Documentaries You Want to See

If you like documentaries about the environment, here's a place you can go to watch a lot of them online -- TOP DOCS.

Here's another batch of movies for your consideration during Northbrook Library's "Documentaries are FREE during MAY" month. If they don't have one, they can check with other libraries in the network, [i.e., Wilmette, Evanston, Glencoe, Winnetka, etc.]

1.Chasing Ice

Chasing Ice is the story of one man’s mission to change the tide of history by gathering undeniable evidence of our changing planet. Within months of that first trip to Iceland, the photographer conceived the boldest expedition of his life: The Extreme Ice Survey. With a band of young adventurers in tow, Balog began deploying revolutionary time-lapse cameras across the brutal Arctic to capture a multi-year record of the world’s changing glaciers. The photography is breathtaking. The evidence undeniable. 

2.Bag It

Our story follows an average American guy who makes a pledge to stop using plastic bags. His girlfriend joins him in the challenge to decrease their use of plastic at home. This small action gets Jeb thinking about plastic, not just about plastic bags, but other kinds of plastic. "What is plastic made of? Is it recyclable? Does it decompose when it ends up in the landfill? Does plastic have negative health effects?" Jeb wants to learn more, so he embarks on a global tour to unravel the complexities of our plastic world.

3.Gasland II

The director of this documentary sets out to see how communities are being affected by fracking. He spent time with citizens in their homes as they told their stories of natural gas drilling in Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and Texas. He spoke with residents who have experienced a variety of chronic health problems directly traceable to air and water contamination. He followed Congress as they exempted fracking from the Safe Drinking Water Act. 

4.Tapped

A shocking look at the attempt by multinational corporations to privatize water—a resource that is essential to our survival and should be held in common—and sell it back to us in plastic bottles that end up clogging our oceans.

5.Who Killed the Electric Car?

Believe it or not, there were electric cars on the road years ago. This documentary details car company General Motor’s efforts to bury its own electric-car research and development—and take back and destroy its electric cars from satisfied California drivers who wanted to keep them.

6. The Garden

When the largest community garden in the US is threatened with closure, social and political battles ensue as many working class families resist this greed-based, back room deal influenced decision. This documentary tells how it all went down.