1973: The Year Environmental Filmmaking Was Born

Two of the best films of all time explored the sinister underbelly of environmental politics -- Chinatown and Soylent Green -- planting environmentalism firmly in the cultural zeitgeist.

As part of my exploration into the role of popular films in the environmental movement, I had to go back to the beginning -- 1973 -- when one could argue the environmental film was born. In that year, two groundbreaking films were in production -- Chinatown and Soylent Green. 

Both are widely known as two of the best films of all time and because of this fact they are rarely discussed in the context of the environmental movement. But I feel that it's important to revisit them as they shed light on a subject that all too often devolves into a tedious scholastic presentation of facts and figures.

Top 10 Environmental Documentaries Of 2009

With the rise of environmental issues comes the increased popularity of movies addressing these issues. This year's environmental documentaries come from all over the world. Filmmakers are bringing shocking and sometimes tearful topics to your living room — to inspire you to make a difference. These documentaries examine everything from the negative effects of the American agriculture system to leading a zero-impact lifestyle. These are 10 must-see films.

Top 10 Environmental Films Of All Time

A countdown of the most important environmental films ever made.

After hearing the amazing story of how the film The 11th Hour helped to save an ancient rain forest, I realized the power that films have both as political tools and as cultural influencers. So I turned to environmentalist and media expert Harold Linde to help develop a list of the top 10 environmental films of all time. Some will disagree with the selection and others with the ranking (in order of importance). Please feel free to argue with me and put forth your own suggestions and rankings in the comments section below. 

So here it goes ...