Green Gold

Green Gold

2012, Environment  -   43 Comments
8.78
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Ratings: 8.78/10 from 109 users.

Environmental filmmaker John D. Liu documents large-scale ecosystem restoration projects in China, Africa, South America and the Middle East, highlighting the enormous benefits to people and planet of undertaking these efforts globally.

The film takes you to China, Jordan, Ethiopia, Rwanda and Bolivia, and features the PRI's own Geoff Lawton, who adds impetus and technical know-how to John's impressive toolbox.

It's the story of healing landscapes at scale, and, with it, restoring life, livelihoods, security and a future. This documentary is not just a tale of hope, it's evidence of hope - it's proof that we do not need to give in to apathy and despair. Instead, we see we have the simple solutions right in front of us.

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Siddharth
Siddharth
5 years ago

I feel this documentary very very interesting and something like this is getting produced , where people understand the importance of climate change. This is defiantly going to be an educator to people around world. Also what i learnt from this is that you don't have to be an expert or geologist/agricultural specialist /ph.d to start with such initiative as person from entire different field who is photo/videographer can do this ? What is required is the will to stand against climate change and act on it.
SwamiVivekand Quote " Arise,awake and donot stop until the goal is reached."
Lets make this earth more greener .Thanks you

Rachel
Rachel
6 years ago

A good introduction to the idea of "greening" the desert. My only complaint is that it doesn't go into any details about the actual process of transforming degraded landscapes into functional landscapes. While it's great that these projects exist and the documentary highlights the success stories, it's really only a surface level introduction to the topic. If you're looking for a video on the nitty gritty ins and outs of the process behind what goes on in that 3-5 year period of transformation, this documentary is not the video for that.

satchseven
satchseven
7 years ago

Bringing Obama into this? clear symptom of ODS(Obama Derangement Syndrome)

Jessie Bradley
Jessie Bradley
8 years ago

Great documentary that doesn’t just show the problems of land degradation but also the solutions we can implement to reverse the process and make sure it doesn’t happen to other ecosystems. One of the things said by John D. Liu that I found very interesting was ‘The source of wealth is the functional ecosystems, the products and services that we derive from those are derivatives. It’s impossible for the derivatives to be more valuable than the source. And yet in our economy now as it stands the products and services have monetary values, but the source, the functional ecosystems are zero’.

This points out the most important flaw of our economic system. Another interesting thing he said was ‘There are areas which are brittle and fragile and arid or hyper arid like here and then there are areas which are able to create huge amounts of biomass like in the tropics, so what about linking these two areas together, what about generating huge amounts of organic material and moving it here, or at least a percentage of it, you don’t want to deplete the fertility there, but a small amount of that could come. If that came here, you would create an industry there instead of them using slash and burn agriculture to grow crops which they can’t even feed themselves with and destroy what is the most valuable thing about their system.

They would have money and a job and then here you would have another industry to do restoration. So this would create two huge industries, employ untold numbers of people and put us on a pathway towards sustainability that is constantly sequestering carbon, infiltrating more and more rainfall, giving us food stability in places that are now experiencing famine, its extraordinary’. It most certainly is extraordinary and I hope that this combined with permaculture will end up happening in more and more depleted areas!

jean-claude Catry
jean-claude Catry
8 years ago

that is ultimately the work, yet people have lost their connection to the natural world , and don't develop the empathy . that explain why this work is not taken on . i spent years regenerating ecosystems and realised, it touch and inspire only people who had some nature connection experience as kids and can still remember where do they come from. so today i nurture the soil in the heart of people so they can remember when we were all hunter and gatherers , and connection to all in a circle, was necessary to survive . when we became agricultural we lost something fundamental and our vision shrank to who become the ennemy... i miss masanobu fukuoka 's simplicity of his vision : just sow seeds!

Oscar
Oscar
8 years ago

I am amazed by the beauty of the results, maybe even more than I am amazed by the simplicity of the science behind it: overgrazing is bad, grass roots hold soil and water=life, trees hold soil and protect the land from direct rain and protects organisms from uv-light, etc.

I am also amazed by the way Mr. Liu handles with people and governments and convinces them to try and just do it, knowing how much those trees cost they planted in Ethiopia for instance, or those fences in China.

And I totally agree with Andre!

Andre E Bordeleau
Andre E Bordeleau
9 years ago

HOPE, now take this to every school in your respective countries and show the kids not the rotten politicians and their corporate bosses...our future not theirs!

