[Frontline Poisoned Waters Worksheet
Abdul Soumphonphakdy
There is a wide variety of movie and documentary titles available to use in the environmental science classroom. Many have come out only in the last few years, as film is increasingly used as a platform for activism, or a way to call people's attention to a specific problem. Every movie or documentary in this list is one that I have previewed and used in some way in my class, either by showing a clip or the film in its entirety. I teach at both at the high school and introductory college level, and these movies are appropriate for both.
Description: Chronicles of the efforts of Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno, otherwise known as the "Yes Men" as they attempt to bring attention to the actions of large corporations including Dow Chemical, Halliburtan, Exxon, and others. The first segment, most relevant to environmental ethics, has them impersonate a DOW Chemical executive, announcing on a BBC News live broadcast that they have agreed to fully compensate all of the victims affected by the Bhopal pesticide plant explosion in India. This causes a public relations embarassment for the chemical company and a rapid drop in the public stock price. This is followed by a discussion with a day trader about why the investors reacted in this way.
Description: Blackfish is a documentary that exposes the moral and ethical issues of capturing and raising large aquatic mammals, particularly killer whales, in captivity. The recent death of a trainer at Seaworld in 2010 by a male orca named Tilikum is investigated, beginning with his capture, the abuse he endured while sharing a tank with female orcas, and his subsequent aggressive and unpredictable behavior. Many have sworn off visiting large oceanariums such as Seaworld as a result of seeing this documentary.
Nature of Science
Mythbusters: Who Gets Wetter?
Length: 20 minutes
Description: In general, many of the episodes of the Mythbusters TV show are good for illustrating the scientific method. However, the "Who Gets Wetter" segment from their first episode is my personal favorite. Jamie and Adam discuss how to design a controlled experiment, including replicating all of the variables present in a rain storm. The raw data they collect is shown, and related to their conclusion. There is also a follow-up segment in Season 3 where they revisit the myth, re-do the experiment based on feedback from the audience, and get very different results!
Description: This episode of the 'Eyes of Nye' series attempts to debunk multiple examples of pseudoscience (false science) practices that appear or claim to be scientific, but are really not at all. Examples include psychics, palm reading, and firewalking. Science is an incredibly important concept to understand. As Nye explains, any extraordinary claim should be documented and the conditions or experiment that produced it be repeatable. If a claim does not meet these standards, it is not science.
Description: This episode of the PBS NOVA series is a little dated, having first aired in 1999, but is still very relevant in exposing pseudoscience. James Randi, a former magician, effectively applies the scientific method as he debunks faith healers, astrology, mind readers, and even spirital health psychics. One of the best segments, towards the end of the episode, has Randi design a double-blind experiment to cast doubt on the claimed ability of a psychic to control a patient's blood pressure and brain waves.
Description: The PBS Evolution series, released in 2001, provides an unparalleled primer to some of the major themes of the theory of evolution. This specific episode focuses on the role that sexual selection can play in the emergence of traits, and eventually, new species. There is one section in particular that discusses the potential divergence of humans and our two closest relatives -- chimpanzees and bonobos, which is an excellent discussion starter.
Description: The BBC Blue Planet series, similar to Planet Earth, covers different types of ecosystems within the world's oceans. As coral reefs have some of the greatest amounts of diversity and abundance of life in the entire world, they are excellent places to study the different relationships that living organisms have each other. Within just this episode, students will see examples of symbiosis, predation, competition, and natural selection.
Description: Another good documentary to show examples of symbiosis, this is part of a BBC series covering the ecology of insects and other small invertebrates. Students will see parasitism, commensalism, and mutualism between insects and plants.
Description: A groundbreaking BBC documentary series that covers different types of biomes, or land-based ecoystems in each episode. The biodiversity of each biome is sampled, as well as some of the geologic processes that led to its formation. Ecosystems covered include deserts, grasslands, temperate forests, rainforests, deep oceans, shallow seas, fresh water, and caves. Great for integrating some of the biotic factors from the ecology unit with the abiotic factors covered in the ecosystems unit.
- A worksheet is available for each episode in this documentary series.
Length: 50 minutes per episode
Description: This episode of the PBS NOVA series delves into some of the demographic differences between developed and developing countries. In the beginning, India is shown as a case study of a country in transition and struggling to slow its fertility rate and population growth. Societal issues, such as the son preference, sex-selective abortion, and lack of reproductive freedom for women, are discussed. This contrasted by Japan, which is a country in a post-industrial stage, seeing its fertility rate drop far below replacement level. The impact of AIDS on Africa's population makes up the last segment.
Description: Although nearly another billion people has been added to the world since this episode of the Eyes of Nye was produced, it still covers a lot of the major issues surrounding human overpopulation. Cultural issues arising from population are studied in India and China. The resource consumption between developed and developing countries is also compared.
Description: It's A Girl is a documentary about the "missing" females in countries like China and India, where societal pressures have created a society with a disproportionate number of males compared to females. The practices of infanticide and gender-specific abortion are explored, as well as how the one-child policy in China and dowry system in India have created the problem.
Description: This 2009 documentary by Eric Schlosser covers many of the unseen consequences of the industrialized agriculture system. The first segment explores the underside of factory farms and meat processing plants. Poultry farmers working for Tyson and Perdue are interviewed, although little access is granted to the actual operations. The second segment looks at the effects of a diet heavy in processed foods on human health. The story of a woman whose 2 year-old son died from E. coli food poisoning is given, along with her efforts to lobby for improved food regulations. The epidemic of diabetes in the United States is related to the proliferation of cheap, unhealthy foods. Finally, Food, Inc. visits with organic food manufacturers and discusses the growth of the industry.
Description: Many of the documentaries covering issues relating to food and agriculture tend to be very negative, foreboding, and gruesome. Movies such as Food, Inc and others tend to focus mainly on issues relating to animal welfare in the factory farm setting. Fresh is a good counter to these types of documentaries. This movie is much more positive and uplifting. Specific examples of farms and farmers, such as Joel Salatin, that have opted out of the industrialized system in favor of free-range organic practices are showcased. Students who feel turned off and repulsed by farming after learning the details of factory farming will feel the positive impact of small and medium free-range agriculture.
Description: This documentary explores the changes that have occured in plant agriculture since the Green Revolution of the 1960s and 1970s, and how government subsidy programs have influenced our entire food system. Two friends go to Iowa and lease an acre of farmland to grow their own corn. In the process, the learn about fertilizer, tractors, herbicides, and the eventual fate of the corn they produce -- likely as animal feed or a sweetener called high fructose corn syrup. The subsidies that support this practice have in turn created an abundance of artificially sweetened foods and a national with an exceptionally high rate of diabetes.
Description: A comprehensive and engaging retelling of the Dust Bowl by director Ken Burns. This is the first episode in a two-part series about the worst ecological disaster ever to face the United States. Students will learn about the irresponsible land management and poor farming practices that led up to the Dust Bowl through interviews and writings from people who lived through it.
Description: One of the overlooked aspects of food and agriculture is the importance of soil. A quick glance at a map of the most impaired soils around the world reveals that this is a growing issue, especially in the most productive areas. Multiple famines throughout history, the Dust Bowl being the most famous, are the direct result of the misuse and abuse of soil. This documentary seeks to show students the man's relationship with soil and the importance of caring for soil by giving perspectives of people from multiple different cultures.