Planet Green Finally Sees The Light Of Day
Saqqara Aleister
April 09, 2008
Set to debut June 4th, Discovery Channel finally showed off their "green" channel, Planet Green, with a list of a few of the shows that will be running on the 24/7 Green Living Channel. Glaringly missing from the laundry list of what seems to be shows geared for the 20-something set are shows about sustainability, and even though they have tapped Emeril Lagasse, there is no listed cooking show for those interested in how to prepare great meals with sustainable foods, or even anything being offered to vegetarians/vegans.
There arenīt even any shows geared towards children. Iīm not talking about cartoons, although it might not be a bad idea with this list to start Saturday morning environmentally-slanted cartoons for kids. Hmmmmmmmmmm.
How they are going to run a channel 24/7 with this short list? It leaves one thinking that there has to be more, these cannot be the shows that will anchor the network. Nothing geared toward showing the elderly how to make newer choices, or how to help the middle ages {30-50}with four kids and a dog, who are trying to be more "green" any affordable way of being so.
The listings seem to be more about Hollywood being "green" or fun, game show-like shows that are supposed to show people how to "go green", unlike teaching how to make affordable fixes and changes to oneīs home and life in order to become more sustainable and more carbon free. Renovation Nation, hosted by Steve Thomas, might be the only saving grace there.
With shows like The Green Life, hosted by Adrian Grenier of Entourage fame, Planet Green seems to be taking the "isnīt being green so hip and fun" approach to something that can be a drastic, no-going-back world catastrophe{maybe they'll have specials for that}. Sure, it's a fine line to walk without being preachy about the issues, I think a network like Discovery is up to the task, but this list will more likely bore viewers pretty quickly, and the whole "new" green movement seems to be thumbing their noses at affordability and sustainability, along with leaving out the very people who want the changes and the large group who can make the changes happen, the middle income bracket. With a board which include names like Robert Kennedy, Stephanie Meeks, David Suzuki, Jeff Corwin, Francis Beinecke, Philippe Cousteau, and Josh Bernstein.
I was kind of expecting to see a much better lineup than what was presented, You would think they would trot out their biggest and best shows and hosts.
I grew up in places where I had to pump and boil our water, learn how to live on what was available, grow our own; I, for one, don't really care what a model slash actress slash environmentalist has to say about buying make-up or getting that hundred-dollar shirt made of bamboo. I want real, tangible information on how to make the changes needed by those who know. A one hundread dollar shirt is not going to really make the changes that need to be made and all I ever hear is that going "green" is far too expensive.
Planet Green has a great idea in being the first and so far, only 24/7 green channel and it has taken them a long time to get to this point, so maybe I was expecting more from Discovery Channel than a lineup of shows just that seem to be ones that will flit around the major issues instead of presenting shows that are strong without being "hip", that make the problems facing all of us seem more like something that will pass if given time. Much like the Planet Green web site.
There is a lot of good information on the website, but they rarely attack the issues. Itīs more just passing along information in a nonchalant, here-is-what-you-can-do attitude, instead of being the driving, in your face force that Discovery Channel is, and showing the reality of the harmful life choices people, companies, and governments make everyday, while in turn, giving prime ways to make changes--albeit
without totally unplugging from the world. So, why then, have a 24/7 television channel and website devoted to changing the world if you aren't going to jump in at the deep end and change it, media has the power and Discovery Channel is a huge media with a huge opportunity to really inspire changes without making it look and sound like something they are doing just to be trendy.
There arenīt even any shows geared towards children. Iīm not talking about cartoons, although it might not be a bad idea with this list to start Saturday morning environmentally-slanted cartoons for kids. Hmmmmmmmmmm.
How they are going to run a channel 24/7 with this short list? It leaves one thinking that there has to be more, these cannot be the shows that will anchor the network. Nothing geared toward showing the elderly how to make newer choices, or how to help the middle ages {30-50}with four kids and a dog, who are trying to be more "green" any affordable way of being so.
The listings seem to be more about Hollywood being "green" or fun, game show-like shows that are supposed to show people how to "go green", unlike teaching how to make affordable fixes and changes to oneīs home and life in order to become more sustainable and more carbon free. Renovation Nation, hosted by Steve Thomas, might be the only saving grace there.
With shows like The Green Life, hosted by Adrian Grenier of Entourage fame, Planet Green seems to be taking the "isnīt being green so hip and fun" approach to something that can be a drastic, no-going-back world catastrophe{maybe they'll have specials for that}. Sure, it's a fine line to walk without being preachy about the issues, I think a network like Discovery is up to the task, but this list will more likely bore viewers pretty quickly, and the whole "new" green movement seems to be thumbing their noses at affordability and sustainability, along with leaving out the very people who want the changes and the large group who can make the changes happen, the middle income bracket. With a board which include names like Robert Kennedy, Stephanie Meeks, David Suzuki, Jeff Corwin, Francis Beinecke, Philippe Cousteau, and Josh Bernstein.
I was kind of expecting to see a much better lineup than what was presented, You would think they would trot out their biggest and best shows and hosts.
I grew up in places where I had to pump and boil our water, learn how to live on what was available, grow our own; I, for one, don't really care what a model slash actress slash environmentalist has to say about buying make-up or getting that hundred-dollar shirt made of bamboo. I want real, tangible information on how to make the changes needed by those who know. A one hundread dollar shirt is not going to really make the changes that need to be made and all I ever hear is that going "green" is far too expensive.
Planet Green has a great idea in being the first and so far, only 24/7 green channel and it has taken them a long time to get to this point, so maybe I was expecting more from Discovery Channel than a lineup of shows just that seem to be ones that will flit around the major issues instead of presenting shows that are strong without being "hip", that make the problems facing all of us seem more like something that will pass if given time. Much like the Planet Green web site.
There is a lot of good information on the website, but they rarely attack the issues. Itīs more just passing along information in a nonchalant, here-is-what-you-can-do attitude, instead of being the driving, in your face force that Discovery Channel is, and showing the reality of the harmful life choices people, companies, and governments make everyday, while in turn, giving prime ways to make changes--albeit
without totally unplugging from the world. So, why then, have a 24/7 television channel and website devoted to changing the world if you aren't going to jump in at the deep end and change it, media has the power and Discovery Channel is a huge media with a huge opportunity to really inspire changes without making it look and sound like something they are doing just to be trendy.
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