Earth

Our magnificent planet earth is top of mind today. It should always be top of mind, but two earth-focused documentaries have given me a swift kick reminder that sometimes I am slacking off in this department.

Last night, I attended a screening of the new documentary Earth Days. This enlightening film details the origins of the modern environmental movement in America - starting in the post-WWII era - from the perspectives of several key figures that helped drive it forward. Oddly, the film doesn't carry the story completely through to the 21st century, but it does provide real insight into how many of our present problems, policies, and protection efforts came to be.

Tonight, I stumbled upon the re-airing of Discovery Channel's landmark 2007 documentary series, Planet Earth (which originally aired on the BBC in 2006). I missed it the first few times around, so I'm thrilled to catch this most definitive look at our planet again on the network's schedule - especially now that I can watch it on my HD tv. The series starts tonight and runs through early September. It's don't-miss tv and quite simply, breathtaking.

I guess I know what I will be doing for the next few weeks - keeping the earth top of mind. Which I should have been doing anyway.