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Programming

Earth Day Specials

Posted by Greg Petersen on 04/19 at 07:18 AM

Great TV Programming to Celebrate Earth Day This Week

April 22 is “Earth Day” and there are several exceptional TV specials to celebrate its 40th anniversary.

AMERICAN EXPERIENCE – Monday, 9pm – “Earth Days” –  A fascinating and revealing look at the flowering of the modern environmental movement, including the first Earth Day in 1970, through the eyes of nine of the movement’s pioneers, including Whole Earth Catalog founder Stewart Brand, biologist Paul Ehrlich.

INDEPENDENT LENS – Tuesday, 10pm – “Dirt” – Jamie Lee Curtis narrates “DIRT! The Movie,” which details how four billion years of evolution led to dirt that can be used to recycle water, yield food and provide shelter. The doc also examines the dangers that the vital resource faces.

A SENSE OF WONDER – Thursday, 9pm – Kaiulani Lee wrote and stars in this docudrama about Rachel Carson (1907-64), the pioneering environmentalist who published the groundbreaking “Silent Spring” in 1962. The story chronicles Carson’s final year, when she faced fierce attacks from critics while dealing with cancer. Based on Lee’s play of the same name. (Re-airs on Saturday at 6pm)

RIVERWEBS – Sunday, 7pm – The links between stream and forest ecosystems, and the scientists who study them, are explored. Included: the story of Kyoto University ecologist Shigeru Nakano (1962-2000).