Help! I Need an Intervention...

Help! I need an intervention... I can't stop watching Planet Green! MSNBC used to play on a continuous loop in my office, and now I can't even keep up with the presidential campaign anymore because I'm too busy watching all of the great Planet Green shows. I'm even obsessed with the commercials (particularly love the one with prisoners talking about the escape tools they've made with recycled materials). Even though some of the shows are a little corny and heavy on the do it yourself green remodeling craze, I so appreciate their intent. It's like entering a cozy community, where everyone brings their own canvas bags and drinks water from SIGG bottles.

Things feel further along here at Planet Green. It feels like a world where we are on our way to solving the big problems now that we have begun to change personally. Adrian Grenier, if you're reading this I want to join your green posse as soon as possible. I love organic wine too! Invite me to eat at your recycled wood table (made in one day from scrap wood from....you guessed it, a remodeling project!) and I promise to bring a case to your next eco gathering.

This week my shout out goes to a young man from Oklahoma who has the guts to run against an entrenched nasty political machine (otherwise known as Senator James Inhofe). Andrew Rice is the perfect example of a passionate person entering politics for all the right reasons. Andrew understands the disastrous effects that global warming will continue to have on the agricultural state of Oklahoma, which is already experiencing climate chaos on both ends of the spectrum. Unfortunately, severe drought and severe flooding have become the norm in this great state and will only grow worse with further efforts to delay action on global warming.

If you are thinking about supporting other races besides the presidential, this is an important one. If you needed further proof of just how important this particular race is, check out this recent NY Times article. For more information on Andrew, please visit his site.

My favorite action tip for this week is to view and pay your bills online. If all Americans viewed and paid bills online, we'd save 18.5 million trees each year!

Signing off from the green zone,
Laurie David

Comments

[MaxGladwell]

I enjoy watching PG as much as the next greenie, but I don't see shows like Alter Eco converting anyone new. The tone is smug and condescending to anyone who isn't already clued in. To those who have, it's preaching to the choir. So what's the point? Other than selling ads, I suppose. But I'm rooting for their success and enjoy several of the other shows.

Yes, I even enjoy several of the commercials. But they should be careful about the infomercials selling shoddy products. PG has to be held to a higher standard when it comes to advertising. I disagree that Caterpillar is evil because one of their customers might use their products in an unethical way. That doesn't make any sense. But product claims and greenwashing should be highly scrutinized.

[enveg01]

"Adrian Grenier, if you're reading this I want to join your green posse as soon as possible. I love organic wine too! Invite me to eat at your recycled wood table (made in one day from scrap wood from....you guessed it, a remodeling project!) and I promise to bring a case to your next eco gathering."

Unless the meal you're eating at your recycled wood table is vegan it's not exactly "green". I realize that we all can't be perfect but eating meat can never be green. Just saying.

[jollyelle]

Is Caterpillar, INc. a sponsor of Planet Green??---the irresponsible corporations' name is all over the website which deterred me from wanting to have anything to do with supporting the channel. The fact that Caterpillar makes and sells the War Bulldozers used by the Israeli Soldiers to mow down, without regard, family homes, established olive tree groves and the hopes and dreams of the Palestinian people should be more than enough to motivate you to TURN OFF that channel. How about speaking out in favor of peace, not corporate greed and a biased media that prevents us all from understanding the oppression and collective punishment of the Palestinian people by the Israeli government. This deliberate non reporting keeps us separated from the rest of the people in the world who are shown what is really happening without AIPAC's spin. Palestinians are completely vilified by our media.
Check out www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org and turn off that corporate sponsored t.v. station!!!

[DavidWojick]

Indeed Laurie, the Inhofe-Rice race will be closely watched by the climate debate community. But Rice should probably stay away from the line you suggest, namely that recent bad weather is due to climate change. Inhofe, unlike Gore, loves to debate the science. His people track it closely, issuing press releases every few days:http://epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Minority.Blogs.
It is impossible to attribute specific weather events to long term statistical changes in climate. Oklahomans are proud of their bad weather, so Rice might get laughed off the stage, depending on the audience of course. Inhofe will have one ton of historical data in his pocket. In any case this should be fun to watch.
David Wojick http://www.climatechangedebate.org

[plooger]

Sadly, the only way to get "Planet Green" is to upgrade my Comcast cable service to their Digital plan, which will cost a good deal more and require set-top converters anywhere I'd want to watch the Digital programming. (sorta un-green)

Maybe Discovery can work with Comcast to make this information available to all of its customers, by adding it to the basic lineup? (or even to its most basic "locals-only" lineup)

[Counterglow]

How's your broadband? Maybe you could get all or part of the program from the website. It doesn't look like they're set up for podcast at the moment, but I'm sure that must be coming.

http://planetgreen.discovery.com/

[noneIn2008]

Big problem is that it is cooling. This will be much worse than warming, as it will effect crop yields. Look at the NASA and NOAA data, we are cooling. The government is not prepared to deal with the food shortages.
We need to focus on the short term disaster of food shortages and quit being distracted by the warming facade.

[marinade]

I hate it when the cooling causes the ice shelves to melt and causes the permafrost to be not-so-perma frost.

[Counterglow]

Actually, we're probably doing both. As I understand it, Global Warming models indicate more extreme weather, especially in areas that don't benefit from the moderating influence of large bodies of water.

The middle of this continent will probably get its share of nasty winters, and no doubt people suffering from them will claim Global Warming is a crock because they're freezing their butts off.

What I can't understand is people who think we can throw millions of tons of ANYTHING into the atmosphere year after year and not have an effect on weather patterns. How stupid is that?

[kellygrrrl]

Planet Green!!!!

what a breath of fresh air
after 8 years of Planet Red

[ShaunHammer]

Actually the last 8 years have been planet cool-down by 1 degree F.

[TimmySlagle]

Laurie,

You write: "severe drought and severe flooding have become the norm in this great state and will only grow worse with further efforts to delay action on global warming."

correction: Severe Drought and Severe Flood ARE the norm in Oklahoma. It's nothing new.

Guthrie, Oklahoma Flood
April 29, 1897

http://www.gendisasters.com/data1/ok/floods/guthrie-floodapr1897.htm

1930's Dust Bowl

http://www.ccccok.org/museum/dustbowl.html

You can't blame EVERYTHING on Global Warming.

[Lane]

you go, girl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Keep on posting and we'll keep on reading!!

[LindaMilazzo]

I'm addicted, too!! An intervention wouldn't even work for me!!