Videos on Sustainability

CRAPSHOOT by National Film Board of Canada - 57 min. - gives an excellent history/current practice of wastewater pipes, sludge on farmland, uses and abuses of water & its ultimate trip down pipes. Not a boring video & alters one's thoughts when discussing water. Eg. Industrial sites should have zero waste leaving it - now what would they do?

Sharon in Victoria, BC

Hi Mickey,

I've attached an email below about Life Film. I have not seen the documentaries myself, so won't be able to comment. But they sound relevant.

Regards,
Komathi Kolandai

Dear Educator

I have recently undertaken a research project with Connected Media, an educational trust with a mission to promote sustainability through media. The research involved analysing the educational value of Life, the documentary series about global development and sustainability issues. So far 104 of the 25 minute Life documentaries have been broadcast on BBC World. They are produced by Connected Media's international partner TVE (www.tve.org ). The research project has been supported by the Global Education Fund of NZAID, New Zealand's international aid and development agency (www.globaleducationfund.org.nz ). I am pleased to say that the Life films represent a significant and valuable resource for tertiary education in New Zealand. They bring contemporary global development and sustainability issues into the classroom or lecture theatre in an accessible, visual and credible format. At 25 minutes duration they also leave enough time for a class to process information and follow up with further research, presentation and activity options. I am attaching two documents: 1. A Word file containing a brief synopsis of each of the 104 Life films. Under each film title there is a link to a longer description on the TVE website. 2. An Excel file which relates each of the films to relevant tertiary subjects including Development Studies, Geography, Environmental Science, Political Science/International Relations, Peace Studies, Women's Studies, Economics, Health, Public Policy, Media Studies and Philosophy/Ethics. These files will also soon be available for download from the Connected Media website at www.connectedmedia.org

Please contact Connected Media at [email protected] or phone (09) 376 6060 if you wish to purchase any of the Life films. They are available on DVD or VHS for $60 plus GST. Discounts are available for orders of 10 or more films. A DVD copy of each Life film is also available for loan or viewing at the Dev-Zone Library (www.dev-zone.org/library ) which is located at

Floor 2, James Smith Building, corner of Manners and Cuba Streets, Wellington.

Contact [email protected] or phone (04) 496 9598. Dev-Zone and the Global Education Centre are programmes of the Development Resource Centre.

Yours faithfully
Nicola Easthope

Nicola Easthope
Educational Consultant
Connected Media
PO Box 78121
Grey Lynn
Auckland Aotearoa
New Zealand

Komathi Kolandai PhD
Research Topic: Mass Communicating Sustainability and the Environment
School of Political Science & Communication
University of Canterbury,
Private Bag 4800,
Christchurch 8020
Tel: 3642987 Ext. 3027

Dear Mickey,

We have a TV series called Living Green that focuses on sustainable living and is geared towards the general public. You can access the episodes either online at the Living Green website: http://livinggreen.ifas.ufl.edu/tv_episodes/index.html, or they can be purchased for $11 per DVD. I've included a description about the series below. The University of Florida Office of Sustainability might also be a good resource for your seminar, since they have many programs implemented on campus: http://sustainability.ufl.edu/.

Living Green - About The Series Living Green is a half-hour TV show that helps individuals understand what it means to be "living green" in their own communities. Currently, there is a push in both the public and the private sectors to implement design and management strategies that take into account socioeconomic variables while conserving natural resources for future generations. A cross-section of society, including homeowners, developers, planners, and politicians, makes day-to-day decisions that impact our natural resources. Decisions made by different people, from homeowners to politicians, interact in unique ways to affect the use and conservation of water, energy, and plants and animals. For example, the "greenness" of communities is the result of decisions made by homeowners, developers, and even city policymakers. These decisions ultimately determine the health of a community. The focus of this show is to illustrate "green" design and management practices within and around urban areas. The flavor of the show is upbeat, and even humorous at times, when presenting the myriad challenges and solutions associated with any environmental issue. The show, while entertaining, is meant to inspire individuals to take local action and make a difference. Each show highlights a wide range of environmental issues, outlining the need for a united response at the local and, most important, individual level. Specific attention is paid to the solutions to growth/environmental challenges, and the opportunities for individuals to help search for "win-win" strategies that balance socioeconomic and environmental concerns in their own community. The show targets an adult audience, but it is also relevant to middle-school and high-school students. Living Green highlights environmental challenges and solutions that are relevant to communities across the Southeast as well as throughout the United States.

Thanks and best wishes,
Jenne

Jennifer Walford
Extension Program Assistant
Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS)
University of Florida
P.O. Box 110430
Gainesville, FL 32611-0430
Telephone: 352.846.0554
Fax: 352.392.6984
Email: [email protected]

Dear Mickey,

The National Wildlife Federation's Campus Ecology program has a webcast profiling winners of our national competition called Chill Out: Campus solutions to Global Warming. You can get more info and view it on line free here: http://www.nwf.org/campusecology/ChillOutContest.cfm The video includes mini-videos from the campuses that won the competition explaining their award winning projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. There are also panels with representatives from winning schools answering questions (it was originally a live call in webcast). The projects range from major campus initiatives to install solar panels and tap other sources of renewable energy to successful campaigns to encourage students to use less energy in their dorms. I don't think the DVD is ready yet but it will be free when available - you can sign up online to get a copy when it is ready. We've also got a powerpoint on campus solutions to global warming that can be adapted for various audiences - just send me an email and we can get that you if you'd like.

Lisa