Stream Green with this ECS TV Guide

Streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime have an amazing variety of content available. But how do you sift through it all to find something worthwhile? We’re here to help this list of green-themed documentary films currently streaming on Netflix and Amazon Prime. If you are not a subscriber of these services, note the films that are also available through the Columbus Public Library.

Take a look at the film review snippets below to determine what looks compelling to you. And if you have your own recommendation for a “green” film, leave it below in the comments. Happy viewing!

Streaming on Netflix

More Than Honey (2012)

Not Rated, Runtime 1:35

• Farran Smith Nehme of the New York Post: “‘More Than Honey’ takes in all the things hurting bees — overbreeding, pesticides, farming practices that upset their life cycles. By the time we see Chinese workers slowly and painfully pollinate trees by hand, unable to perform a fraction of one hive’s work, it’s clear that Imhoof is issuing a warning. Without any preachiness, this magically beautiful film urges us to take better care of the bees, and honor the irreplaceable things that they do for us.

Catching the Sun (2015)

TV-14, Runtime: 1:15

• Andy Webster of the New York Times: “One notion underlying Shalini Kantayya’s winning documentary, “Catching the Sun,” is that solar power is not only a cleaner alternative to fossil fuels but can also effectively curtail unemployment…. With brisk, fluid concision, the film jumps to countries fast-tracking solar energy production: Germany and China, which is ‘now the leading country in terms of how fast they are implementing sustainable technology at really large scale,’ according to Peggy Liu, chairwoman of the nonprofit Joint U.S.-China Collaboration on Clean Energy. Fascinating portraits stand out. In Atlanta, Debbie Dooley, founder ofConservatives for Energy Freedom, advocates solar energy’s growth within a free market, rejecting the idea that it’s a left-versus-right issue. Zhongwei Jiang, an entrepreneur in Wuxi, China, lived without electricity until he was 7. Capitalizing on the Chinese government’s investments in renewable energy, he founded WesTech, a solar business, in 2003. Now it is finding partners in Germany, and, he says, growing by 50 percent every year.”

Chasing Ice (2012)

PG-13, Runtime 1:15

(Available through the Columbus Public Library on DVD and Blu-Ray)

• Joe Neumaier of the New York Daily News: “This amazingly beautiful, and amazingly frightening, documentary captures the immediacy of what climate change is doing to the Arctic landscape. National Geographic photographer James Balog’s agenda when he began was artistry, not advocacy, as he set up cameras in subzero conditions. But curiosity eventually became conviction when the evidence of our altered Earth — backed up by Balog’s interviews with eco-scientists and environmental experts — was literally before his eyes. When it’s before yours, you won’t want to look away — not only because of the gorgeous images, but also because of the reality it presents.”

Revenge of the Electric Car (2011)

PG-13, Runtime: 1:29

(Available through the Columbus Public Library on DVD)

• Andrew O’Hehir of Salon: “A cigar-smoking climate-change denier who’s long been seen as the car enthusiast’s car enthusiast, Lutz (Bob Lutz, G.M.’s former vice chairman) was about the last person in the world you expected to start shilling for electric vehicles. Then again, you wouldn’t have expected Chris Paine to make an insider documentary about auto industry competition. His fascinating and highly entertaining new movie, ‘Revenge of the Electric Car,’is almost like his first one turned upside down, with unprecedented access to the inner workings of G.M., Nissan and Silicon Valley start-up Tesla Motors as they battle to get new electric cars into production. His irresistible cast of characters range from Lutz, the crusty Detroit veteran, to Carlos Ghosn, the globetrotting, ultra-smooth Renault-Nissan CEO, to Tesla co-founder Elon Musk, who burned through his entire PayPal fortune launching his company, to Greg ‘Gadget’ Abbott, a DIY Los Angeles engineer who has rebuilt vintage Porsches and Triumphs as all-electric vehicles.”

Planet Earth (2006)

TV-G, Runtime: 11 episodes x 0:49

(Available through the Columbus Public Library on DVD)

• Susan Stewart of the New York Times: “Nature often looks better at a distance. ‘Planet Earth,’ an 11-part mother of all nature series to be shown on the Discovery Channel for five consecutive Sundays, beginning tomorrow night, understands this truth. The BBC, which produced the series with Discovery, used helicopters, long lenses and all manner of cutting-edge film techniques to bring us the photographic spoils of a five-year global odyssey.

