Earth Month Programming Lineup for PBS SoCal and KCET Aims to Inspire Viewers to Take Environmental Action
Press Contact
Chelsea Grosbeck
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kcet.org/earthmonth | pbssocal.org/earthmonth
Select programming will also be available to stream on PBS.org and the free PBS App. Members of PBS SoCal | KCET get extended access through PBS Passport.
Los Angeles, Calif. – Mar. 21, 2023 – PBS SoCal and KCET, Southern California’s flagship PBS organizations, have announced a new lineup of specials and documentaries that explore the intersection of scientific activism, historical events and current climate change issues. The programming is designed to inform and inspire viewers to learn more about the impact of climate change and engage in meaningful action. New titles dedicated to inspiring viewers to learn the impacts of climate change include the award-winning documentary special RIVER’S END: CALIFORNIA’S LATEST WATER WAR exploring the global water crisis and California’s history of water politics. As well as the new documentary from AMERICAN EXPERIENCE which tells the story of a visionary pioneer in the field of sustainable energy and how her fight for gender-equal science paved the way for representation in STEM today. Additional specials round out the month with two of PBS’ award-winning series NOVA that looks into how scientists are using evidence-based science to evaluate the current climate crises to support and inspire activism on a global scale.
PBS SoCal will continue its commitment to the environment with high-profile premieres of content from PBS stations across the country in honor of Earth Day that will run throughout the month of April. The month features the newest AMERICAN EXPERIENCE installment, “The Sun Queen.” The revolutionary story of chemical engineer and inventor, Mária Telkes, who designed and built the world’s first successfully solar-heated modern residence and identified a promising new chemical that, for the first time, could store solar heat like a battery. AMERICAN EXPERIENCE “The Sun Queen” premieres on Tues., April 4 at 9 p.m. on PBS SoCal.
The lineup continues with more stories of how today’s scientists are developing ambitious climate technologies to solve today’s most pressing environmental issues. Two all-new primetime episodes from PBS’ NOVA investigate the United States’ carbon footprint and efforts made to combat the climate crisis. “Weathering the Future” sees how Americans are using ancient wisdom and new technologies to fight extreme weather, while scientists and engineers in “Chasing Carbon Zero” explain how the U.S. could reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The first of the two new NOVA episodes premiere on Wed., April 12 at 9 p.m. on PBS SoCal.
KCET announced a robust slate of ecological content revealing human impact on the environment and the activists working to reverse the harmful effects of the crisis in California and around the world. The lineup includes the premiere of the award-winning documentary special RIVER’S END: CALIFORNIA’S LATEST WATER WAR and details California's struggle over who gets fresh water and additionally how moneyed interests game the system. The special highlights the building uncertainty over an impending crisis of water supply in California and beyond. RIVER’S END: CALIFORNIA’S LATEST WATER WAR premieres on Sun., April 24 at 8 p.m.
The station also brings stories of climate actions with locally produced content to Southern California viewers. Beginning Sun., April 2 at 7 p.m. on KCET, acclaimed Emmy®-winning KCET Original environmental investigative series EARTH FOCUS (produced in partnership with the Thomson Reuters Foundation) will encore three episodes providing audiences with urgent local and global environmental coverage that spotlights in-depth reports on key issues.
On Earth Day, Sat., April 22 at 9 p.m. on KCET, a special encore presentation of the series 10 DAYS IN WATTS follows environmentally sustainable changes happening in the Los Angeles community of Watts. The city’s new urban garden MudTown Farms is a twelve-year project of the Watts Labor Community Action Committee (WLCAC). WLCAC President Tim Watkins shares his family’s three generations of activism and features interviews with students, farmers and community leaders committed to healing past social injustices.
Original content related to Earth Month programming on related topics ranging from environmental justice to climate activism will be available on the PBS SoCal and KCET websites. Contributors will include veteran environmental journalists and other experts.
PBS SoCal and KCET’s Earth Month content are part of a commitment to addressing the global issues that impact the planet with a goal of opening people’s minds, lifting spirits and connecting people to each other and the world. For a full line-up of environmental-themed programs, please visit pbssocal.org/earthmonth and kcet.org/earthmonth.
Select content slated to air during Earth Month is listed as follows (*schedule subject to change):
EARTH FOCUS: “The Price of Gold in Peru” – Sun., April 2 at 7 p.m. on KCET
In Peru, chief environmental prosecutor Karina Garay works with the police, army and navy to destroy illegal mines and arrest miners in protected areas, while retraining illegal miners and persuading them to join formalized mining operations.
THE FOOD PRINCIPLE: “Architect and Builders” – Sun., April 2 at 8 p.m. on KCET
From New Nordic to new normal, Denmark is strengthening communities through food and social consciousness. Join one of the original architects of the New Nordic Manifesto and two gifted community builders as they lead the country into its next decade of food leadership through social gastronomy.
