Ready to meet some hardworking everyday heroes, learn from powerful documentaries and discover sustainably made dramas?
Despite the potential helplessness that might flow from hearing what's happening with our climate (Australia's national climate risk report had some bad news) there are still plenty of ways to find hope and purpose.
Discover what’s happening around the world, what’s being done to restore our planet as a home for all living things, big and small, or find practical ways to live a more sustainable life yourself or SBS On Demand's Sustainability Stories collection.
An Optimist's Guide to the Planet
It’s true that the situation seems grim when it comes to the health of our planet. The ocean is warming, coral is bleaching, bushfires continue to ravage one side of the globe while the other battles storms and floods. But what can get lost amidst the (sometimes fatalistic but always vital) reporting of climate change is the efforts of those who are working hard to restore damaged habitats and combat climate change.
Actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, of Game of Thrones and King & Conqueror fame, chooses to be optimistic about the future of our planet in this award-winning documentary series highlighting innovations designed to lower carbon footprint and protect vulnerable ecosystems.
From interviews with scientists developing carbon-neutral jet fuel to oceanographers creating cloud cover for the Great Barrier Reef, An Optimist’s Guide to the Planet is an inspiring reminder that there are people out there doing the hard work of designing a sustainable future.
An Optimist's Guide to the Planet is streaming at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
An Optimist's Guide to the Planet
series • documentary
M
series • documentary
M
My Dream Green Home
If you’re looking for practical ways to live a greener life yourself, My Dream Green Home is the show for you.
In this home-reno documentary series, experts offer everyday people in Aotearoa/New Zealand advice on how to transform their homes and lifestyles to be more eco-friendly in ways that are doable rather than overwhelming. From tips on how to start a food garden in your backyard to tutorials on how to turn an old home into an energy-efficient and eco-friendly living space, My Dream Green Home helps homeowners incorporate sustainability into every facet of their lives, because green living isn’t just a value, it’s a lifestyle.
My Dream Green Home is streaming at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
My Dream Green Home
series • Home improvement
PG
series • Home improvement
PG
Pistachio Wars
When wildfires ravaged California in early 2025 there was a water shortage that left fire hydrants empty and firefighters struggling to control the blazes. Droughts in California are not uncommon, but it turns out that the precarious water situation is directly tied to the farming industry. And, well, that’s where the pistachios come in.
This illuminating (and at times shocking) documentary explores the web of connections that has resulted in water shortages across the state. Wealthy farmers face issues of water privatisation, governments make precarious deals and it’s local, marginalised populations that pay the price. The water industry (because really, that’s what it is) is more convoluted than you’d expect and has even shaped geopolitics and wars.
Pistachio Wars is streaming at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
Pistachio Wars
documentary • 2024
documentary • 2024
Black Cockatoo Crisis
Western Australia’s beautiful and mysterious black cockatoos could be extinct within the next 20 years due to climate change-driven drier summers as well as habitat loss caused by land clearing for housing and industry. The parrots, which are large, intelligent birds iconic to the region, are losing homes, nesting sites and food because of man-made environmental destruction.
But the black cockatoo’s story isn’t over yet: there’s still hope as activists continue the fight to save them from extinction. Black Cockatoo Crisis explores threats to the cockatoos as well as initiatives to protect them, from tree planting to building faux nest boxes that mimic tree hollows. Activists lead the way, but any resident of WA can build a better world for these endangered creatures: they just need the right tools.
Black Cockatoo Crisis is streaming at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
Black Cockatoo Crisis
documentary • 2022
documentary • 2022
Sue Perkins: Into Alaska
Alaska is a place of extremes, from its northern location to its frigid, biting weather. Life in Alaska – simultaneously the largest US state by area and the most sparsely populated – can at times be isolated and challenging. Indigenous people have lived on this land for thousands of years, perfecting their relationship with the life they share it with. Though, with warming on the rise, Alaska’s climate is under threat.
Sue Perkins travels in Alaska in this documentary series highlighting its incredible natural features and animals (including moose, polar bears and reindeer!) as well as the lifestyle and cultures that emerge from such a wild and beautiful place.
Sue Perkins: Into Alaska is coming to SBS On Demand and SBS VICELAND with weekly episodes starting 8.30pm Monday 27 October.
Upcoming On Demand
Sue Perkins: Into Alaska
series • documentary
M
series • documentary
M
The Knowledge Keepers
First Nations people are and have been caring custodians of the land we call ‘Australia’. Their ancient knowledge, spanning 65,000 years, kept local ecosystems thriving. With colonisation’s damaging effects on Indigenous ways of living harmoniously with the land has come environmental destruction and climate change.
The Knowledge Keepers spotlights Indigenous knowledge that can help the next generation care for Country and prepare for a future which feels uncertain. In a time where bushfires rage and storms flood, Indigenous bush care practices can be the difference between loss and salvation.
The Knowledge Keepers is streaming at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
The Knowledge Keepers
program • special
PG
program • special
PG
The Climate Restorers
We all know climate change is happening, but how many of us understand what this means on a scientific level and what is required to reverse it so the climate can return to a state that supports all life?
The Climate Restorers takes viewers on a journey where the chemical makeup of the atmosphere is explained as part of a deeper dive into restoration practices. Spanning from ecosystem restoration and regenerative farming to carbon negative buildings and the enhancement of blue carbon, this documentary shows us that not only is the fight far from over.
The Climate Restorers is streaming at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
The Climate Restorers
series • documentary
PG
series • documentary
PG
The Endangered Generation?
Director Celeste Geer’s film Then the Wind Changed won a Walkley Award for its harrowing yet life-affirming depiction of the aftermath of the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires. Now, Greer is back with an inspiring look into ways we can survive and potentially even solve the climate crisis.
Combining Indigenous and western sciences, The Endangered Generation? explores collaborative ways of creating a lasting and resilient future. She interviews scientists, First Nations leaders and local communities for their expert opinions on how we can approach this issue with imagination and creativity to build a better world for all.
The Endangered Generation? is streaming at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
The Endangered Generation?