DIMOJABE
DIMOJABE
9 years ago

I've been saying this stuff since 1980. This film made me cry with relief. It's like watching an opening in an awareness happen in front of me. I am so grateful. Good will prevail. Thank you to everyone in that film and Mr. Liu.

Bungaroosh
Bungaroosh
10 years ago

Far too little
Far too late

Kestas Vaskys
Kestas Vaskys
10 years ago

this all makes too much sense to be done

Victoria Wells
Victoria Wells
10 years ago

Having heard so much recently about the increasing levels of greenhouse gasses and the limited time in which we can even start doing something about it, it was a relief to know that things can and are being done to remedy this. Eternally grateful.

Imightberiding
Imightberiding
11 years ago

Thanks for this one TDF. Well done. Important film for all to see.

Ryan Hahn
Ryan Hahn
11 years ago

If humanity used plant based foods instead of animal based, we can:

1. Wipe out world hunger, by eating direct from the source.

2. Enjoy healthy and longer lives, free from the pharmaceuticals' grasp. Read "The China Study" by Dr. Campbell. It will open your eyes about the harms of meat and dairy industries.

3. Improve our environment.

Buzz Knapp-Fisher
Buzz Knapp-Fisher
11 years ago

Green world free from toxic oil. Love what you are doing

Linda Degaetano
Linda Degaetano
11 years ago

Check out thevenusproject or thezeitgeistmovement dotcoms for info on a Resource Based Economy. It's this great idea already outlined on a global scale. "Nothing can stop an idea whose time has come" -Victor Hugo and guess what kids, i think a RBE is that idea. As this video shows, let's use our knowledge, resources & technology (wisely vs destructively) as one family to move beyond politics, poverty, war & the need for money which is actually holding us back. As a granny searching for intelligence on this planet, I feel this generation can move towards this. To create a better future for future generations. I was moved with a great deal of 'hope' in my heart from this video. Thank you. Luv, Mamma D "^_^"

Jack1952
Jack1952
11 years ago

Great video. Its a positive approach to the problems of the world.

Rick Kiriakidis
Rick Kiriakidis
11 years ago

This was incredibly awesome. I love the positivity. Im so sick and tired of documentaries that are nothing but gloom and doom and were all F***ED. Find solutions instead of curling into a ball and crying about the system. Convince people that there are better ways to do things and they will whole heartedly follow you! Education, technology, creativity we have it all at our fingertips, we just need to take the correct paths, the ones that are profitable for EVERYONE.

Paul Gloor
Paul Gloor
11 years ago

IMO, urban and suburban areas would benefit a tremendous amount from this kind of thing. If everyone were to plant trees, grow vegetables in their back yards, even front yards, a great deal of problems would be solved. There are some long term problems caused by planting trees in cities like shallow roots heaving and cracking concrete and sidewalks and canopies interfering with overhead utility systems, but i'm sure if you drop a few bucks on a comity of big brains and architects, they could solve every one of those problems as they arise. Viable land space in urban and suburban locals doesn't really get put to anything useful at all.

DigiWongaDude
DigiWongaDude
11 years ago

If you liked "One Man, One Cow, One Planet" be sure to check out this gem of undoing man's damage, and restoring ecology.

At first I thought this was Kiwi Peter Proctor's method (from above doc) of modern biodynamics (an arcane form of agriculture that was begun early last century), currently being used in India and around the world, but this is a different form of the same...this is permaculture, developed in Australia by David Holmgren and Bill Mollison in the seventies. Fantastic! Inspiring! Hope restoring!

Mercenarry ForHire
Mercenarry ForHire
11 years ago

Life will always thrive if left alone, all it needs its a little push from a unique animal that can plan for the future.

Jack Holloway
Jack Holloway
11 years ago

this man should be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, instead Barack Obama gets it for fueling war.

Luke Flanagan
Luke Flanagan
11 years ago

Something to be noted in relation to various types of deforestation; when we restore an ecosystem plant and fungi biodiversity will come back. However, the animals won't.

Trevis Robotie
Trevis Robotie
11 years ago

".....they won't go gently into that midnight"!no sir,they won't! this film is ORO-pure gold,!everyone should see and share it.a million thanks to tdf

Douwe Beerda
Douwe Beerda
11 years ago

This is such a positive and uplifting story, people all over the world should see this and learn about the permaculture design techniques behind this ecosystem restoration. We can solve and restore deserts and degraded landscapes to fertile and productive ecosystems again if we work with nature. Every government in the world should watch this and make healthy ecosystems their top priority!

ZarathustraSpeaks
ZarathustraSpeaks
11 years ago

I need to watch this one just to keep from giving up on hope.