3

Can anyone suggests Good Documentary Videos like The Home, Story of Stuff, and The Inconvenient Truth which highlights the society issues, problems and their respective solutions?

Hdhams
  • 79
  • 4
  • Hello there Hdhams, and welcome back. Questions like this tend not to work very well on Q&A sites such as this, because, as it's phrased at the moment, there isn't a single definitive answer: it could only be answered by a big list. On the other hand, in their early days, many sites do seem to allow these big-list questions, with the content then getting fed into tag wikis. See the related meta discussion – 410 gone Jun 09 '13 at 12:49
  • @EnergyNumbers Maybe we should make a resources page on meta with websites/books/etc. that can be used as a reference. (E.g. list solar panel calculation sites under "solar power", etc.) – Earthliŋ Jun 09 '13 at 16:18
  • @Earthling I guess the most suitable place is in the tag-wikis. The problem is that tag wikis tend to have a very low profile. – 410 gone Jun 09 '13 at 17:02
  • @EnergyNumbers But there are many tag-wikis which won't have or even need resources, so finding resources/references is harder than when all are in one meta-question (which we can link to in the FAQ). Since separate answers are linkable as well, pointing to resources on a specific topic is reasonably easy as well... The areas with the most useful resources can be voted to the top, for someone who is just looking for something to read about an arbitrary topic. – Earthliŋ Jun 09 '13 at 20:39
  • This isn't a meta question. It's not about the logistics of running an eco Q+A site. It's about sustainability documentaries. People who want sustainability answers shouldn't have to go to meta sites. If you look at most of the Stack Exchange sites, meta participation is really, really low (a few power users recycling the same opinions). I think suppressing this kind of question is a major failing of the SE sites. I constantly hear "this kind of question tends not to be a good fit ...", with no support other than that assertion being repeated. I think this is a great question. – Nate Jun 09 '13 at 21:58
  • @Nate Well, we can certainly try and see how it goes. What we (i.e. I) don't want are questions like "I want to watch a movie on sustainability, any suggestions?" pouring in. A community wiki question (meta or main, one would have to see which is more suitable) would be able to collect all resources, which I personally would find more useful, but opinions may vary. In any case, the question is still open, i.e. we're all waiting for good answers to show up here. – Earthliŋ Jun 09 '13 at 23:06
  • I like survival series since they deal with the problems how to deal with the materials taken directly from nature. – Danubian Sailor Jun 10 '13 at 16:43
  • 1
    @Earthling I'm willing to allow this question and see how it goes, but I do think we should change it to a community wiki question. – THelper Jun 10 '13 at 21:57
  • @Earthling, honestly, I don't think questions pouring in are even close to an issue at this point. This site has very modest traffic. Once somebody asks a question once, then I have no problems with future, identical questions being closed as duplicates. That helps consolidate similar answers in one place. My objection is to closing questions like this, which is what typically happens on SE sites. I personally think the lack of one unambiguous answer should be irrelevant when assessing the usefulness of a question. – Nate Jun 10 '13 at 23:34

3 Answers3

6

This isn't an exhaustive set, but I am a person who watches quite a few documentaries, and consider myself an advocate of more sustainable living. Here are some that I've watched. My personal ratings are listed (if they're in my Netflix history), as well as the start of my reviews, if I left one:

Describing the Problem

  • The Age of Stupid (5 of 5 stars): For everyone who replies that movies like this are too one-sided, I have just one question for you: When was the last time you saw an oil company commercial on TV that let climate scientists mention that the use of fossil fuels is a major contributor to climate change and air pollution?
  • GasHole (4 of 5 stars): Good film. Spoiler alert: this is largely about a conspiracy theory. I know that will turn a lot of people off, but you have to realize that if people automatically dismiss all conspiracy theories as false, then you have completely cleared the way for conspiracies to be carried out without limits. (What's the phrase about the devil's greatest trick being convincing people that he didn't exist?)
  • Heat: What companies and governments around the world think about tackling climate change.
  • Poisoned Waters: An investigation into pollution of US waterways.
  • Who Killed the Electric Car?: Why did electric cars stop being produced by major automakers in the mid-2000s?
  • Food, Inc.: The environmental and health problems with the way food is produced in the developed world.

