Climate change, global warming, oil spills, recycling…the list goes on and on. It seems that these days, our home planet is in more trouble than it was years ago. A complete disarray of garbage and toxins continue to cause harm to wildlife, plant life and our quality of life. In honor of Earth Day on April 22, check out these environmental movies and remember how precious Earth is. Visit www.earthday.org to learn more about how you can help protect our planet.
FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992)
When a fairy named Crysta, who has been led to believe that humans are extinct, discovers one in her homeland of FernGully, a rainforest in Australia, her world is threatened. A logging company is set to destroy the rainforest, but not before Crysta meets a boy named Zak, whom she accidentally shrinks down to her size. Together, they must save FernGully from the company and also, the evil Hexxus, who feeds off pollution. The animated feature highlights the global theme of rainforest destruction and the importance of protecting natural reserves. A classic children’s film, with a message for young and old.
Erin Brockovich (2000)
This biological film detailed true story of Erin Brockovich (portrayed by Julia Roberts), who fought against the energy corporation Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E). When Erin, a single mother of three, gets a job at a lawyer’s office, she is given files for a real estate case where PG&E is offering to purchase a resident’s home in California. Upon reading the owner’s medical records, Erin discovers that the energy company was lying about a safer form of chromium in the groundwater. Instead, the groundwater in the town is seriously contaminated with carcinogenic hexavalent chromium. Sound like an issue that could hit close to home for Long Islanders?
The Day After Tomorrow (2004)
What were to happen if the world ended tomorrow? According to climatologist Jack Hall (Dennis Quaid), a new Ice Age would usher in. Thanks to ocean currents around the world ceasing to move due to global warming, Earth begins to be enveloped in a sheet of ice. While the movie may have been overly exaggerated, who’s to say that natural disasters like this one couldn’t happen in the future? After all, global warming is here and it’s real.
An Inconvenient Truth (2006)
During Al Gore’s lecture circuit aimed at raising awareness of global warming, filmmaker Davis Guggenheim chronicled the campaign, as Gore calls for immediate action to curb the destructive effects on the environment. A sequel to the original is set to be released soon.
WALL-E (2008)
Could WALL-E, the movie about the adorable robot have predicted the future of our way of life? The way things are going today, it sure looks like we’re headed that way. WALL-E, (Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-class), is the last robot left on Earth. He spends his days cleaning the planet while the humans of Earth are on spaceship light years away, awaiting a safe return home. Over the course of 700 years, WALL-E is lonely. That is until he discovers EVE, a probe sent back to Earth on a scanning mission. Together, they travel the galaxy in an effort to save planet Earth and make it a livable environment again.
The Lorax (2012)
Who better than Dr. Seuss to teach us about protecting Earth? Twelve-year-old Ted is used to living in a world without nature, as the town of Thneedville is completely devoid of plant life. When he discovers that his crush desires nothing more than a Truffula tree, Ted must learn about the story of the Lorax, the guardian of the forest, and the Once-ler, who let greed overtake his respect for nature and its beauty.
Avatar (2009)
James Cameron’s box office hit introduced audiences to the world of Pandora and the highly evolved beings, Na’vi. Due to the poisonous environment of the planet human/Na’vi hybrids, called Avatars, must link to human minds to allow for free movement on Pandora. When a human falls in love with an Avatar, the bond strengthens into a battle for survival on Pandora.
