[5] Rockefeller's films have explored a range of contemporary issues such as ocean acidification and the future of ocean health, PTSD and the use of music to heal,[6] the confluence of race, poverty and illness;[7] and global food sustainability.

[8] Her 2009 film, Sea Change, received the NOAA 2010 Environmental Hero Award.

[6][citation needed] Susan sits on the boards of Oceana,[10] Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture,[5] We Are Family Foundation, and is a member of the Natural Resources Defense Council Global Leadership Council.

[12][citation needed] In 2018, Rockefeller was noted in the book, Rescuing Ladybugs by author Jennifer Skiff as “inspiring awareness” and “mobilizing action across a range of environmental and philanthropic causes as a conservationist and ocean advocate.

[13] In the book, Rockefeller credits a “moment of enlightenment inspired by the pteropod” to her passion in “helping others understand the fragility of our ecosystem.”[13] In December 2021, Rockefeller and her husband each contributed $5,000 to The Next 50, a liberal political action committee (PAC).