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Less than ten percent of plastic trash is recycled, compared to almost 90 percent of metals, because of the massively complicated problem of sorting beach shoes from auto parts, discarded cell phones from drinking cups. In this TEDTalk, plastics engineer Mike Biddle talks about the logistics of plastic and metal recycling. Concerned as much about efficient reuse of plastic as he is about environmental degradation, Biddle shares how he developed an...
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Businesses across the globe are embracing an environmentally sensitive approach-not only to maintain credibility and protect the bottom line, but also to attract the best employees. This program explores policies, work habits, and advantages often found in green workplaces. Highlighting the overlap between environmental and corporate culture, the video introduces business leaders and sustainability experts who discuss eco-friendly strategies, best...
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India has begun an unstoppable love affair with the automobile. China's booming construction industry will create a staggering quantity of new homes by the year 2020. Do Western activists overstep their bounds when urging these nations to curb their ecologically risky appetites? And has the West properly acknowledged the strides India and China have made in, respectively, electric car production and solar energy? This program explores those questions...
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Environmental laws passed in California under Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger regulate greenhouse gas emissions and perpetuate the state's reputation for environmental leadership across the country. This program inquires: Could California's progressive energy policies spearhead a nationwide shift toward cleaner and more sustainable energy? Could they potentially alter the approach to environmental stewardship taken by governments around the globe?
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Many old-line portfolio managers claim that dealing with green companies is too risky, and yet they do not hesitate to buy up dangerously volatile hedge funds. In this program Hazel Henderson and philanthropic entrepreneur Karl Kleissner suggest that the traditional financial community broaden their strategies to include eco-friendly ventures. Kleissner is co-founder of the K. L. Felicitas Foundation, which lends monetary support to triple-bottom-line...
6) El Bosque
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Español
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Costa Rica prides itself on being one of the most peaceful and democratic countries in all of Latin America. Now tourism has become the nation's number-one revenue earner-and the country's ecology could be under threat. Looking at ecotourism in Costa Rica, this program helps beginning Spanish speakers learn how to describe and compare things. Viewers are introduced to a biologist and tour guide who wants to see Costa Rica balance economic demands...
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While high-tech agriculture is one of the hallmarks of Western society, a growing number of Americans and Europeans believe that our farming methods are harmful on a number of levels. This program looks at the evolving debate over industrialized food production versus organic farming. Showing how and why farming techniques and policies have changed in the U.K. and similar countries over the last 50 years, the film then examines modern pesticides,...
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Is nuclear power the cheapest way to meet the energy needs of nonindustrialized nations? In this program Hazel Henderson explores the financial side of sustainable development with Graciela Chichilnisky, architect of the carbon market concept that underlies the Kyoto Protocol. Chichilnisky founded an air capture facility designed to reduce greenhouse gases while making solar energy profitable, and Henderson's Climate Prosperity Alliance recommends...
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Due to its rapidly growing economy and a new demand for consumer goods, China is challenged to create a model for long-term sustainable development. In this program Hazel Henderson talks with Professor Zhouying Jin, author of Global Technological Change, about efforts in China to cultivate a green economy. The country has made great strides in clean energy, and is the world's largest exporter of wind turbines and solar panels. Jin discusses progress...
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In 2006, Muhammad Yunus and Grameen Bank were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for work with grassroots economic and social development. But micro-credit isn't Yunus's only focus. Recognizing the importance of energy as a factor in economic growth, he started Grameen Shakti, a nonprofit company that develops and promotes renewable energy technologies. This program follows its activities in remote areas of Bangladesh, where it helps provide rural households...
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Jutting into the clouds, the modern skyscraper offers surprising opportunities for environmental responsibility. This program explores strategies that urban centers, most notably Manhattan, use to combat the myth of the "concrete jungle." Viewers learn how the city is working to green its skyline with several groundbreaking projects-including prominent and technologically advanced structures like One Bryant Park and The Solaire. The innovative minds...
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The oceans are being emptied. This isn't just bad news for the 200 million people who make a living fishing, it's a crisis for planet Earth. The Marine Stewardship Council uses market forces to create sustainable fisheries, offering the world's only internationally recognized seafood eco-labeling system. It uses independent assessors who grant MSC certification only to products of sustainable fisheries, and it has grown into a major international...
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What's wrong with enjoying the rich variety of foods that importers make available? Do the reported drawbacks of globalization mean that we should eat only locally grown food? How are Western food choices related to environmental problems and to developing-world farmers? This program explores those questions by studying agricultural practices in the United Kingdom and worldwide. Comparing amounts and types of food grown in Britain and in foreign countries,...
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Cut-price garments not meant to last for more than a year or two make up nearly half the clothing market, resulting in a rising tide of textile waste. This program profiles clothing designers who are turning consumer demand for green products into fashion trends. The Junky Styling team searches thrift shops for vintage fabric which it then uses to create outfits for their high-profile clientele, while Worn Again founder Mike Corbett shows viewers...
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Renewables, biofuels, solar, wind, and other energy sources may be alternatives to fossil fuel-but it is impossible to ignore the ubiquity of coal and the power capabilities of nuclear technology, despite their well-discussed drawbacks. This program presents a 21st-century look at these two controversial resources, which may be major players in a sustainable energy future, thanks to new developments in carbon capture and sequestration and improved...
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Will large corporations revamp their business models in response to dire warnings about climate change? This program profiles several companies who have done just that. Nike's China division cut its carbon footprint by 50%, in part by recycling sneakers, while Novo Nordisk has partnered with the world's largest offshore wind farm in a mutually beneficial arrangement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Representatives from China Solar Power, Tetra...
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Nearly 70 percent of America's oil is consumed by cars. Can efficient automobile design mitigate the resulting environmental damage? This program explores technological solutions that can reduce the ecological impact of America's love affair with the internal combustion engine. General Motors unveils the Volt, a super-hybrid vehicle, along with the fuel cell-powered Sequel, while technology firm Fiberforge shows off the latest in ultra-light materials...
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Attitudes about ethical investing are evolving slowly, but activity in the long-term market is a sign of positive change. In this program Hazel Henderson and Bryan Martel, CEO of the Environmental Capital Group, discuss the use of pension funds to address potential ecological concerns. Martel's five-point scale for classifying assets ranges from those that would actively restore eco-balance, such as reforestation projects, to investments with great...
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With extraordinary footage shot during and after Severe Cyclonic Storm Aila, this program looks at the causes and effects of the violent weather event in Bangladesh. Viewers learn how cyclones take shape and develop, witness scenes of Aila striking coastal areas, and explore the social, economic, and ecological consequences through expert commentary and first-hand accounts. The film returns to specific areas a year after the storm and provides examples...
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It is the vast, sprawling complexes of oil refineries and petrochemical plants that help make the Texan economy one of the largest in the world. But does the wealth come at too high a price to local residents? This film is an intimate portrait of a community battling not only the health effects of environmental pollution, but the corporate powers that deny their responsibility. As the refineries release millions of tons of toxins into the air each...