Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin created Earth Day in 1970 to support environmentalism and raise awareness of how we can prevent further environmental damage. Now five decades later, we’ve branched out from trying to broaden awareness to sharing action through innovation and community.
These PBS films and series illuminate the profound impact of the natural environment on our lives. Whether you find solace in gardening and hiking or are intrigued by the promise of innovative technologies, this collection will show you the intricate connections between humans and the Earth. With captivating documentaries, insightful interviews, and thought-provoking discussions, these stories inspire us to appreciate, protect, and cherish our planet.
As we commemorate Earth Day and reflect on our collective responsibility to safeguard the environment, let us celebrate meaningful change and cultivate a brighter, more sustainable future for generations to come.
Learn how NC communities have increased their resilience to climate change by returning waterways to a natural state. Stories include how the Battleship North Carolina modified its marshy surroundings to adapt to rising sea levels, how Conserving Carolina is working to restore floodplains in western NC and how the Coharie Indian Tribe is reconnecting with the river they’ve lived on for centuries.
Watch State of Change: Living with Water, Thursday, 4/17, 8:30 PM on PBS NC & the PBS app.
Follow a growing number of inspiring people, fighting to save nature. Understand the impact of carbon on our planet and how nature is helping to mitigate its effects.
Watch The Future of Nature, Wednesdays, 10 PM on PBS NC & the PBS app.
Can forests help cool the planet? Follow scientists through spectacular landscapes as they study complex networks of trees, fungi, and creatures large and small – all in a quest to tackle the twin threats of climate change and species extinction.
Watch NOVA's "Secrets of the Forest," Wednesday, 4/16, 9 PM on PBS NC & the PBS app.
Meet three Latin American community leaders who risked their lives to resist government and corporate plans to divert critical local water resources to mining and hydroelectric projects. Narrated by Diego Luna.
Watch Water for Life, Monday, 4/21, 10 PM on PBS NC & the PBS app.
Join conservation scientist Dr. M. Sanjayan for a global environmental health check of seven of Earth's bellwether biomes. From the Arctic to the Amazon, these vulnerable habitats are changing, revealing surprising animal behaviors as species adapt.
Watch Changing Planet's "River Restoration," Wednesday, 4/23, 10 PM on PBS NC & the PBS app.
The Outer Banks, known as the "Graveyard of the Atlantic," is home to thousands of shipwrecks, including Blackbeard’s infamous Queen Anne’s Revenge. But beyond the maritime history, this fragile coastline is rapidly changing—threatened by shifting sands, rising seas, and intensifying storms that could reshape it forever.
Watch Overview's "Is This Earth’s Most Treacherous Coastline?" streaming now on the PBS app.
We rely on many bee species. How do we keep them from dying out?
Follow Kamal Bell, founder and CEO of Sankofa Farms. At Sankofa, Bell grows leafy greens and vegetables for communities in food deserts and provides opportunities for young men to engage in agriculture-focused STEM. In a conversation with his parents and son, he shares his journey of becoming a farmer and creating positive change in his community.
Watch Making North Carolina's "Kamal Bell" streaming now on the PBS app.
Enjoy a unique look at the food, music, people and culture that make North Carolina our home.
Watch My Home, NC, streaming now on the PBS app.
Wildlife photographer Cassia Rivera takes us on location to photograph black bears.
The trees in the Blue Ridge Mountains are responsible for that dreamy blue haze on the horizon. Trees produce fine mists of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which scatter blue light waves. In the mid-90s, the area had serious air quality issues. Not only was it dangerous to breathe, the hazy blue was disappearing from the horizon. But it wasn’t just the trees fault. Here’s what happened...
Watch Overview's "How the Blue Ridge Mountains (Almost) Lost Their Blue" streaming now on the PBS app.
North Carolina is filled with culture, adventure and boundless opportunity. And when it comes to travel, there’s something for everyone.
Watch Ten to Try, streaming now on the PBS app.
State of Change Stories of resilience from the people on the front lines of climate change in NC. | Thursday, 4/24, 9 PM |
Hope in the Water Enter series short description here. | Sunday, 4/27, 9 PM |
Rachel Carson | American Experience Enter film short description here. | Wednesday, 4/23, 10 PM |
Surviving the Dust Bowl | American Experience Enter film short description here. | Wednesday, 4/30, 10 PM |
The Great Famine | American Experience Enter film short description here. | Wednesday, 4/30, 10 PM |
The North Carolina Channel brings storytelling about our state and region to the forefront and celebrates our local communities. Here you’ll find all of PBS NC's original series, documentaries by NC and regional indie filmmakers as well as programs that place what it means to be North Carolinian into context.
The North Carolina Channel is accessible to all viewers in North Carolina as well as those near the border of neighboring states. You can stream the NC Channel online or watch over the air with an antenna or through local cable providers.
From Emmy Award winning producer Andrew Zimmern, in collaboration with multi-award-winner and storytelling visionary David E. Kelley, Hope in the Water explores the groundbreaking work of dedicated fishers, aqua farmers, and scientists who are attempting what was once thought impossible: harvesting aquatic species to feed our growing planet while saving our oceans.
Watch Hope in the Water, streaming now on the PBS app only with PBS NC Passport.
New approaches to fishing on the open ocean aim to turn peril into plenty.
Rachel Carson is an intimate portrait of the woman whose groundbreaking books revolutionized our relationship to the natural world. When Silent Spring was published in September 1962 it became an instant bestseller and would go on to spark dramatic changes in the way the government regulated pesticides.
Watch American Experience's "Rachel Carson," streaming now on the PBS app only with PBS NC Passport.
Sir David Attenborough travels the globe to reveal the secret lives of plants. Using pioneering camera techniques, the series takes viewers on a magical journey inside the hidden world of plants, on which all animals — including humans — are dependent.
Watch The Green Planet, streaming now on the PBS app only with PBS NC Passport.
Sir David Attenborough reveals how humans help plants, many of which face extinction.
The Dust Bowl brought drought, dust, disease and death to the Midwest for nearly a decade.
Watch American Experience's "Surviving the Dust Bowl," streaming now on the PBS app only with PBS NC Passport.
Sir David Attenborough travels the globe to reveal the secret lives of plants. Using pioneering camera techniques, the series takes viewers on a magical journey inside the hidden world of plants, on which all animals — including humans — are dependent.
Watch The National Parks: America's Best Ideas, streaming now on the PBS app only with PBS NC Passport.
Examine the radical idea of creating national parks for the enjoyment of everyone.
Explore humanity’s relationship with nature and wildlife, as scientists and conservationists from all over the world examine ways we can restore our planet. This documentary series asks whether newfound awareness of nature could bring about a new chapter in the human story.
Watch The Age of Nature, streaming now on the PBS app only with PBS NC Passport.
Discover how a new awareness of nature is helping to restore ecosystems once thought lost.
The little-known story of the American effort to relieve starvation in the new Soviet Russia in 1921, The Great Famine is a documentary about the worst natural disaster in Europe since the Black Plague in the Middle Ages. Half a world away, Americans responded with a massive two-year relief campaign, championed by Herbert Hoover, director of the American Relief Administration known as the ARA.
Watch American Experience's "The Great Famine," streaming now on the PBS app only with PBS NC Passport.
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