Monday, April 18 at 9:00 p.m.
American Masters: John Muir in the New World
Preservationist, naturalist, author, explorer, activist, scientist, farmer, John Muir (4/21/1838 – 12/24/1914) was all these things and more. Nearly a century after his death, this Scottish American is remembered and revered as the father of the environmental movement and the founder of the Sierra Club, the oldest and largest grassroots environmental organization in the United States. Explaining his impact then and now, this 90-minute documentary delves into Muir’s life and influences with reenactments filmed in high definition throughout the majestic landscapes he visited: Wisconsin, Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada, the Alhambra Valley of California, and the glaciers of Alaska.

Monday, April 18 at 10:30 p.m.
Into the Wild
The program follows the Roberts family from Homestead during a weekend camping trip in the Park.. Before their adventure begins, family members give their honest opinions about the planned activities, their fears and concerns with the idea of spending a night in the Everglades. Their stay is filmed in a reality-TV format in order to give the audience a feeling of what the family experiences.  The goal is to show an up close and personal look at the beauty and grandeur of what has been called “The River of Grass’ and to show local residents what’s in their backyard.

 

Tuesday, April 19 at 11:00 p.m.
Independent Lens - Waste Land
Filmed over nearly three years, Lucy Walker’s Waste Land follows renowned artist Vik Muniz as he journeys from his home base in Brooklyn to his home country of Brazil, and to Jardim Gramacho, the world’s largest garbage dump located on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. There Muniz photographs an eclectic band of catadores — pickers of recyclable materials — and works with them to “paint” their portraits using garbage. The resulting collaboration with these inspiring characters provides profoundly moving evidence of the transformative power of art and its impact on the human spirit.

Wednesday, April 20 at 9:00 p.m.
NOVA: Power Surge
Can emerging technology defeat global warming? With more than $30 billion earmarked for “green energy,” President Obama’s stimulus package marks the first serious step by a U.S. administration to tackle the threat of global warming. But as the pace of innovation slackens in the crumbling economy and the public worries more about jobs than the future of the planet, is it all a case of too little, too late? NOVA focuses on the latest and greatest innovations that include everything from artificial trees to cleaner coal, nuclear energy and wildly ambitious — and risky — schemes to re-engineer the entire climate system. Can our technology, which helped create this problem, now solve it?

Wednesday, April 20 at 10:00 p.m.
Olmstead and America's Urban Parks
151 years after Frederick Law Olmsted designed New York City’s Central Park with Calvert Vaux, it remains an undisputed haven of tranquility amidst one of the largest, tallest, and most unnatural places on earth. Olmsted and America's Urban Parks a one hour documentary, examines the formation of America’s first great city parks in the late 19th century through the enigmatic eyes of Frederick Law Olmsted (1822 – 1903), visionary urban planner and landscape architect. The film features Academy Award winning actor Kevin Kline as the voice of Frederick Law Olmsted.

Wednesday, April 20 at 11:00 p.m.
Bag It!
Our story follows Jeb Berrier, an average American guy who is admittedly not a "tree hugger," who makes a pledge to stop using plastic bags. His girlfriend, Anne, joins him in the challenge to decrease their use of plastic at home. This small action gets Jeb thinking about plastic, not just about plastic bags, but other kinds of plastic. "What is plastic made of? Is it recyclable? Does it decompose when it ends up in the landfill? Does plastic have negative health effects?" Jeb wants to learn more, so he embarks on a global tour to unravel the complexities of our plastic world.

Thursday, April 21 at 11:30 p.m.
Pine Rockland Composition
The subject of Pine Rockland Composition is the human and nonhuman interrelationships within the pine rockland natural community. The program begins at night during the wet season in the pine rock lands within Everglades National Park. The subtropical and globally imperiled pine rock lands occur exclusively on the Miami Rock Ridge limestone in South Florida and predominantly within Everglades National Park. The pine rock lands underwent rapid agricultural and urban development with the advent of the rock plow in the mid to late 20th century. Today, the pine rock lands consist of fragmented remnants as a result of habitat development and degradation, fire suppression, nonnative species, and alterations to hydrology.