Environmental News: Big Media Catches On

Olivia Zaleski / For The Daily Green

First British Petroleum became “Beyond Petroleum.” Then Wal-mart put muscle behind CFLs. Now -- could it be? -- NBC’s hit game show, "Deal or No Deal," will be eco-themed? Starting today, and spiking again in early November, major media networks led by CNN and NBC, will unload a flurry of green-themed television.

Tonight and tomorrow, at 9 p.m. (ET), Brittney Spears and David Copperfield are downgraded to daytime as CNN airs its two-part, four-hour documentary, “Planet in Peril,” a worldwide investigation into earth’s most pressing environmental issues: climate change, vanishing habitats, species extinction, and human overpopulation. CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Animal Planet host and wildlife biologist Jeff Corwin, will travel, “behind the statistics,” across 13 countries, and 5 continents to examine eco-emergency. Resplendent in HD and tight black t-shirts, Cooper, Gupta, and Corwin remind viewers that environmental catastrophe is no longer a distant theory or future forecast, but an instantaneous reality -- real crisis happening in real time.

In an effort to promote Planet in Peril, CNN has, "gone green" -- for the week at least. In addition to temporarily changing its logo from dark auburn to lime, the network will offer quick eco tips, expert advice, and a Thursday night "Planet in Peril" roundtable to air on Anderson Cooper’s show (AC360). For more information, see CNN's Planet in Peril Web page.

NBC Unveils "Green is Universal" On Nov. 4, NBC Universal, a worldwide conglomerate of media conduits, will unveil their companywide environmental initiative, "Green is Universal." In an effort to reduce their carbon footprint and educate the public NBC Universal will run a weeklong green-programming blitz.

Sunday Night Football kicks off the week with a green-themed match-up between the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles. Monday morning, football fans can distract their hangover with a “Today Show” special devoted to climate change. The morning broadcast will dispatch Matt Lauer to the Arctic, Ann Curry to Antarctica, and Al Roker to the equator (hmmmm, someone got the lucky assignment on that one!) From the middle and ends of the earth, Today anchors will air reports about climate extremes, wildlife diversity, in what's touted as the first ever, "global-circumference broadcast." "Never before has a television network linked locations live around the entire circumference of the planet in a single groundbreaking program," a Today announcement gushed.

NBC’s various news platforms, from "Dateline," to "Nightly News," to MSNBC will also run informative shorts from Chief Environmental Affairs Correspondent Anne Thompson. Even Sci Fi has an "aware" episode of Flash Gordon followed by a "Dangerously Changing Planet" movie night. Nov. 8, the Peacock will green its entire Thursday-night lineup -- The Office, My Name Is Earl, 30 Rock, Heroes and Deal or No Deal. Even the environmental Godfather himself, Al Gore, will cameo on comedy show, "30 Rock."

But what to do if your neither sitcom, Sci-Fi, or sports fan? NBC is trying to appeal to all, even offering Cartoon Network eco-skits and green design on Bravo’s "Watch What Happens."

NBC is to release the specifics of its lineup today. Check this Web page for for the lineup.

Green Fever Spreads Other networks are in the game too: MTV runs "The Real World" in an "eco-friendly crib," complete with Energy Star appliances, recycled decor, and a solar heated hot tub. Fox, via its Cool Country initiative, is asking viewers to submit video of homemade eco-solutions. The Weather Channel continues its Forecast Earth series, focusing on Solar Power experimentation in Amish Country. And PBS continues broadcasts with an environmental flavor, including "Saved by the Sun" on NOVA tonight at 8 p.m.

After Schwarzenager renovated his Hummer, Brangelina bought an eco-winery, and the Emmy Awards rolled out a red carpet of green upgrades, the major media networks are following suit. Yes, change is in the air (pun intended) and environmentalism is a hot topic, but even the Weather Channel couldn’t have predicted such a heavy hail of green media.

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