It tells the story of the first Earth Day and the rise of the modern environmental movement. Interviews with movement leaders and historical footage give an interesting overview of the philosophies and tactics that developed environmentalism as we know it today.
Ken Burns' National Park series told the movement's first 100 years or so of history. Earth Days picks up with the second phase of environmentalism when the movement expanded its focus to public health and expanded its base beyond wealthy land conservationists. It stops on the verge of the movement's current third stage with its greater focus on social justice, a healthy environment as a human right, climate change, and expanding beyond the white middle class.
It's fun brain candy for people who enjoy thinking about movement politics. It's also important as a record of recent history. There are two generations of voting-age people who have no memory of the 60's and 70's. Unfortunately, our recent past is often retold by conservative, corporate-backed think tanks with their own spin. For some people, Earth Days will be an important lesson on how we got where we are and for others it will be a reminder.
I enjoyed the celebration of the movement's leaders, heroes, and triumphs. But, they don't shy away from discussing their failures. Throughout the movie, I saw how early successes contributed to later failures.
For example, I learned more about the tremendous accomplishments of Rachel Carson. I better understand why her success leads people to naively believe that simply educating the public and decision makers about the health impacts of specific toxins will lead to government action. It worked then, but it's not enough today.
I learned about the first "Dirty Dozen" list of pro-pollution members of Congress. Seven were defeated. It was an impressive accomplishment that changed the political landscape. After that victory, it's understandable why some people believed that having a Washington DC-based group, without organizing in communities nation-wide, was a viable strategy. It turned out not to be over time.
I saw many examples of lone-wolf or "one man with an idea" activism. I respect what they accomplished. But, I also see how that overly-individualistic mindset constrains the movement today.
The civil rights and labor movements were built from the ground up on the idea that working together is the best way to make great change. Many of the environmental movement's greatest victories were accomplished by a wealthy individual acting on their own or by government action. As the movement tries to grow, that history is both a blessing and a challenge.
The 40th anniversary of Earth Day is this month. Earth Days the movie comes out at a good time to look back, celebrate the past, and plan for a better future because the consequences of failure are greater than ever.