 | Texas Gold Diane Wilson, a fourth-generation shrimper, began fishing the bays off the Gulf Coast of Texas at the age of eight. In 1989, while running her brother's fish house at the docks and mending nets, she read a newspaper article that listed her home of Calhoun County as No. 1 in the country for toxic contamination. She set up a meeting in the town hall to discuss what the chemical plants were doing to the bays and began her life as an environmental activist. Threatened by thugs and despised by her neighbors, Diane insisted the truth be told and that Formosa Plastics stop dumping toxins into the bay. Fearlessly calling attention to the environmental transgressions of the chemical companies, Wilson's work has earned her the title of the "Most Unreasonable Woman in America." Learn more about Diane Wilson in the award-winning documentary, "Texas Gold." |
| Noreena Hertz Poverty eradication was once the domain of protesters and politicians. Now they are joined by business leaders, academics, actors and rock stars. Business plans supplant political speeches and arena-sized rock concerts are fused with political demonstrations. A new form of activism is emerging and economist and author Noreena Hertz is at the red hot center. Her aim is not only to find an academic solution to global poverty and hunger, but to keep the issue on the agendas of governments all over the world. |
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Peanuts When Jock Brandis discovered cotton was being grown instead of food in an impoverished farming village in southern Mali, he decided to do something about it. He knew that cotton would deplete the soil of nitrogen and suggested instead that they plant peanuts. Peanuts restore nitrogen, are more profitable, and are rich protein. The problem, they replied, was shelling each one by hand. Jock promised he would return with a machine, but discovered that nosmall-scale peanut shelling machine existed — so he invented one. For broadcast times, click here. |
 | Young Eco-Heroes of the Philipines The Philipines is home to one of the most bio-diverse coral reefs inthe world, which is now being poisoned by illegal cyanide fishing. In the film, Young Eco-Heroes of the Philipines, meet three young activists and council members who have decided to take action.
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 | Troubled Waters Troubled Waters: The Dilemma of Dams acknowledges there are reasons to dam the flow of a river. Perhaps some of these dams generate energy or benefit some of the up-river residents with more water. But the environmental, cultural, and socio-economic harm that they do seems to far out weigh the benefits, according to the filmmakers and the experts interviewed. Featured activists include the late David Brower, who led the Sierra Club and founded Friends of the Earth and the Earth Island Institute, Bruce Babbit, former Secretary ofthe Interior under President Clinton and Douglas Watts, Founder of Friends of Kennebec Salmon. These activists and pioneering environmentalists' work serves to inspire others to take action. |
