The 90’s, episode 206: The Earth And The Environment

Episode 206 of the award-winning TV series The 90's. This episode is called "THE EARTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT" and features the following segments:

0:00Copy video clip URL Opening.

2:11Copy video clip URL “Zeke’s Heap” by Jay April. Segment about a communal compost heap run by Tim Dundon, aka “Zeke the Sheik.” The county health department is trying to force the removal of the giant compost pile, claiming it is a public nuisance. The people in the town organize a protest to save the heap.

7:02Copy video clip URL Bill Kurtis commentary. Kurtis, a Chicago anchorman, warns of environmental catastrophe.

7:37Copy video clip URL “Redwood Summer: Where the 90’s Begin” by Mary Liz Thomson & Tim Pearson. In response to the accelerated deforestation in California and the car-bombing that injured two Earth First organizers, people from around the country have organized “Redwood Summer,” a series of nonviolent protests. An activist addresses the tension between environmentalists and mill workers, claiming that this tension is artificially produced by logging companies. He claims that the logging companies blame closings on environmentalists, but in reality, the mills have finite lifetimes due to the process of draining the resources of entire areas.

14:14Copy video clip URL Public Service Announcement by Paul Tassie. A PSA featuring a dog that urges us to control automobile emissions.

15:16Copy video clip URL Dr. Noel Brown commentary by Wendy Appel & Alan Barker. Brown, Director of the U.N. Environmental Program, claims that environmental destruction is vastly outpacing our ability to correct it and is one of the most critical problems in the world. “The first problem is atmospheric and climate change, then there’s the problem of disappearing species, and then the problem of a freshwater resources, we’re polluting water at a much faster rate than we’re conserving it. This is a very urgent matter, people must get involved, we’ve got to cut back CO2 emissions by 60%. The consequences are unpredictable…nature may not be able to keep pace. We’re looking at the implications to see what the government should do.”

17:00Copy video clip URL “No Time to Waste” by Madeline Muir. Segment about the little-known presence of toxic waste dumps in rural, working class towns. In Casmalia, California, many residents experience the rapid development of respiratory failure and cancer, resulting in death and birth defects. In McFarland, CA, another toxic dump site leads the town to be nicknamed “the cancer cluster.” Rosamond, CA has the highest rate of childhood cancer in the country, all within a one mile radius. In Moab, Utah, an ex-EPA executive has proposed the installation of an incinerator for toxic waste in Arches National Park.

30:17Copy video clip URL More from Dr. Noel Brown. “The industrial center of gravity is shifting from Europe and the West to Asia and the Pacific. What will happen when 3 billion people begin to make claims on resources at the level that the West has? What will happen when people in China begin to drive cars at the same rate as those in the West? What will happen when Eastern Europe develops market-driven economies? These are new questions, what are the environmental implications?”

31:51Copy video clip URL “Earth Day: Berkeley, California.” By Karen Einstein & Peter Wolf. We learn that Pacific Gas and Electric has set up a booth at the Berkeley Earth Day festival, having paid $5,000 to gain this more environmentally friendly image.

32:51Copy video clip URL More from “Zeke’s Heap.”  We go on a tour of Zeke’s lush garden and learn what elements come together to produce such superior soil.

36:38Copy video clip URL Murray Bookchin commentary by Luana Plunkett. Writer/activist Bookchin addresses environmental issues from a sociological perspective. “I tried to show the idea of dominating nature stems from the idea of dominating people. My radical background in social theory leads me to believe that our ecological problems stem from social problems.”

37:20Copy video clip URL “We All Live Downstream” by Greenpeace. Greenpeace wanted to see firsthand whether the U.S. Clean Water Laws, which were designed to eliminate discharge of hazardous waste, had any impact in the Mississippi River. They found that only a few hundred meters form the river’s clean source it was not safe to eat fish.

41:48Copy video clip URL Public Service Announcement by Paul Tassie. A PSA warns that garbage never disappears and urges recycling.

42:49Copy video clip URL “Postcard From the U.S. Environmental Film Festival” by Bill Stamets & Mark Waters. Denver Post film critic Howie Movshovitz criticizes the intentions of Hollywood filmmakers and actors gathered in Colorado Springs, Colorado to discuss their commitment to save the environment. Ed Begley, Jr. is one of the guests.

47:29Copy video clip URL “Earth Day: Washington, DC” by Eddie Becker. Popeye joins the ecology movement. “I’m Popeye the sailor man, I recycle my spinach can…Anyone who pollutes the air, earth, or ocean is nothing more than a criminal!”

49:03Copy video clip URL “Steve Brill, Wildman” by Esti Marpet. In Central Park, New York City, the “wild man” conducts tours pointing out edible plants and teaching about conservation. In 1981, when he was leading tours in New York’s parks, he was arrested and charged with criminal mischief for picking plants. After that, he made a deal with the city and now he’s an official Park Department employee. His advice: “Enjoy this planet, it’s yours to partake of, it’s yours to protect.”

55:32Copy video clip URL Maude DeVictor commentary. Environmental activist DeVictor warns about the loss of our natural resources and the importance of individual action. “People do make a difference. The old person who remembers when there were butterflies, the housewife who remembers hanging her wash outside and it smelling great…We have to have those who remember – a nine year old today might not know what a butterfly is.”

56:30Copy video clip URL More from “Zeke’s Heap.”  The order to remove Zeke’s heap has been rescinded because of public support. People celebrate under credits.

58:45Copy video clip URL :30 promo.