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Recycling education video lending library

Garbage and recycling  ›  Resources for schools  ›  Middle and high school resources  ›  Video lending library

Find recycling and waste reduction videos available for use through Metro's lending library.

Videos are available for check-out on a first-come, first-served basis for a period of three weeks. Videos are VHS unless otherwise noted. To request materials, call 503-797-1521 or send e-mail to sara.kirby@oregonmetro.gov.

Video descriptions

Alternative energy

The Fat of the Land
1996, 56 minutes
grades 6-8
This video documents the travels of a group of five young women who take their Chevy van across the country powered by leftover vegetable oil in order to demonstrate the viability of this sustainable and renewable alternative fuel.

Power Shift
DVD, 2004, 26 minutes
grades 6-12
Astronauts in the Space Station. Villagers in the Amazon. An actress in Hollywood. What do these people have in common? Circling the globe, Power Shift explores the remarkable ways that energy touches our daily lives. Meet architect William McDonough, a TIME magazine "Hero for the Planet." Answer the question: "When I turn on the light in my room, where does the electricity come from and how does it reach me?" Learn personal action steps you can take to create a sustainable future.

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Composting

The Incredible Heap: The Story of Garden Compost
1994, 54 minutes
grades 6-12
With lots of cool time-lapse photography and interesting shots of insects, this video follows a family gardening with compost, touches on some natural gardening techniques, describes how to build a compost "heap" (they're British) and then gets up-front and personal with the diverse ecosystems involved in organic decomposition.

It's Gotten Rotten
1997, 20 minutes
grades 6-12
This video makes the point that sunlight is the basis for all living things on Earth and that nature makes no waste. A classroom lab is used to record observations from experiments that investigate the necessary ingredients for composting. Students study the organisms involved in organic decomposition, from bacteria and protozoa to mites and millipedes to springtails and worms. The sound quality on this video is somewhat poor.

Worm Bin Creatures Alive Through a Microscope
1998, 31 minutes
grades 6-12
This video, done by Portland teacher Warren Hatch, zeroes in on the tiny organisms often seen but rarely identified in a worm bin. Under Warren's microscope, well-lit, colorful, and in focus, busy little creatures such as springtails and mites go about in search of food or shelter. This video is great for viewing micro-organisms as a class.

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Consumerism

The Ad and the Ego
1997, 54 minutes
grade 9 to adult
This video features loads of clips of modern ads with smart, incisive analysis about the effects advertising has on our culture and its subsequent connection to waste. Noting that advertisers now routinely appeal to people's deep-seated emotions and feelings of insecurity to sell their products, people are encouraged to deconstruct ads and question whether true satisfaction can come from commercial products. An excellent examination of one of the most powerful socializing forces in today's culture that is increasingly targeting our youth.

Affluenza
1997, 56 minutes
grades 6-12
Affluenza is a fascinating look at one of the greatest social maladies of our time: overconsumption and materialism. Hosted by National Public Radio's Scott Simon, Affluenza explores both the comical and sobering aspects of our consumerism and its enormous impact on our families, communities and the environment.

Escape from Affluenza
1998, 56 minutes
grades 6-12
A follow-up to Affluenza, watch as people from many walks of life show you how they're living better on less and escaping from Affluenza, a pernicious epidemic of stress, overwork and debt that is affecting Americans in record numbers. With stories ranging from Seattle to the Netherlands, Escape from Affluenza uses expert commentary, thought-provoking vignettes and humor to show how they can reduce their consumption and simplify their lives.

The Merchants of Cool
PBS Frontline, 2004, 60 minutes
grade 11 to adult
(Teacher advisory: some content may not be appropriate for younger children; review first.)
A PBS Frontline episode, this film documents many of the tactics used by the advertising industry to get kids to buy their products. A surprising look at teen culture and the sophisticated approaches used by marketers to penetrate this lucrative demographic.

More Fun, Less Stuff
2002, 26 minutes
grade 8 to adult
Danny Glover narrates a discussion about the changing American Dream and the growing movement in America to reconnect with a more meaningful life not based on the acquisition of material things. The film explores some of the ecological, economic and social consequences of our current consumer lifestyles as well as some of the changes we can make to help live more balanced lives.

The Persuaders
PBS Frontline, 2004, 60 minutes
grade 9 to adult
A fascinating and detailed look at the world of advertising, this film examines some of the trends and tactics used by marketers to cut through the increasing clutter created by their own industry. Interviews with industry professionals and analysis of specific advertising campaigns help to illuminate an industry that remains mysterious to most people.

