By Maggie Romuld

11th Hour

Produced by Leonardo DiCaprio

If you haven't had a chance to watch 11th Hour, the environmental documentary narrated (and produced) by actor Leonardo DiCaprio, you should make the time. DiCaprio assembles the world's brightest earth scientists, authors, public policy advocates and political leaders to discuss the relationship between humans and nature. The group delivers sobering facts about the state of the earth and examines what they believe will be the biggest challenges in our time. Halfway through the documentary, your spirit starts to fall as the horror stories accumulate (DiCaprio calls it "A convergence of crises.") But just when you think you can't take any more depressing stories of de-watered rivers, pollution or deforestation, the same bold thinkers offer their own particular brands of hope with visions of emerging green technologies, sustainable communities, alternative energy and progressive policies.

If the "first step towards a solution is admitting there is a problem," the movie has served its purpose. Towards the end of the film, Deepak Chopra says that, "People do the best they can, given their level of awareness," and this film will certainly raise the awareness of a broad range of people. The message is fairly straightforward. We must confront and discuss the environmental issues facing the planet, change our consumption patterns, and become more conscious of the world around us. Some of the group are less confident than others - conservation biologist Stuart Pimm admits, "We are living in an enormously challenging time," but some are very optimistic, like environmentalist Paul Hawken who says, "What a great time, this generation gets to change the world."

Watch the documentary 11th Hour video and join the sustainability movement at www.11thhouraction.com.

Gone Tomorrow: The Hidden Life of Garbage

Produced and Directed by Heather Rogers

Gone Tomorrow is a short (19 minute) documentary based on the book of the same name written by Heather Rogers. The film is primarily about recycling and waste in the U.S.A., but the topic is globally relevant, and the film tackles it from a slightly oblique perspective, suggesting that over-consumption is the biggest part of the waste problem, and recycling is only a small part of the solution. The video also suggests that we have, perhaps, put a little too much faith in the concept of recycling, a concept that Rogers refers to as "Feel-good fraud." The recycling process is expensive and complicated, the markets ebb and flow based on economic influences, and the industry simply can't keep up with the huge amount of material we cast off every second of every day. The video is worth watching. The history of recycling is well documented in pictures from the "skow-trimmers and rag-pickers" of 19th Century New York City, to war-time metal recycling, and the post-war growth of technology-based waste removal and modern landfills. The video simultaneously discusses our transition to a culture of mass consumption, "built-in obsolescence," and the growth of corporate "green-washing."

The take-away message from the video? Re-using is better than recycling, but reducing is better yet. It's time for us to accept that human exploitation of the planet has reached a critical limit and refuse the concept of limitless expansion.

Watch the video: Hidden Life of Garbage

Human Footprint

National Geographic Channel

The National Geographic documentary, Human Footprint investigates and illustrates what host Elizabeth Vargas calls "the imprint each of us makes upon the world" by tracking the "cradle-to-grave" consumption of an average American boy and girl, pausing at various points in their lives to examine their consumption of various resources in more detail.

The idea is simple, and it's good. It's hard to visualize the 43,000 cans of soda an average American consumes in his or her lifetime, or the 5,067 bananas, 3,796 diapers, 4,376 loaves of bread or 13,248 beers. But when they are laid end to end, or piled on top of each other, it's very clear that everything we eat, wear, or use, adds up. Ingenious as the images are, halfway through the movie you get the point, and it's a bit of a chore to sit through the last half. And while the documentary delivers impressive visuals, there is very little material exploring the impact associated with all that consumption and waste.

Human Footprint is worth a look if you are truly interested in the subject. Those less interested in consumption and over-consumption might find themselves quickly bored, and will probably hit "fast forward," hoping to get to more good stuff - like the 28,443 rubber ducks lined up in a path to a lake, representing the 700,000 gallons of water the average American uses for showering during his or her life.

Human Footprint was produced by Touch Productions for the National Geographic Channel, and is hosted by Elizabeth Vargas. Watch a preview of the documentary at Footprint.