Educational Media Reviews Online

50 States of Sustainability is a series of short videos, ranging from 2 to 20 minutes in length, that highlight a variety of sustainability companies and projects from around the United States. These brief videos each focus on a single effort in innovation and entrepreneurship that is designed to heal the Earth and help us live healthier lives. The videos fall into six general categories: built environments, circular economy/recycling, electric vehicles, energy transition, regenerative agriculture, and renewable energy. While the videos are very honest about the ecological crises our planet is facing and about humanity’s role in creating these crises, each of these videos leaves the viewer with a sense of hope. Together, we can use science and technology to make the world a better, safer, healthier place for all of us.

While some of the videos give a bit of scientific background on how the various inventions and technologies work, nearly all these videos are appropriate for a middle school audience. There are enough details and higher-order questions to keep high school students, or a general adult audience engaged. These videos also expertly balance the technological and scientific aspects of the innovations discussed with the business perspective of the companies highlighted, which provide interesting insights and ideas to ponder for people who aren’t necessarily science focused. With this in mind, the 50 States of Sustainability series is highly recommended to be used in a middle or high school classroom as well as for general viewing by children or adults. The brevity of many of these videos makes them ideal for use within a structured classroom lesson or as extracurricular educational viewing at home.

Published and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Anyone can use these reviews, so long as they comply with the terms of the license.