Here’s an interesting new approach to environmental awareness: It’s the Earth Cinema Circle, which is basically a “book of the month” club except it’s movies… about the earth and the critters that live on it. Here’s the deal – you sign up for $17.95 and Coop America will send you a DVD every other month with a bunch of environmental films on it.
Most are produced by independent filmmakers, but the company pre-screens them for you, so it’s not like wading through a bunch of junk on YouTube (Ironically, Earth Cinema Circle posts the trailers on YouTube). It’s also not like Netflix, where you have to mail them back. The DVDs are yours to keep.
Will this take off? It’s hard to say. There’s a glut of free video on the Internet, and some of it is pretty darn good. But if these movies are good, and the DVDs are dinner-party worthy, it just may stick.
Hat tip to the Girlie Girl for bringing this to my attention.







The Ironweed Film Club is another option –
progressive documentary films, many with enviro themes. For about the same monthly fee (14.95 + 2.95 S&H), you receive two films a month on one DVD. This month’s is a series of shorts on humans and nature. I joined through a community organization that receives a cut of the monthly fee, every month. See
http://www.ironweedfilms.com for more info.
Do you get to keep these films like a bookclub (actually purchase the films) or is it like Netflix where you have to return them (renting)?
You get to keep them, so there’s no pressure to view them immediately and you can share them with others, too.