One of the most important functions of Clean Fairfax Council is to educate the students of Fairfax County on issues relating to litter, graffiti, recycling and the environment. Clean Fairfax offers these films to borrow for special programs in the schools, or for your community or homeowners association event.
Online-Accessible Programs:
Where Is Your Watershed: Chesapeake Bay: This animated, short video gives brief (<3 minute) background on what a watershed is, why it’s important, and particularly cool facts about the Chesapeake Bay. All ages.
50 Years of Earth Day A deep dive into the history and context behind Earth Day, this film explores how Earth Day has developed and morphed to meet the ever-increasing demands of our changing climate – with a focus on how children and young people are leading Earth Day into the future. Middle and High School Levels.
Chasing Coral Through beautiful and sobering images of coral bleaching events, this film tackles issues of climate change and rising sea temperatures through visualization, and hopes to inspire immediate and lasting change to ensure the survival of coral reefs. Middle and High School Levels.
Reclaiming our Water – the Occoquan River Watershed This older local film leads viewers through the history of restoration efforts throughout the Occoquan River Watershed and highlights the successes of local residents. High School and Adult Levels.
Four Mile Run: Reviving an Urban Stream Another older local film, this documentary takes a look through the history of Four Mile Run (a local Fairfax County stream) and discusses how the stream has changed over the years due to development, ecological changes, channelization, industrial pollution and more. However, a look at local restoration efforts along Four Mile Run offers a glimpse of hope for this waterway. High School and Adult Levels.
Movie Lending Library:
The Rotten Truth About Garbage Wonder where your trash goes, and how we manage to accumulate so much? This DVD/VHS covers the waste stream life cycle including recycling and composting. All Elementary Grades.
Down the Drain An overview of water pollution, contamination, and waste and what children can do about it. It talks about the litter and recycling issues and how water is effected. All Elementary Grades.
Dr. Seuss Collection: The Lorax Only the genius that is Dr. Seuss could create a way to learn about cleaning the environment that is fun! For younger kids, the “Lorax” educates them on why keeping our Earth clean is important, in a delightful and musical manner. Specifically focusing on the conservation of trees and other resources, young children will love every second of this educational movie! All Elementary Grades.
Schoolhouse Rock! Earth Just like the original Schoolhouse Rock!, this new version acts as a fun and informative teaching tool for children. Using catchy songs and animation, the series covers a variety of environmental topics including water conservation, renewable energy, the 3 R’s, ocean conservation, global warming and more! All Elementary Grades.
Bag It! Through this film, Jeb Berrier, a self-described regular American man, takes a slightly humorous look at the world of plastic pollution and examines how lobbyists and corporations have a vested interest in the proliferation of plastics and toxins, despite the harmful effects plastics have on our environment. High School and Adult Levels.
A Crude Awakening: The Oil Crash This shocking and unforgettable film depicts the crisis our world is facing when it comes to the most sought after fossil fuel — oil. The film constantly reminds us that we are rapidly running out this nonrenewable source and still have no secure plan for alternative energy. It provides a visual depiction of oil’s relationship with human progress, and provokes not just thought but action. High School Level.
WALL-E Pixar struck gold again with WALL-E, an emotional story about a waste-collection robot and his quest to save humanity and find love. The film, while not explicitly environmentalist in its story, explores what would happen if humanity allowed our consumer culture and waste problems to continue completely unchecked, and sees the world completely covered in litter – however, new plant life brings hope. All Elementary Grades.
Arctic Tale Queen Latifah narrates this journey through the lives of polar bears in the Arctic, a story which can serve to introduce children to the effects and issues of global climate change and global warming. (Warning: there are some images of animal carcasses and death at certain points in the film) Elementary and Middle School Levels.
The History Channel: Renewable Energy In this in-depth documentary, we discover the advanced technologies we have taken to utilize air, water, earth, and fire to produce clean and reliable sources of energy. Through interviews with energy experts, authors, and engineers, we learn the benefits of alternative sources of energy. This video is sure to educate on why renewable is clearly the better choice for humanity and for the Earth too! Middle and High School Levels.
Dirt!: The Movie This wonderful and humorous film takes us into the wonderful world of the ground beneath our feet. Humans tend to neglect and abuse the best natural resource we have that can be used to fight mass starvation, droughts, floods, and global warming. By repairing our relationship with dirt, we can create new possibilities for all life on Earth. Middle and High School Levels.
Who Killed the Electric Car? After watching this informative and surprisingly emotional film, we learn about the conspiracy behind destroying highly efficient electric cars created by General Motors. It’s a “murder” mystery like no other, uncovering the truth about the car that could have saved the environment and our addiction to foreign oil. High School Level
Earth Aid: Recycling Starring Ed Begley Jr., this documentary goes in-depth on why recycling is important and the huge impact it has on our environment. Throughout the entire film, we learn a few easy tips to help minimize our air and water pollution, reduce our landfill overflow, and help preserve nature’s resources. The message of this movie is that clear-recycling is vital to preserve the delicate balance of the natural system. Middle and High School Levels.
Earth Aid: Water Conservation Another interesting film featuring Ed Begley Jr., this documentary offers a wealth of tips to conserve water and save money. Our consumption of water is increasing rapidly, and in order to preserve and replenish our planet’s natural resources, water conservation has become a must. Middle and High School Levels.
The 11th Hour The expression “the eleventh hour” means the last moment when change can happen to avert possible disaster. This film, produced and narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio, stresses the importance of saving our planet — before it’s too late. Images of floods, collapsing ice cliffs, and mountains of waste are shown to instill a sense of action in each viewer’s heart. After watching this film, one thing is for sure- if we don’t do anything now, our planet is in great danger. Middle and High School Levels.
Before the Flood Leonardo DiCaprio is back with another movie about the growing climate crisis and this one is just as urgent as The 11th Hour. In the film, viewers follow along as DiCaprio travels the world and speaks to a variety of experts about possible solutions to global warming and climate change – these experts including Barack Obama, Piers Sellers, Sunita Narain, Michael E. Mann and many more. (The film does include some adult language) High School Levels.
Planet in Peril This program aggressively slices through the widespread conservative attempts to diminish global warming, by showing the journey of three CNN journalists trekking through thirteen different countries. In each country, the journalists face the harsh reality of the impact we are having our environment and how we change and, ultimately, stop it. Middle and High School Levels.
The Inconvenient Truth This widely viewed film, presented by former Vice President Al Gore, depicts the truth of global warming. This is a wake-up call that cuts through the myths and misconceptions to deliver the message that global warming is a real and present danger. As a species living on this Earth, we must realize that each and every one of us can make changes in the way in which we live our lives and become part of the solution. High School Levels.
National Geographic’s Six Degrees Could Change the World Through powerful film-making and intimate profiles, this special illustrates how climate change has already affected the reefs of Australia, the ice fields of Greenland and the Amazonian rain forests. With a sobering look at the effects of our world’s insatiable appetite for energy, this film explains what is real, what is still controversial and how existing technologies and remedies could help dial back the global thermometer. High School Levels.
Tapped From the producers of “Who Killed The Electric Car,” this timely documentary is a behind-the-scenes look into the unregulated and unseen world of an industry that aims to privatize and sell back the one resource that ought never to become a commodity: our water. High School Levels.
New programs are being developed-please call for details
PHONE: 571-338-6710
EMAIL: community@cleanfairfax.org
