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How many planets do we need if everybody lives like you? When is your personal Overshoot Day?

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HappyCow is a dining guide to healthy vegetarian restaurants, vegan restaurants, and natural health food stores, and provides info on nutrition, veganism, vegan recipes, healthy cooking, travel, and more.

A small midwestern town decides to re-build sustainably after being destroyed by a tornado in 2007.

Transforming whole systems means transforming purpose. In the world of business growth, market share and shareholder profit are the near-universal stated purpose. But the mission of the John Lewis Partnership, as spelled out in its London headquarters, is different...

Grassroots community action in Chicago joins with national environmental groups to shutter two coal-fired power plants, building a model of effective action for other communities to follow. 

The nation of Palau now protects 80 percent of its oceans. 

(FILM, 92 MIN.)

A 2015 documentary, directed by Andrew Morgan, focusing  on aspects of the garment industry ―  from production (mainly exploring the life of low-wage workers in developing countries) to its after-effects such as river and soil pollution, pesticide contamination, disease and death. Using an approach that looks at environmental, social and psychological aspects, it also examines consumerism and mass media, ultimately linking them to global capitalism. The documentary is a collage of several interviews with environmentalists, garment workers, factory owners, and people organizing fair trade companies or promoting sustainable clothing production.

(Video, 10 Min.)

This thoughtful  talk by Andrew Winston explores the challenges facing society and the role of business in meeting those challenges.

(VIDEO, 3 MIN.)

A short, fascinating video introducing the problems with GDP as an indicator of economic well-being, using the collapse of the cod fishery in Newfoundland.

(BOOK)

Humanity’s 21st century challenge is to meet the needs of all within the means of the planet. In other words, to ensure that no one falls short on life’s essentials (from food and housing to healthcare and political voice), while ensuring that collectively we do not overshoot our pressure on Earth’s life-supporting systems, on which we fundamentally depend – such as a stable climate, fertile soils, and a protective ozone layer. The Doughnut of social and planetary boundaries is a playfully serious approach to framing that challenge, and it acts as a compass for human progress this century.

(Paper, 2 pgs.)

These briefing papers, created by the Center for the Advancement of a Steady State Economy, provide a concise, digestible background and context for the current model of growth-based economy, the nature and origins of its shortcomings, and a roadmap for moving to a new, sustainable model.

(Video Series)

This series of seven video shorts steps you through a new way to think about economics, based on sustainable systems.

(SHORT FILM, 21 MIN.)

Annie Leonard narrates a tour de force of consumerism.  This dense and entertaining video is documented to the gills; an annotated script is downloadable from the “Story of Stuff” website.

(Video, 20 min.)

In this energizing talk, Amory Lovins lays out his simple plan for weaning the US off oil and revitalizing the economy.

(VIDEO, 34 MIN.)

In his 2010 plenary talk to the Bioneers, renowned visionary Amory Lovins describes a path to fully renewable energy future.

(VIDEO, 18 MIN.)

In this 2011 TEDx talk, award-winning photographer and Crossroads Project collaborator Garth Lenz describes the devastating impact of the Alberta tar sands mining operations on Canada’s stunning boreal forests and First Nations people.  This is a powerful, unflinching look at the true cost of our insatiable thirst for fossil fuels.

(VIDEO, 75 MIN.)

Exponential growth is at the very heart of our sustainability crisis, and the basics are readily understandable.  In this classic video lecture, Professor of Physics Dr. Albert Bartlett, explains to a small class the very simple mathematics and  of exponential growth.  He uses population and energy as his focus and applies his conclusions to his home of Boulder, Colorado for some highly relatable examples.   Don’t be fooled by the quaint production ―  the information is succinctly, expertly, even charmingly presented.

(Book)

Addressing healthy food for people and planet, author and activist Michael Pollan arrives at a simple rule: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.

(Book)

In this book Michael Pollan, winds his way to a straightforward answer to the question: “What should we have for dinner?” He looks at the question through four dinners, and poses it from both the human health and planetary health perspective.

(Film, 96 min.)

A vital investigation of the economic and environmental instability of America’s food system, from the agricultural issues we face — soil loss, water depletion, climate change, pesticide use — to the community of leaders who are determined to fix it. Sustainable is a film about the land, the people who work it and what must be done to sustain it for future generations.

(Film, 79 min.)

A film with a message, Fresh celebrates the farmers, thinkers and business people across America who are re-inventing our food system. Each has witnessed the rapid transformation of our agriculture into an industrial model, and confronted the consequences: food contamination, environmental pollution, depletion of natural resources, and morbid obesity. Forging healthier, sustainable alternatives, they offer a practical vision for a future of our food and our planet.

(Film, 94 min.)

A 2008 documentary examining the industrial production of meat, grains and vegetables (primarily corn and soy beans), again labeling this economically and environmentally unsustainable. The film's third and final segment is about the economic and legal power, such as food labelling regulations, of the major food companies, the profits of which are based on supplying cheap but contaminated food, the heavy use of petroleum-based chemicals (largely pesticides and fertilizers), and the promotion of unhealthy food consumption habits by the American public.[4][7] It shows companies like Wal-Mart transitioning towards organic foods as that industry is booming in the recent health movement.

(Short Film, 2 min.)

Using  a mixture of stop-motion and compositing, this short film's aim is to “convey the topic in a visually interesting way using a variety of different food products.”  Its message is concise and powerful.

(Film, 90 min.)

An Academy-Award-nominated 2015 documentary about the ongoing Anthropogenic mass extinction of species and the efforts from scientists, activists and journalists to document it. The film’s overarching theme is the Anthropocene Extinction, a human-caused mass extinction arising from climate change, poaching, and habitat destruction ― themselves emergent from overpopulation, globalization and animal agriculture.

(Film, 96 min.)

This compelling documentary, presented by National Geographic, features Leonardo DiCaprio on a journey as a United Nations Messenger of Peace, traveling to five continents and the Arctic to witness climate change firsthand. He goes on expeditions with scientists uncovering the reality of climate change and meets with political leaders fighting against inaction. He also discovers a calculated disinformation campaign orchestrated by powerful special interests working to confuse the public about the urgency of the growing climate crisis. With unprecedented access to thought leaders around the world, DiCaprio searches for hope in a rising tide of catastrophic news.

(Film, 93 min.)

A 2017 documentary about a team of divers, scientists and photographers around the world who mount an epic underwater adventure to document the disappearance of coral reefs.  Stunning underwater photography, a compelling tale of achievement, and gut-wrenching tale of human impact make for a powerful experience.

(Film, 75 min.)

A 2012 documentary about the efforts of nature photographer James Balog to publicize the effects of climate change through his Extreme Ice Survey (EIS) ― in which time-lapse cameras placed in extremely remote locations captured the melt of some of Earth’s grandest glaciers, in real time.

(TV Show, 60 min.)

Produced by Showtime (Season 1) and the National Geographic Channel (Season 2), these hour-long programs follow celebrity hosts as they explore what we know about climate change, how it is impacting people and places at home and around the world, and what efforts are underway to stop it.  The episodes are informative, grounded in science, and compelling.

(Website)

NASA’s comprehensive look at climate change, with extensive reference to data acquired by NASA spacecraft.  Scroll down to the What is Climate Change? section to see concise summaries of the science.  Also be sure to check out the “Interactives” links — in particular, “Eyes on Earth."

(Video Series)

In 5 minute videos, The Crossroad Project's own Dr. Robert Davies takes us though the basics of climate change science, organized around four things that science knows about our changing climate with high confidence: Earth is warming, driven by humans, disrupting the entire planetary climate system, with great risk for humans.