Through showing the horrors of the fishing industry, Seaspiracy has impacted people’s sushi eating habits and taught them to rethink how much plastic they use. In fact, I know two people personally who went vegan and plastic-free as a result of witnessing this documentary. The mortifying scene of dolphins being slaughtered in Japan, simply because they tap into our fish supply, is enough to make you put down the can of tuna and never look back.
It is because of documentaries like this that we are better able to connect with information that we otherwise attempt to disassociate from daily. There’s a difference between knowing plastic is bad by word of mouth, and then seeing trash being pulled out of a bird’s intestines on the screen in your living room. The more we expose ourselves to these hard truths the more of an opportunity we have to grow and become a conscious consumer. If you want to reinforce what you learned in Seaspiracy then look no further than the documentaries below. Yes, they will freak you out, but awareness is the first step to change. Let’s change the planet by being mindful of our purchases!
Cowspiracy
The producer of Seaspiracy created Cowspiracy, and both documentaries uncover the destruction facing our planet from the choices we make in our daily eating habits. Cowspiracy focuses on the meat industry and how it is the leading cause of deforestation, water consumption, and pollution. Our delicious burgers are actually more responsible for greenhouse gases than the transportation industry. It takes 660 gallons of water to create one hamburger, which is about the equivalent of 2 months of showering. In my opinion, it’s easier to cut back on the meat than alter how much we have to drive or shower. Unless you are willing to try dry shampoo. During the documentary, we see several interviews with world-leading environmental organizations that are too afraid to talk about the meat industry being one of the main causes of climate change. It is even insinuated that they are paid to keep quiet. Scary!
David Attenborough: A Life on our Planet
Planet Earth’s narrator David Attenborough soothed us with his wise English accent while commentating on the nature of animals for the past two decades. As well as witnessing the many beauties on our planet, he has also witnessed nature falling apart. This documentary highlights the destruction humans are having on this beautiful planet. We follow Attenborough on his incredible journey through life and learn about what he has seen first-hand from the negative impacts of humans. As soon as the 2030s the Amazon rainforest will transform into a dry savanna if we don’t do anything about it now! Not only will this decimate the biodiversity in the rainforest, but it will also alter the global water cycle. He talks of the horrors to come, but also provides solutions to the problem to wrap this up as a very productive and awakening documentary.
Chasing Coral
Corals are living organisms, and they are sadly dying on a mass scale. They are home to fish and other marine life that one third of the world relies on for their main source of food. Not only are they incredibly beautiful and diverse, but they support the environmental ecosystem of the ocean. In the last 30 years, they’ve been dying off at a stunning rate. Chasing Coral makes the point that 93% of the rise in temperatures is absorbed by the oceans so that while people debate changes on the earth’s surface, the seas are where the most damage is being done right now. Thankfully, the film ends on a good note, asserting the possibility of restoring coral life through changes in human behavior.
A Plastic Ocean
The plan for this documentary was to track and film a blue whale, but as filmmaker Craig Leeson and world-famous free diver Tanya Streeter start on their journey, they are shocked by the discovery of the thick layer of debris floating in the middle of the Indian Ocean. This diverted their plan as they felt the importance of reporting the havoc caused by decades of plastic use to be more important. Not only are fish ingesting the plastic, but so are we. When smaller “microplastics'' are ingested by fish, toxins are released and become stored in their tissue. These toxins end up on our dinner tables and can lead us to many health problems including cancer, autoimmune disorders, and even childhood developmental issues. This documentary will make you question all the plastic you use in your life. Hopefully, if you are able to, you can start buying more sustainable products and cut plastic out of your life and diet!
Broken
This docuseries has four hour-long episodes each tackling a different industry. Broken exposes counterfeit cosmetics, vape products, disposable furniture, and plastics. Counterfeit beauty products that have been tested contain known carcinogens, horse urine, and even super glue! In the episode, they interview a woman who experienced super gluing her lips together. It’s just proof that not all products are created equal, and all of us need to look at the ingredients of what we purchase and verify the source! Each episode takes a look at the way these industries have conned their way to the consumer, and it inspires us to wake up and choose companies that are doing good!
We hope you enjoy these documentaries, and they cause you to look at how you can make some small changes in your life leading to a positive, global impact. Get your partner and friends to sit down and watch with you, so you can all spread the word! It will be fun to encourage each other to be more conscious. MiaDonna began from a conscious consumer realizing she had most likely purchased a conflict diamond. Then she started a company with the sole mission to provide ethical conflict-free fine jewelry while funding the foundation, The Greener Diamond! It is because of conscious consumers like you that we are able to empower and support those affected by the diamond mining industry. By keeping children in school, and out of mines, we can support the next generation! By demanding more ethical and sustainable choices we are changing our world together.
