PBS North is celebrating Earth Month with a collection of thought-provoking programs, documentaries, and specials designed to elevate the conversation around climate change and sustainability.
Join US on Friday, April 21st at the Great Lakes Aquarium to Celebrate Earth Weekend. Learn More
AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: The Sun Queen – now streaming
Scientist Mária Telkes dedicated her career to harnessing the power of the sun. Though undercut and thwarted by her male colleagues, she persevered to design the first successfully solar-heated house in 1948 and held more than 20 patents.
America’s Forests with Chuck Leavell – now streaming
Rolling Stones keyboardist Chuck Leavell combines two of his passions – music and trees – to bring stories of sustainable forestry to the public on “America’s Forests with Chuck Leavell.”
Making It Up North – Making It: Sustainable – now streaming
Visit Loll Designs, an outdoor furniture maker with sustainable values imprinted in the process; recycled sweaters become Wooly Wearables; a tip of the hat to Cloquet artist Philip Savage and his birch bark creations.
Great Gardening – Food for Life: Sustainable Gardening – now streaming
Growing your own food is a life-sustaining practice. More gardeners and small farmers are letting the land do the work for them. They use natural methods and let organic matter enrich the soil.
Almanac North: Sustainable Transportation in Duluth’s Sister City – now streaming
In August 2022, Producer Megan McGarvey visited Växjö Sweden, Duluth’s Sister City. Where she had the opportunity to sit down with city planners about their strategies regarding sustainable transportation.
Northern Nights, Starry Skies – now streaming
Join photographer Travis Novitsky, Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, on a visually stunning exploration of the heavens as seen from Voyageurs National Park, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, and Quetico Provincial Park—together comprising the world’s largest designated Dark Sky sanctuary. Ojibwe artist and scholar Carl Gawboy shares Indigenous star knowledge complemented by Indigenous and cultural astronomers Jim Rock and Jessica Heim and astronomer Bob King. Learn how artificial light is impacting our world from author Paul Bogard and about the movement to reduce the harmful human health and environmental effects of light pollution from Starry Skies North founders Cynthia Lapp and Randy Larson and bird expert Laura Erickson. Co-produced with Hamline University Center for Global Environmental Education (CGEE), this is an experience that will transform your appreciation of the North Country’s spectacular starry skies!
Find free standards-aligned teaching resources for Northern Nights, Starry Skies through the Cardinal Learning Hub.
Native Report: Mother Earth – now streaming
Gabrieleño Band of Mission Indians fights for federal recognition and full access to sacred sites in CA; Native demonstrators stand against the Enbridge Line 3 Pipeline Replacement Project in MN; Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe reflects on U.S. returning land to them.
NOVA: Weathering the Future – now streaming
As extreme weather in the U.S. impacts more people – with longer heat waves, more intense rainstorms, mega-fires, and droughts – discover how Americans are fighting back by marshaling ancient wisdom and innovating new solutions.
Is Duluth Climate Proof? A PBS North Digital Story – now streaming on YouTube and Instagram
You may have heard Duluth, Minnesota is referred to as climate-proof, but what makes this small Midwestern city resilient to climate change? And is it, in fact, climate-proof? Hear from National Weather Service Duluth Meteorologist, Ketzel Levens, UMD Professor of Physics and Astronomy, and the Large Lakes Observatory, Jay Austin, about the science behind Duluth’s unique climate.
Changing Planet II – Now streaming
In its second year, Changing Planet revisits six of our planet’s most vulnerable ecosystems and catches up with the truly inspiring people introduced in the first season: scientists and local experts fighting to safeguard their communities and wildlife, and charting the progress of their game-changing environmental projects.
NOVA: Chasing Carbon Zero – Wednesday, April 26 at 8 pm
Can the U.S. reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and avoid the biggest impacts of climate change? Experts say it can be done. Here’s the technology that could get us there.
NOVA: Climate Across America
A national initiative from NOVA spotlighting how climate change affects communities across the U.S. and engaging audiences in productive conversations about innovative climate solutions.
Find free standards-aligned teaching resources for Earth Month on PBS LEarningMEdia.
An Earth Month Playlist: Documentaries Centering Indigenous Voices
Documentaries and programs that show environmental stewardship from Indigenous perspectives.
Climate, Nature & Our Planet
Watch documentaries and read articles from series like NOVA, NATURE, and FRONTLINE about how our climate is changing from the perspective of climate scientists.