Exercise #4: Documentary Reflection
Instructions
For your fourth Exercise assignment, you will make connections between the environmental movement in the recent past and today by considering what you are challenged to learn from documentarians of that movement.
- Find a current or recent report in the mainstream or alternative media of an environmental topic or issue in your local or wider region. As you read/ hear about the issue, consider where you stand on it. Identify your position and your thoughts.
- Use the documentaries in this course unit to reflect on the role that civil disobedience has played in the history of environmentalism, researching one other recent example to defend your answer to the question of whether it works to bring positive change.
Use your research in the mainstream and alternative media from Activity 1 of this unit for this exercise Post the media links and your analysis. Aim for a minimum of 300 words.
Please note, you should write and edit your submission in a separate file then copy and paste it into the submission box. Once submitted to the HIST 3991 trubox site, you will not be able to edit your post.
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Submissions
Documentary Reflection
July 18, 2026 By: Julia Morgan
One environmental issue that I have been following is the ongoing logging of old-growth forests in British Columbia. According to a March 2026 Global News report, proposed logging areas continue to overlap with ancient forests that the province’s advisory panel identified as facing very high or imminent risk of biodiversity loss. Members of the former panel have argued that the province is not adequately protecting the forests most at risk (Owen, 2026). I believe endangered old-growth forests require protection. These ecosystems, including the microorganisms, mycorrhizal fungal networks, and carbon-rich soils below ground, have developed over centuries and cannot be replaced…
Documentary Reflection
July 6, 2026 By: David
The news I chose for this exercise was an instance where two individuals who were supporters of the Just Stop Oil movement threw an orange substance onto precious Vincent Van Gogh paintings. This makes it the third time the National Gallery has fallen victim to environmentalists and their questionable antics to spread awareness and their messages. This form of protest reminds me of the documentary, If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front, which addresses the extreme lengths environmental activists go in order to make a resounding statement. While civil disobedience comes across as a surefire way…
Documentary Reflection
June 7, 2026 By: okafor chichi
Exercise #4: Documentary Reflection One recent environmental issue that caught my attention was the Fairy Creek old-growth logging conflict on Vancouver Island. Environmental activists, Indigenous land defenders, journalists, and police became involved in protests aimed at protecting some of British Columbia’s remaining old-growth forests. The Fairy Creek blockades eventually became the largest act of civil disobedience in Canadian history, drawing national attention to questions about forest conservation, Indigenous rights, and government responsibility. Media Link: https://thenarwhal.ca/topics/fairy-creek-blockade/ Another example of environmental civil disobedience is the work of Extinction Rebellion, a global climate movement that uses non-violent protest to demand stronger action on…
Documentary Reflection
June 7, 2026 By: okafor chichi
Exercise #4: Documentary Reflection One recent environmental issue that caught my attention was the Fairy Creek old-growth logging conflict on Vancouver Island. Environmental activists, Indigenous land defenders, journalists, and police became involved in protests aimed at protecting some of British Columbia’s remaining old-growth forests. The Fairy Creek blockades eventually became the largest act of civil disobedience in Canadian history, drawing national attention to questions about forest conservation, Indigenous rights, and government responsibility. Media Link: https://thenarwhal.ca/topics/fairy-creek-blockade/ Another example of environmental civil disobedience is the work of Extinction Rebellion, a global climate movement that uses non-violent protest to demand stronger action on…
Documentary Reflection
June 3, 2026 By: Elkie
Mainstream source: CBC News – “Fairy Creek protests became one of Canada’s largest acts of civil disobedience” https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/fairy-creek-protest-largest-act-of-civil-disobedience-1.6168210 Alternative source: Business in Vancouver – “Fairy Creek anti-logging protesters win appeal in bid for class-action certification” https://www.biv.com/news/economy-law-politics/fairy-creek-anti-logging-protesters-win-appeal-in-bid-for-class-action-certification-12308267 The Fairy Creek protests against old-growth logging on Vancouver Island became one of the largest acts of civil disobedience in Canadian history. Protesters used road blockades, tree sits, and long-term forest occupations in an attempt to stop logging in old-growth ecosystems. Personally, I support stronger protections for old-growth forests because these ecosystems take centuries to develop and contain biodiversity that cannot simply be replaced…