As much damage as eMpTyVee has done to music, every once in a while, they manage to do something good for society. To celebrate Earth Day, California Governator Arnold Schwarzenegger stopped by Galpin Auto Sports (GAS) to help Xzibit and the crew pimp out a ‘65 Chevy Impala Super Sport, biodiesel style. It’s environmentally friendly and still kicks some muscle car ass by out-racing a gas-powered Lamborghini. Seems that you can go green and still keep your power.

It’s admirable to see eMpTyVee taking on environmental issues and are able to sneak some meaningful programming in between their otherwise brain-numbing lineup. Think MTV has more issues oriented programming aimed at their audience. If that’s what it takes to get young people interested in more than just clothes and sex, that’s pretty sad.

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I don’t talk about it a lot on this blog because I don’t feel educated enough on the subject to really voice a knowledgeable opinion, but energy conservation is pretty important to me. I’ll admit that I’m probably not the most energy concious person around. But it does occur to me that fairly soon, we’re all going to have to take our energy consumption much more seriously. Our natural resources are being used up faster than ever before and we’d all be fools to ignore the warning signs. We have to change our energy paradigm soon because if things stay the way they are, we’re going to be run out of energy sooner than we might imagine.

Okay, so that’s a little doom and gloomy. But it’s not a bad idea to start thinking about green energies, renewable energies, and environmentally safe practices. So I was tickled green when a friend of mine who works for Discovery sent me this press release:

Silver Spring, MD - Discovery Communications Chief Executive David Zaslav today announced Discovery PlanetGreen, a global, cross-platform initiative including the first-ever 24-hour television network dedicated solely to green lifestyle programming. The initiative also includes a $50 million investment in new original content and a robust multi-platform offering with interactive tools and comprehensive “how-to” resources. The announcement was made at the Discovery Communications Upfront presentation at New York’s Lincoln Center.

“The Earth has been central to Discovery since John Hendricks first chose the planet to represent our brand. The goal of Discovery PlanetGreen is to use Discovery’s worldwide credibility to be the most comprehensive and trusted global resource for celebrating, preserving and protecting the planet,” said Zaslav. “The enormous viewer response to PLANET EARTH demonstrates the interest and passion for more information about our wondrous planet. Discovery PlanetGreen aims to be the number-one media destination for this growing consumer segment.”

The Discovery PlanetGreen global initiative consists of the following elements:

• First-ever 24-hour television network in the United States: Beginning in 2008, Discovery Home Channel will re-brand as the first 24-hour green channel in the United States. The network, expected to debut in over 50 million U.S. homes, will be dedicated to the highest quality programming for a green lifestyle. The network’s content will provide entertaining, authentic and quality information for such categories as eco-design, organic food and green architecture.
• $50 million Original Programming Investment: Discovery is investing $50 million to create the highest quality content focused on sustainable development, conservation, organic lifestyles and healthy living across the company’s portfolio of 14 U.S. television networks. The priority will be on core genres such as science and technology, transportation and ecotourism, engineering, home greening and organic living. The first major content initiative will be Discovery Channel’s new special series, TEN WAYS TO SAVE THE PLANET. This ambitious series, premiering 3Q08, will be a global effort to find solutions to the planet’s most serious environmental threats, and will work with the world’s leading eco-scientists to test innovative and ground-breaking ideas, including wrapping glaciers in thermal blankets to stop their melting, dropping thousands of saplings from planes to provide mass reforestation, and painting entire towns white to reflect the sun.
• Robust Multi-platform offering: Discovery PlanetGreen will provide a forum for people curious about their world and how they can make a difference. The web will be a forum for like minded individuals and feature an array of consumer resources, tools for measuring consumer’s carbon footprint; relevant tips on how to “green” homes, cars, yards and offices; reliable status reports on climate change, polar melting, deforestation, endangered species, and the environment’s impact on animal behavior. Also, Discovery will produce original video content for all digital platforms including original short form series such as “Go Green,” which will present simple steps on how consumers can make a difference on a personal and global basis.
• Scientific Exploration: Beginning this year, explorer and wilderness educator Josh Bernstein will lead an annual scientific journey, funded by Discovery Communications, to the planet’s most endangered locations. Comprised of educators, students and sponsors, Bernstein will take these groups to the most critical environments to raise awareness about the planet’s plight.
• World Renowned Advisory Board: To appropriately guide Discovery’s many global efforts, the company will create an advisory board made up of the world’s most preeminent scientists, researchers, innovators and environmental leaders. The Discovery PlanetGreen Advisory Board will advise and support the company’s program development, partnership outreach and corporate innovation activities.
• Innovative Corporate Leadership: Discovery will host a PlanetGreen Innovation Conference showcasing the latest inventions and innovative technologies currently being developed around the world. The conference will bring together top business leaders, leading scientific experts, and top conservationists for an open dialogue on ways to protect and improve the world we live in.
• Talented Creative Executive: Leading Discovery PlanetGreen will be one of Discovery’s most talented senior executives, Eileen O’Neill, former General Manager of the Discovery Health Channel. Eileen will develop and execute an integrated, multi-platform strategy, launch the dedicated 24-hour network, and provide leadership and coordination across this global corporate initiative.
• Living and Working Green: Discovery will further its commitment to responsible operations with plans to secure the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification as issued by the U.S. Green Building Council and to make its global headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland a carbon-neutral building.
• Working with Partners to make a difference: In addition to pursuing its own LEED certification, Discovery will be working with a broad coalition of well established partners, such as The Nature Conservancy, Treehugger.com, and Grist.org, to produce relevant and entertaining programming, provide timely, reputable information, and inspire individuals to make a difference.

Wow, that’s a gigantic mouthful. Sounds like a lot of this stuff will roll out over the next few months. I’m excited to learn more about what I can do to help conserve energy and lead a more green lifestyle. Living in a high-rise condo complex, there are some limits to what I can do. But every bit counts. I can’t wait to see and learn more from PlanetGreen.

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