THE FOOD PRINCIPLE: “Pilots and Pollinators” – Sun., April 2 at 8:30 p.m. on KCET
While the spirit of social consciousness courses through the veins of Danes, the episode investigates how the transformative power of community mindedness can ripple beyond Denmark.
AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: “The Sun Queen” – Tues., April 4 at 9 p.m. on PBS SoCal and Sat., April 8 at 9 p.m. on KCET – All New!
Biophysicist and inventor Mária Telkes, designer of the first successfully solar-heated modern residence, held more than 20 patents at the time of her death in 1995.
NOVA: “Arctic Sinkholes” – Wed., April 5 at 9 p.m. on PBS SoCal and Sun., April 9 at 10 p.m. on KCET
Scientists investigate colossal explosions in Siberia and other evidence that rapidly melting soil in the Arctic is releasing vast amounts of methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
INDEPENDENT LENS: “The Hottest August” – Sat., April 8 at 11 p.m. on PBS SoCal
During one sweltering month in New York in 2017, the film seeks out New Yorkers across the five boroughs and records conversations about skyrocketing rents and rates of homelessness, mass shootings and marching white supremacists, economic crisis and political corruption.
EARTH FOCUS: “The New West and the Politics of the Environment” – Sun., April 9 at 6:30 p.m. on KCET
In this feature-length documentary, EARTH FOCUS tells the story of Harry Reid, a politician who grew up in an Old West mining town, saw the possibility of a New West emerging in Nevada and rode that change to power. Reid used power in new ways to settle water wars with respect for Native Americans, protect endangered species and wilderness and usher in a just transition to renewable energy.
OCEAN SOULS – Sun., April 9 at 9 p.m. on KCET
This documentary about cetaceans highlights new science and discoveries of an intelligence beneath the waves that closely mirrors our own. Join the exploration into lives of these ocean souls.
NOVA: “Weathering the Future” – Wed., April 12 at 9 p.m. on PBS SoCal and Sun., April 16 at 10 p.m. on KCET – All New!
As extreme weather in the U.S. impacts more people – with longer heat waves, more intense rainstorms, megafires and droughts – discover how Americans are fighting back by marshaling ancient wisdom and innovating new solutions.
THE EARTHSHOT PRIZE 2022 – Wed., April 12 at 10 p.m. on PBS SoCal
Celebrate the annual ceremony of Prince William's prestigious environmental award: The Earthshot Prize. The star-studded event honors this year's five winners and their innovative solutions to help repair our planet.
RIVER’S END: CALIFORNIA’S LATEST WATER WAR – Wed., April 12 at 11 p.m. on PBS SoCal and Sun., April 16 at 8 p.m. on KCET – All New!
A documentary that reveals California's complex struggle over who gets fresh water, and how moneyed interests game the system. Constant battling over uncertain water supplies heralds an impending crisis - not just in California, but around the world.
8 BILLION ANGELS – Sat., April 15 at 9 p.m. on KCET
Examining the effects of overpopulation, this documentary evaluates how humanity is depleting natural resources and analyzes possible solutions to implement before it is too late.
EARTH FOCUS: “We Are Where We Live” – Sun., April 16 at 7 p.m. on KCET
Through the stories of the patients and doctors of AltaMed, this episode exposes the socio-environmental determinants of health in the city of South Gate, California.
IRELAND’S WILD COAST: “Part One” – Wed., April 19 at 7 p.m. on PBS SoCal
Follow a unique, personal journey along one of the most spectacular coastlines in the world featuring the wildlife and wild places that make it so special. Emmy® Award-winning wildlife cameraman, Colin Stafford-Johnson, takes viewers on an authored odyssey along Ireland’s rugged Atlantic coast.
NATURE: “Niagara Falls” – Wed., April 19 at 8 p.m. on PBS SoCal
Embark to this geological wonder and witness its stunning beauty and a wide variety of wildlife mammals, birds and reptiles that call it home. Three separate waterfalls combine to form the second largest waterfall in the world.
CHANGING PLANET – Wed., April 19 at 9 p.m. on PBS SoCal and Sun., April 23 at 9 p.m. on KCET
Every year over seven years, conservationist Dr. M. Sanjayan anchors a global storytelling effort to monitor seven iconic locations across the planet. Featuring the latest science and emphasizing local voices, each location represents a unique biome and a litmus test for change happening around the world.
THE GREAT THIRST: WILLIAM MULHOLLAND – Sun., April 16 at 9 p.m. on KCET and Wed., April 19 at 8 p.m. on PBS SoCal
The complex and storied history of California through the lens of its relationship with water. Inspired by the book of the same name by acclaimed author and professor Norris Hundley Jr., the documentary special highlights William Mulholland and the creation of modern Los Angeles by illustrating one of engineering’s greatest achievements of the 20th century and one of its biggest disasters.