Describing Solutions

  • No Impact Man (5 of 5 stars): Follow a man in New York City as he tries to live for one year with almost no negative environmental impact.
  • Fuel (5 of 5 stars): This is a good layperson's introduction to biofuels. No more, no less. Its not a scientific documentary, so if you're craving proof, pick up a science journal. If you want to learn a bit about a subject that you have only been very casually acquainted with, then watch this.
  • Revenge of the Electric Car: An examination of 3 automakers (Nissan/GM/Tesla) bringing electric cars to mass markets.
  • Car of the Future: An entertaining look at emerging alternative fuel vehicle technologies.

Ones to Avoid

Cool It (1 of 5 stars): If you don't trust science, or are looking for excuses to not change any of your habits, you'll love this movie. A few facts: first, Lomborg's not a professor of environmental science. He's a political scientist. Half of the experts he interviewed were also not natural scientists, but economists. If you think economists did a good job foreseeing the financial crisis [in 2008], then I recommend you listen to them on climate science...

Other Peoples' Opinions:

Best Overall Resources

ЯegDwight
  • 105
  • 4
Nate
  • 2,747
  • 1
  • 18
  • 40
  • Thankyou.. for your suggestion regards the name of the documentaries videos. You make a attempt of well detailed long list. Now Its my responsibility to see, check it out & Its definately worthily to share with others in identification of problem & their solution. So I give my final feedback to you after see all this. Once again Thanks for your suggestion's. – Hdhams Jun 13 '13 at 17:16
2

Aquaponics — The First 12 Months (2011)

It details from start to finish (over 12 months) the cycling process and starting an aquaponics system. There is a lot of good information and while I prefer fishless cycling it has some great tips if you want to start with fish.

ЯegDwight
  • 105
  • 4
Frameshifter
  • 21
  • 2
1

@nate solid list above. I have seen all except for Heat and I agree pretty closely with your ratings. BTW Poisoned Waters is a Frontline Exclusive and can be watched at the PBS website.

Health, Farming sustainably vs. industrialized and More

Activism

Water

Fossil Fuels, Petrochemicals/Plastics

CAN BE SEEN ON YOUTUBE

Various Docs relating to Sustainability

  • The Corporation Shows modern day corporations to current corporate-conglomerates
  • The Cove Oscar winner exposing a dark secret of dolphin hunting
  • The One Percent Intro to 1% that own more than 50% of the wealth in the U.S.
ЯegDwight
  • 105
  • 4
Charlie Brown
  • 387
  • 2
  • 8
  • @nate - you seem to be a fellow fan of documentaries. Let me know if you think there are any that don't pertain to sustainability. I steered clear of financial, Michael Moore and War doc's although they could easily be associated with a sustainable world. Left off Thrive but was unsure what message it leaves with, optimistic but... – Charlie Brown Jun 12 '13 at 03:36
  • I haven't seen all of yours, but of the ones I have, I personally think they all relate. I'm of the opinion that unsustainable financial systems are a sustainability issue, especially if a reasonable argument can be made that such systems inherently lead to excessive consumption. However, not everyone on the site agrees with me. – Nate Jun 12 '13 at 03:59
  • @CharlieBrown Thanks for your suggestions- its to be a very long list. Its take long time to see all of these. But its always worthily. There is another request Can you suggest any one or two names from this list which you are see & their impact feel about your on life & also being helpful in the approach under solution's regards the happy & prosperous life to achieve. – Hdhams Jun 13 '13 at 17:40
  • @Hdhams each film tackles a pressing issue facing the health of our planet. Each documentary is hyperlinked to IMDB which offers a summary, review & viewer rating (sometimes w/a trailer) to help one decide which may be most interesting &/or important. In the U.S. fracking is an immediate threat to our lands and water supply. It is growing at an alarming rate so Gasland to me is important. The Eleventh Hour addresses a host of environmental concerns plaguing our planet. Both Yes Men I personally enjoy but maybe not everyone's favorite. This is What Democracy Looks Like gets me fired up! – Charlie Brown Jul 03 '13 at 08:57
  • Thank you...for your post to link the details like summary, reviews & viewer rating. Recently I get the Gasland Documentary & some of another from my friend which your's suggested but not to be seen yet. So now curiosity to knowing what inside these videos is build up in me.. & I think Democracy not to be fired us! the understanding of peoples who are in Democracy that's fired up!! Thanks. – Hdhams Jul 05 '13 at 06:15