Uploaded April 2024 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Watch the full documentary on Films For Action: filmsforaction.org/watch/earth-days-2009
On April 22, 1970, more than 20 million Americans across the country participated in celebrations and demonstrations — the largest in American history — demanding political action to protect the environment. Their grassroots call to action led to groundbreaking national legislation and created a new consciousness about the fragility of the earth’s resources.
The collective strength of the public’s outcry gave Washington a mandate for environmental action. In the years that followed, Congress was flooded with environmental legislation. Between 1972 and 1974, Congress passed the Clean Water Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act, Coastal Zone Management Act, Endangered Species Act, Energy Supply and Environmental Coordination Act, Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act, and the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Earth Days looks at the road to April 22, 1970, to the dawn and development of the modern environmental movement through the extraordinary stories of the era’s pioneers — among them Former Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall, biologist/Population Bomb author Paul Ehrlich, Whole Earth Catalog founder Stewart Brand, Apollo Nine astronaut Rusty Schweickart, and renewable energy pioneer Hunter Lovins. Earth Days is a meditation on man’s complex relationship with nature and an engaging history of the revolutionary achievements and missed opportunities of groundbreaking eco-activism.
Directed by: Robert Stone
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Films For Action is a library for people who want to change the world.
Our mission is to empower citizens with the knowledge and perspectives essential to creating a more compassionate, just, regenerative, and democratic society.
Films For Action was founded in 2006 by a few friends in Lawrence, Kansas, after realizing how essential healthy media is to a healthy democracy. (Fun fact: This insight came from watching The Corporation!)
Over the last 18 years, we've curated over 1,000 free documentaries and 5,000 short films, spanning almost every topic related to changing the world.
During this time we've been able to reach over 70 million people - not by owning a TV network or spending truckloads of cash on advertising, but because millions of awesome people keep sharing 'films for action' with their friends on social media.
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Watch the full documentary on Films For Action: filmsforaction.org/watch/earth-days-2009
On April 22, 1970, more than 20 million Americans across the country participated in celebrations and demonstrations — the largest in American history — demanding political action to protect the environment. Their grassroots call to action led to groundbreaking national legislation and created a new consciousness about the fragility of the earth’s resources.
The collective strength of the public’s outcry gave Washington a mandate for environmental action. In the years that followed, Congress was flooded with environmental legislation. Between 1972 and 1974, Congress passed the Clean Water Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act, Coastal Zone Management Act, Endangered Species Act, Energy Supply and Environmental Coordination Act, Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act, and the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Earth Days looks at the road to April 22, 1970, to the dawn and development of the modern environmental movement through the extraordinary stories of the era’s pioneers — among them Former Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall, biologist/Population Bomb author Paul Ehrlich, Whole Earth Catalog founder Stewart Brand, Apollo Nine astronaut Rusty Schweickart, and renewable energy pioneer Hunter Lovins. Earth Days is a meditation on man’s complex relationship with nature and an engaging history of the revolutionary achievements and missed opportunities of groundbreaking eco-activism.
Directed by: Robert Stone
________________
SUPPORT FILMS FOR ACTION
Our 6000+ video library is 99% free, ad-free, and entirely community-funded thanks to our patrons!
For $5 a month, you'll gain access to over 50 patron-exclusive documentaries while keeping us ad-free and financially independent.
Subscribe here: filmsforaction.org/about/subscribe
Explore our patron films: filmsforaction.org/library/?sort=rating&category=patron%20films&quality=best&type=evergreen
Explore our full library: filmsforaction.org/library
________________
ABOUT US
Films For Action is a library for people who want to change the world.
Our mission is to empower citizens with the knowledge and perspectives essential to creating a more compassionate, just, regenerative, and democratic society.
Films For Action was founded in 2006 by a few friends in Lawrence, Kansas, after realizing how essential healthy media is to a healthy democracy. (Fun fact: This insight came from watching The Corporation!)
Over the last 18 years, we've curated over 1,000 free documentaries and 5,000 short films, spanning almost every topic related to changing the world.
During this time we've been able to reach over 70 million people - not by owning a TV network or spending truckloads of cash on advertising, but because millions of awesome people keep sharing 'films for action' with their friends on social media.
Contact us: filmsforaction.org/contact
Get involved: filmsforaction.org/about/getinvolved
About us: filmsforaction.org/about
FAQ: filmsforaction.org/about/faq