10 DAYS IN WATTS: “Legacy” – Sat., April 22 at 9 p.m. on KCET
MudTown Farms, an urban garden twelve years in the making, is ten days from opening in the Los Angeles community of Watts. Tim Watkins, President of the Watts Labor Community Action Committee (WLCAC), shares his vision of a family’s dedication to their beloved community.
10 DAYS IN WATTS: “We Are Taught to Survive” – Sat., April 22 at 9:30 p.m. on KCET
A week from opening, the farm faces challenges, deadlines and cost overruns, but Tim Watkins and the team press on. We also meet several community leaders, including Janine Watkins, speaking about their varied experiences growing up in the Watts community, the influence of Black History, the need for Latino voices and a common thread shared between them embodied by the acronym for Watts: “We Are Taught To Survive.”
10 DAYS IN WATTS: “Watts Pride” – Sat., April 22 at 10 p.m. on KCET
Perspectives are shared from local residents and community leaders that includes Michael Krikorian, a renowned journalist who has covered Watts for decades and Johanna Rodriguez, a Watts resident on the Mayor’s task force. The episode also features poet Oshea Luga at the Watts Coffee House, a renowned arts community center in the heart of Watts.
10 DAYS IN WATTS: “A Garden Grows in Watts” – Sat., April 22 at 10:30 p.m. on KCET
MudTown Farms opens after twelve years and the community comes out to celebrate. For Tim Watkins and family, a new day begins, and the torch is passed from father to son. The community provides feedback on the urban garden’s opening, including perspectives from a pastor, an 18-year-old double amputee headed to college and a crisis intervention specialist.
INDEPENDENT LENS: “Eating Up Easter” – Sat., April 22 at 11 p.m. on KCET
See how climate change and a booming tourism trade threaten the fragile economy of Rapa Nui (also known as Easter Island) and meet the local artists, ecologists and developers balancing their strong cultural heritage with modern-day challenges.
EARTH FOCUS: “For The Love of the Land” – Sun., April 23 at 5 p.m. on KCET
This episode explores how climate change has taken a toll on the mental health and well-being of farmers and homesteaders in Northern California, Arizona and Wisconsin.
IRELAND’S WILD COAST: “Part Two” – Wed., April 26 at 7 p.m. on PBS SoCal
Follow a unique, personal journey along one of the most spectacular coastlines in the world featuring the wildlife and wild places that make it so special. Emmy® Award-winning wildlife cameraman, Colin Stafford-Johnson, takes viewers on an authored odyssey along Ireland’s rugged Atlantic coast.
NATURE: “The Secret Crown” – Wed., April 26 at 8 p.m. on PBS SoCal
The discovery of a coral reef in Guatemala, five times the size of Manhattan, marks an exciting new chapter in understanding corals, the fish that need them and the battle to save coral reefs worldwide.
NOVA: “Chasing Carbon Zero” – Wed., April 26 at 9 p.m. on PBS SoCal and Sun., April 30 at 10 p.m. on KCET
A look at real world technologies that could help the U.S. achieve the goal of 100 percent zero carbon pollution by 2035. From expanding the availability of renewable energy options, to designing more energy-efficient buildings, to revolutionizing the transportation sector, and more, the film casts a hopeful but skeptical eye.
EARTH FOCUS PRESENTS: “Magnitude of All Things” – Sun., April 30 at 6:30 p.m. on KCET
Filmmaker Jennifer Abbott explores the emotional and psychological dimensions of the climate crisis and the relationship between grief and hope in times of personal and planetary change.
EARTH FOCUS PRESENTS: “2040: The Regeneration” – Sun., April 30 at 8 p.m. on KCET
Award-winning director Damon Gameau (“That Sugar Film”) embarks on a journey to explore what the future could look like by the year 2040 if we embrace solutions already available to improve the planet and shift them into the mainstream.
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About PBS SoCal and KCET
PBS SoCal and KCET are both part of the donor-supported community institution, the Public Media Group of Southern California. PBS SoCal is the flagship PBS station for diverse people across California and delivers content and experiences that inspire, inform and educate. PBS SoCal offers the full slate of beloved PBS programs including MASTERPIECE, NOVA, PBS NewsHour, FRONTLINE, and a broad library of documentary films with works from Ken Burns; as well as educational content including PBS KIDS programs like DANIEL TIGER’S NEIGHBORHOOD and CURIOUS GEORGE. KCET showcases the best of PBS and is a leading source for arts, culture, and news in Southern California. Through innovative storytelling, KCET explores and expresses our dynamic local communities helping residents understand and connect with the region's diverse communities and ideas. For additional information about both KCET and PBS SoCal productions, web-exclusive content, programming schedules and community events, please visit kcet.org and pbssocal.org KCET Originals and PBS programming are available to stream on the FREE PBS App on iOS and Android devices, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV, Samsung Smart TV, and Chromecast. KCET is also available to watch live on YouTube TV.