May 24, 2006, the documentary was a critical and commercial success, winning two Academy Awards for Best Documentary Feature and Best Original Song

Since the film's release, An Inconvenient Truth has been credited for raising international public awareness of global warming and reenergizing the environmental movement. The documentary has also been included in science curricula in schools around the world, which has spurred some controversy. A sequel to the film, titled An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power, was released on July 28, 2017.

An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power. A 2017 American concert film/documentary film, directed by Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk, about former United States Vice President Albert A. Gore Jr.'s continuing mission to battle climate change. The sequel to An Inconvenient Truth (2006), the film addresses the progress made to tackle the problem and Gore's global efforts to persuade governmental leaders to invest in renewable energy, culminating in the landmark signing of 2016's Paris Agreement. The film was released on July 28, 2017, by Paramount Pictures, and grossed over $5 million worldwide.[4] It received a nomination for Best Documentary at the 71st British Academy Film Awards.

 A Plastic Ocean: We Need A Wave of Change. (DVD) 2016. A Plastic ocean is a feature-length adventure documentary that brings to light the consequences of our global disposable lifestyle. We thought we could use plastic once and throw it away with negligible impact to humans and animals. That turns out to be untrue. During the four-year production period,.

A Plastic Ocean was filmed in 20 locations around the world in beautiful and chilling detail to document the global effect of plastic pollution and introduce workable technology and policy solutions that can, if implemented in time, change things for the better.

Sharkwater. 2006 Canadian documentary film written and directed by Rob Stewart. Helping to protect sharks, changing government policy, and inspiring the creation of shark conservation groups, Sharkwater is considered one of conservation's success stories, resulting in shark finning being banned worldwide. In the film, Stewart filmed current attitudes about sharks, and how shark-hunting industries are driving them to extinction.

Sharkwater explores the densest shark hunting populations in the world, exposing the exploitation and corruption of the shark-hunting industry in the marine reserves of Cocos IslandCosta Rica and the Galapagos IslandsEcuador.

Stewart travels with Paul Watson and his Sea Shepherd Conservation Society ship as they confront shark poachers in Guatemala and Costa Rica. Among the group's experiences are boat confrontations, poachers, police, corrupt court systems, and eventually murder charges. Also, Stewart states how the increasing demand for shark-fin soup in Asia is fuelling an illegal trade in sharks. His expedition is cut short, however, when he is diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis, from which he recovers.

Stewart discovers that sharks prevent the overconsumption of plankton by other fish, which moderates climate change. Yet sharks have gone from predator to prey, and while they have survived Earth's mass extinctions, they could be extinct within a few years.

The film has received 31 international awards.

What the Health. (DVD) 2017. The Health film that Health Organizations Don’t Want You To See. What the Health is a surprising, and at times hilarious investigative documentary that will be an eye-opener for everyone concerned about our nation’s health and how big business influence it. The film exposes the collusion and corruption in government and big business that is costing us trillions of healthcare dollars, and keeping us sick.

 
Publications:
 
Garbology: Our Dirty Love Affair with Trash: 2012. Edward Humes. Published by the Penguin Group. ISBN 978-1-62090-660-6. A Pulitzer Prizewinning journalist takes readers on a surprising tour of America's biggest export, our most prodigious product, and our greatest legacy: our trash The average American produces 102 tons of garbage across a lifetime and $50 billion in squandered riches are rolled to the curb each year. But our bins are just the starting point for a strange, impressive, mysterious, and costly journey that may also represent the greatest untapped opportunity of the century. In Garbology , Edward Humes investigates trash what's in it; how much we pay for it; how we manage to create so much of it; and how some families, communities, and even nations are finding a way back from waste to discover a new kind of prosperity. Along the way , he introduces a collection of garbage denizens unlike anyone you've ever met: the trash-tracking detectives of MIT, the bulldozer-driving sanitation workers building Los Angeles' Garbage Mountain landfill, the artists residing in San Francisco's dump, and the family whose annual trash output fills not a dumpster or a trash can, but a single mason jar. Garbology reveals not just what we throw away, but who we are and where our society is headed. Waste is the one environmental and economic harm that ordinary working Americans have the power to change and prosper in the process. Garbology is raising awareness of trash consumption and is sparking community-wide action through One City One Book programs around the country. It is becoming an increasingly popular addition to high school and college syllabi and is being adopted by many colleges and universities for First Year Experience programs.
 
Rethinking Green New Deal: Using Climate Policy to Address Inequality.
Abstract by Aparna Mathur in National Tax Journal, National Tax Association. Vol. 72. Issue 4. 
 
Plastic Free: How I kicked the Plastic Habit and How You Can To. Book by Beth Terry. 2012. ISBN: 978-1-61608-624-2. Skyhouse Publishing. See also MyPlasticFreeLife.com.
 
Zero Waste Home: The Ultimate Guide to Simplifying Your Life by Reducing Your Waste. Bea Jonson. 2013. ISBN: 978-1-4516-9768-1. Scribner publishing.
 
The Keto Vegan: 101 Low-carb Recipes For 100% Plant-Based Ketogenic Diet. By Lydia Miller.
2019. Recipe Only Edition. ISBN: 978-94-92788-30-6

Living Green: A Practical Guide to Simple Sustainability. By Greg Horn. 2006 . Freedom Press. ISBN: 978-1-893910-47-8.

Naturally Sweet Vegan Treats: Plant-Based Delights Free from Refined and Artificial Sweeteners. By Marisa Alvarsson. 2018. ISBN: 978-1-62414-609-1

VEGETARIAN: the best-ever recipe collection. By Linda Fraser. 2003. ISBN: 1-84309-060-X

A Year of Easy KETO Desserts. 52 Fat Burning, Low-Carb Desserts & Fat Bombs. By Elizabeth Jane. See also http:/ketojane.com/ketomeals. ISBN: 9781999322557