18 Documentaries That Will Teach You About The Environment & Our Planet

Stream these on Earth Day, or any day.

1. Open Sesame: The Story of Seeds

Open Pollinated Productions

Open Pollinated Productions

Meet the seed heroes of the world fighting to protect seeds against major corporations.

Watch the trailer here and watch the full documentary on FMTV, Amazon, Kanopy, and their website.

2. Dirt! The Movie

Gaia

Gaia

This movie — narrated by Jamie Lee Curtis — will more than likely change the way you think about the ground you walk on every day.

Watch the trailer here and watch the full documentary on YouTube, the Google Play store, Amazon, and iTunes.

3. Food, Inc

Magnolia Pictures

Magnolia Pictures

Find out how America's food supply is controlled by corporations and what that means for the safety of the environment and yourself.

Watch the trailer here and watch the full documentary on Amazon, VUDU, and iTunes.

4. Growing Cities

dirtthemovie.org

dirtthemovie.org

This doc takes a look at people taking farming into their own hands throughout the country, from window farms in the tiny apartments in NYC to community gardens in Detroit. Fair warning: you may walk away inspired to grow your own food!

Watch the trailer here and watch the full documentary on iTunes or FMTV.

5. The Island President

ITVS / Actual Films

ITVS / Actual Films

A deep dive into the the life of Mohamed Nasheed, president of the Maldive Islands, as he works to save his barely-above-sea-level country from global climate change.

Watch the trailer here and watch the full documentary on iTunes and Amazon.

6. The Human Experiment

Kino Lorber

Kino Lorber

Sean Penn narrates this scary look at the untested chemicals in everyday products and the battle against their use.

Watch the trailer here and watch the full documentary on YouTube, iTunes, VUDU, and Amazon.

7. Chasing Ice

New Video Group

New Video Group

Environmental photographer James Balog's stunning time-lapse photos show a world that's melting faster than we even realized.

Watch the trailer here and watch the full documentary at Amazon.

8. Vanishing of the Bees

Dogwoof Pictures

Dogwoof Pictures

Ellen Page narrates this thrilling look at the economic, political and ecological implications of the worldwide disappearance of the honeybee.

Watch the trailer here and the full documentary on Amazon, Google Play, YouTube, FMTV.

9. Gasland

New Video Group / HBO/International WOW Company

New Video Group / HBO/International WOW Company

Heard of fracking, but don't know what it is? This documentary will fill you in and then some.

Watch the trailer here and watch the documentary on Amazon, VUDU, and iTunes.

10. Plastic Paradise

Virgil Films

Virgil Films

Have you ever heard of the great pacific garbage patch? Brace yourself — this movie will completely change the way you look at plastic and the way we recycle.

Watch the trailer here and watch the full documentary at Amazon, VUDU, YouTube, and iTunes.

11. Cowspiracy

First Spark Media

First Spark Media

A shocking look at the leading causes of global warming and the effect of methane gas on the atmosphere.

Watch the trailer here and watch the whole documentary on Netflix.

12. The 11th Hour

Warner Independent Pictures

Warner Independent Pictures

Leonardo DiCaprio produced and narrates this look at the changes our generation (and those before us) have put upon the planet.

Check the trailer here and watch the full length documentary at Google Play, Amazon, iTunes and YouTube.

13. Tapped

Atlas Films

Atlas Films

Take a look at the dark side of the bottled water industry and their affect on our health and the environment.

Watch the trailer here and watch the full documentary on Google Play, YouTube, and iTunes.

14. PlanEAT

Studio At 58

Studio At 58

Do our food choices have an adverse effect on the earth? (Spoiler alert: yes.)

Watch the trailer here and watch the full documentary on YouTube, Google Play, and FMTV.

15. A Fierce Green Fire

ZAP Zoetrope Aubry Productions

ZAP Zoetrope Aubry Productions

This doc looks back at the past 50 years of global activism and just may spark a fire inside of you. Meryl Streep lends her voice to some of this doc, too.

Watch the trailer here and watch the full documentary on iTunes and Amazon.

16. No Impact Man

Eden Wurmfeld Films

Eden Wurmfeld Films

See what happens when a man makes a vow to make as little environmental impact as possible for one year.

Watch the trailer here and watch the entire documentary at Amazon Video.

17. Food Chains

Illumine Group

Illumine Group

See what happens when Florida farm workers launch a hunger strike at the headquarters of Publix supermarkets. Plus, it's narrated by Forest Whitaker — what could be more soothing?

Watch the trailer here and watch the full documentary at Amazon, iTunes, VUDU, Google Play, and YouTube.

18. An Inconvenient Truth

Lawrence Bender Productions

Lawrence Bender Productions

If you haven't seen this infamous 2006 movie by Al Gore, get on it. And then remember that it's eleven years after the fact...

Watch the trailer here and watch the documentary on VUDU and Amazon. (The sequel to this movie comes out in 2017!)