Streaming on Amazon Prime

Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story (2015)

Not Rated, Runtime 1:13

• Maggie Lee of Variety: “When it comes to fostering environmental awareness, the Vancouver-based Baldwin (who directed) and Rustemeyer (who produced) indeed practice what they preach. In their first documentary, “The Clean Bin Project” (2010), they pointed out the need for waste reduction by trying to buy nothing and produce almost no trash for one year. The challenge in their sophomore feature requires them to survive for six months on discarded food alone, excepting meals served by family or friends. The hilarious freeloading exploits that ensue are accompanied by field trips and interviews that present a bigger picture of the issue.

Earth: the Operators Manual (2011)

TV-G, Runtime 0:53

(Companion book available through the Columbus Public Library)

• Thomas Wagner for Earth Magazine: “Rare are the scientists like Richard Alley. An exceptional researcher known for his work on the great polar ice sheets, he is also a central figure in policy discourse on climate change through his testimony in front of Congress and work with groups such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), for which he shared in the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. Alley is also an outstanding communicator: His audiences at scientific meetings typically overflow the room, and he is enviably comfortable speaking to eight-year-olds. His new work, entitled ‘Earth: The Operators’ Manual,’ is a succinct discussion of how our actions affect Earth’s climate, as well as a compelling and hopeful call-to-arms to address warming. ETOM is also a truly multimedia affair, consisting of a book, a three-part miniseries for PBS and public television, outreach events at five major science centers and a website (http://earththeoperatorsmanual.com) for the general public…. Some of the most compelling footage shows evidence of how seriously the U.S. military is taking climate change threats and how it is quickly adopting technology — from biofuel-powered ships to air-conditioned tents run off of solar power — that reduces the military’s reliance on fossil fuels.”

Of the Land (2015)

Not Rated, Runtime 1:29

(Available at through the Columbus Public Library on DVD)

• IndieFlix.com: “Within the last half century, our agricultural and food industries have changed more than the ever before. New technologies and scientific ingenuity have given rise to genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and other man-made foods. Concerns are on the rise about the safety of GMOs in our food supply, given their incredible dominance in a large portion of our diets. Traditional organic farmers have been under constant attack by large corporate farming interests who seek to monopolize the farming industry. Of the Land looks at our current food supply system as well as a variety of smaller, organic options available to consumers who want to support more sustainable and healthy farming methods. Featuring Dr. Shiv Chopra, Jeffrey Smith, Professor Gilles-Eric Seralini, Julie Daniluk, Rachel Parent.”

Rising Tides (2016)

Not Rated, Runtime 1:28

• Reviewer Mark R. Leeper: “This is a generally well-made documentary examining the rising of sea level, the land erosion it causes, and how the problem is manifesting itself globally. It reports on the crisis and contains several interviews with government officials, experts, and victims commenting on the size of the problem and what is being done to counter it. The film first shows the size of the problem facing us and then reports on engineering solutions that are being tried to limit erosion. Jason Auerbach co-directed the film with Scott Duthie and co-wrote the film with Michele Loschiavo. Auerbach says that his goal was to start conversation and not to scare people, but his facts are–and should be–a little scary.”

Urban Fruit (2013)

Not Rated, Runtime 1:08

• Monique Ruffin for The Huffington Post: “The film, directed by Roman Zenz, explores the plight of several L.A. residents who have dedicated their lives to shifting the way they approach organic food and urban gardening. It features three protagonists: Rishi Kumar, who, much to the dismay of his Indian American relatives, gave up a promising I.T. career and moved back in with his parents in order to start an urban farm in their backyard. Ron Finley, a resident of the fast-food mecca that is South L.A., who decided to teach people how to grow food in front of their homes. His front-yard gardens were unfortunately in violation of the city zoning laws, and Ron’s fight with City Hall made his efforts an Internet sensation. Lastly, the film looks at the activities of Adam and Jenna Barber, a young hipster couple growing vegetables and raising chickens in the mid-city area. The Barbers find that their love for their garden ultimately intensifies their love for each other.”