Top 10 Green Movies Countdown

Twenty years before Silent Spring was being researched and written by Rachel Carson, which eventually resulted in the banning of harmful pesticide DDT, films with environmentally-based social messages were being produced. And the trend hasn't stopped. That's why, in celebration of all things green and planet friendly (and because the release of the movie Earth today made us think about it), we've come up with a list of the Top 10 Green movies; the ones that helped open our eyes to the environment, even if we didn't notice.



So, without further ado, here are three of our favorites, tune in for more tomorrow:

10. Grapes of Wrath
Perhaps chief among the early eco films was the 1940 film of John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, which told the story of an Okie family driven to California during the dustbowl era, which was made worse in large part due to the unsustainable farming practices used in the region.

With more than 69 years since the release of Grapes of Wrath, there have been hundreds of films that convey a message that, though sometimes of hope, is often one of warning, admonition or an appeal to change. While the amount of these films has increased since eco movements have gained a presence in a society and a voice in popular discourse, it also worth noting that there has been a shift in genres, from science-fiction to documentary, to describe these environmental changes and make an appeal.

9. Logan's Run
Where Logan's Run's thesis was, in many ways, a polemic against the notion that technology and human ingenuity will solve any crisis we face, expressed through the story of a man living in a futurist utopia, only to discover, upon escape, the utter ruin and decay of the world at large, Koyaanisqatsi makes a similar point without the fictional details.

8. Koyaanisqatsi/Powaaqatsi
This green film shows the technologically-enhanced and rapidly increasing destruction of the environment in elapsed photography. It makes the statements in naked fact, as opposed to nuanced fiction.

Hopefully, as citizens of the world become aware of environmental issues and take corrective and restorative action against them, these films will no longer be necessary. But for the meantime, perhaps a list featuring some of the best could help get the message out faster, so check back tomorrow for more green films that are sure to get some excited about saving the world. And check out our green electronics and services site for simple ways you can green up your life.

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