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SOS calling all environmental education experts!

by Mike Donohue — Nov 14, 2008

Anybody know of a good eco TV or video series?

One of the courses I teach at the cram school here in Sapporo is for students already accepted to (primarily) American universities. It's called "Academic Skills". The course is meant to simulate an English Writing 101 course and thus combines reading, writing, and seminar portions in a very intense way. A fourth part of the class is Audio Visual. On this day, we watch and discuss episodes of Morgan Spurlock's "30 Days" reality TV series on American social issues or National Geographic's Taboo series on unique customs from around the world.

Recently it has been requested that the AV portion of the course take a new direction -- and I've been given complete freedom to do whatever I want. So... it's eco-time! Hopefully.

I want to find a TV series or short video collection that tackles various environmental problems in a concise and engaging way. 

Please help! 

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Ecoseries

Posted by David Palange at Nov 14, 2008 11:52 AM
Mike, as a former science teacher, I found NG's "Strange Days on Planet Earth" to be the most engaging series. Each episode presents a problem as an environmental mystery. They then introduce facts and connect them to explain the solution. For example, one episode focused on Yellowstone National Park and the disappearance of trees. You learn that the loss of the wolf community contributed to a chain of events that cut across the full food chain. See http://www.pbs.org/[…]/yellowstonewolves.html

Hope this helps,
David

thanks!

Posted by Mike at Nov 17, 2008 09:29 AM
Thanks David! I'll check it out. Mike

Enviro TV

Posted by Ed Jahn at Dec 01, 2008 09:50 AM
We have had great success with our outdoor/ environmental show called Oregon Field Guide, which has been running for 20 years on Oregon Public Broadcasting in the northwest. It is a regional show that consistently achieves the highest television ratings of any PBS show in the country on Thursday evenings at 8.30p.

Recently we aired a one hour documentary special on invasive species called "The Silent Invasion" that was viewed by 1 in 10 Oregonians, a significant achievement. Feel free to watch a preview of the show at :
www.opb/org/programs/invasives

Or you can stream many of our recent Oregon Field Guide stories at www.opb.org/programs/ofg

I'm a producer for the series. If you'd like to use any of our programs as an educational resource, feel free to contact me directly.

ed jahn
US 503-977-7797

Re: Enviro TV

Posted by Mike Donohue at Dec 04, 2008 09:51 PM
Hello Ed! Thanks for the advice. I will look into the Oregon Field Guide Series. If we decide to use it, I'll give you a call! Best, Mike
Mike Donohue
Mike Donahue

Mike is a 2008 Graduate who studied sustainable agriculture.

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