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Garbage and recycling

Bill Nye, the Science Guy: Garbage
DVD, 1996, 26 minutes
grades 6-8
In his usual entertaining style, our favorite scientist explores garbage and recycling in the United States.

Saving Little Pieces of Our Earth
DVD, 2008, 13 minutes
grades 6-12
Ever wonder how recycling works? This locally-produced video follows paper, aluminum, steel, plastic and glass through the recycling process - from your recycling bin to a material recovery center and then into new products.

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Natural resources, the environment and sustainability

Earth on Edge With Bill Moyers
2004, 2 hours
grade 9 to adult
This excellent video makes the point that modern economies are built on the Earth's natural ecosystems and their preservation is essential to our survival. The filmmakers look at five important regions where people are working to improve their degraded conditions: Kansas (soil conservation), South Africa (invasive species and water quality), Canada (sustainable forestry practices), Mongolia (over-grazing), Brazil (coral reef and mangrove protection); illustrating that it's not too late to make changes that work.

The Environment: A Historical Perspective
1999, 1 hour
grade 9 to adult
Plenty of professional commentary from Lester Brown of the renowned Earth Policy Institute and other scientists enhances this historical analysis of the environmental challenges we face today and how we got here. Beginning with how humans first feared nature, later worked to understand it, and then eventually tried to bend it to our needs, the film concludes that we are endangering the systems that allow us to exist. The scientists reinforce the concept that everything is connected and that we must reconcile economic development with the resources that make this development possible.

Environmental Ethics
DVD, 2005, 62 minutes
grades 6-12
This video profiles a diverse group of courageous Goldman Environmental Prize winners who have made it their duty to protect their local environments. Organized around foundational topics in environmental studies, Environmental Ethics examines both the facts and the ethical arguments surrounding resource management practices. The inspiring stories told in this video pose questions about how to weigh the needs of modern life with the reality of its impacts on the natural world.

Generation Earth
1996, 40 minutes
grades 6-10
See how high school students are working for the Earth in their local schools. Projects include waste audits, composting and gardening, water testing, monitoring beach pollution, outdoor classrooms and others.

Human Footprint
DVD, 2008, 90 minutes
grades 6-12
Have you ever thought about how much food, everyday products, and fuel you've consumed during the course of your life? In National Geographic's new program, Human Footprint, you'll find out that it's a lot. From our cars to our clothes dryers to our disposable toothbrushes, our impact on planet Earth is astonishing. This enlightening portrait reveals our level of consumption and the simple changes we can make to reduce our negative impact on the world.

Our Ecological Footprint
2006, 30 minutes
grade 10 to adult
Humans are the most successful species on the planet, but we are placing unprecedented demands on our planet's limited ecological resources. Mathis Wackernagel, co-creator of the Ecological Footprint concept, explains how the Footprint is a tool that we can use to measure the amount of "earth" it takes to provide for all the choices we make. Mathis likens the Footprint to a bank account statement in that it documents whether or not we are living within the ecological budget of our planet or if are consuming nature's resources faster than they can be regenerated. Unfortunately, we are currently in what the author calls "overshoot" in that our demands currently exceed supply by 20 percent. The film helps explain how the Footprint is calculated and how some regions have responded with creative ways to reduce their Footprints.

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Toxics and the environment

Blue Vinyl
2002, 60 minutes
grade 9 to adult
A very witty look into an otherwise serious issue, this film follows the exploits of a well-intentioned daughter as she investigates her parent's choice of PVC siding for their house on Long Island. Dragging a piece of siding from her parent's house with her, she first goes to Lake Charles, Louisiana where a third of the nation's PVC is manufactured, then to California to investigate less toxic alternatives. Along the way, she discovers many surprising (and disturbing!) things about this ubiquitous material, but manages to make her point in an accessible and unthreatening manner.

Trade Secrets
2001, 90 minutes followed by 30-minute discussion panel
grades 9-12
Bill Moyer takes us on a sobering investigation of the impact that chemicals and their manufacture have had on our lives. A test taken on blood drawn from Moyers for the investigation revealed dozens of industrial chemicals, including PCBs, dioxins and many other harmful contaminants. Important confidential industry documents reveal evidence that chemical companies have been less than forthcoming about serious health issues caused by their products, including increased rates of leukemia, cancer and bone damage. Followed by discussion panel with industry members and scientists.

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