Celebrate Earth Month With Environmental Film Festivals, Wherever You Are

We love this time of year — the weather warms up and people take time out to give thanks to Mother Earth! In celebration of Earth Month, we invite you to check out a few films about how we can help preserve our planet. There are many environmental film festivals showcasing films that teach just that. And the best part is, you can watch many of these films without leaving much of a carbon footprint!

If you live along the Eastern Seaboard, there are festivals up and down the coast that you can attend at various times throughout the year. Starting north is the Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival (FLEFF), held each April at Ithaca College in New York. This year, FLEFF runs from April 1 to April 14. Moving down the coast, every March the Washington, D.C. metro area holds an annual festival known as DCEFF (short for DC Environmental Film Festival). This year's event just finished up, but it is never too early to start planning for next year. Events take place across the region, including Smithsonian museums, libraries, and cultural centers. Heading farther south, Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida, holds an annual festival on campus that is free and open to the public. If you don't live in the Sunshine State, you can watch some of this year's short films on The Eckerd College Environmental Film Festival website.

Moving west, the Colorado Environmental Film Festival (CEFF) is held annually in Golden, Colorado. The next festival won't be held until February of 2025, and if you can't make it to Colorado, you can still participate the week after when the films stream online. Heading even further west, the California towns of Nevada City and Grass Valley (about an hour from Sacramento) hold the annual Wild & Scenic Film Festival each February. The festival includes both in-person and virtual options.

Lastly, the British Columbia Environmental Film Festival (BCEFF) is held online each December, and it is not too late to submit a film for consideration. BCEFF will consider any film that shines a light on diverse environmental issues and solutions.

You may also want to check out the films we recommended last year, if you haven't gotten to them all yet. Happy Earth Month, and happy viewing!