In light of my New Year's Resolution to be responsible with my environmental issues, I find this bit of news interesting.
The Discovery Channel is going to launch a green channel. Yes, really. An entire channel devoted to how to live responsibly and take care of the earth.
The president of the Discovery Channel states that in the past, people would have been wondering, "who are these lefties?" But now, "green means responsible."
I'm all for respecting the planet and making responsible choices. But is a 24 hours cable channel about protecting the planet really being responsible? I mean after all, one will have to use some precious energy to watch.
(Read more about it here)
Thursday, April 5, 2007
Green Means Responsible
Posted by Amy at 12:33 PM
Labels: global warming
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6 comments:
Most people are stuck on their couch every evening glued the tube anyway. Maybe this'll urge them to turn down the heater and grab a blanket.
By the way, have your gas prices already hit mid-summer form?
well, a green channel may do just that. . inspire people.
Ok, maybe you guys are right. After all, I always feel inspired when I read in magazines (which I recycle!) about the different things I can do to save the earth. I just thought it might be a better use of resources to up such programming on their existing channel.
Gas is 3.25 :(
I agree with you, Amy. Use their existing channel to broadcast their green ideas. I DO think programming that specifically highlights green efforts is a good thing. Most stations air short clips that just say, "Be kind to the Earth" or something like that, which plants the seed in one's mind to be eco-wise. But most of today's people lack drive to research and find out HOW (as was said in the first comment : "most people are stuck on the couch every evening glued to the tube). People seem to need to be lead and given more direction to get motivated; maybe this will be the means.
BTW: gas is 3.25?!!! I thought when ours in StL jumped to $2.70 overnight (from 2.25) it was bad. Remind me again to never complain....
I think it's fine if they want to have a green channel. But I honestly do wonder who is going to watch.
I just don't have enough hours in the day to watch very much TV, so when I do, I try to "maximize" my entertainment minutes, by using the DVR, and skipping commercials, and only watching shows that I find extremely interesting and entertaining. Maybe I'm the exception to the norm here. You all sound like you have "couch potato" time, where you can just sit and watch whatever comes on next.
I already have 80 or so cable channels, and find myself mostly watching the same 4 or 5 of them most of the time, if at all.
I do try to make conscientious choices that are not harmful to the environment -- amazingly, if there is a financial incentive for this, even the most staunchly capitalistic person, who doesn't seem to care about the environment, can make much better choices. For example, when the price of heating/cooling or gasoline goes up, we 're more likely to conserve so that we don't have to pay as much. So, wisely harnessing market forces seems to me like the most effective approach.
So I guess what I'm saying, is that when green is able to be effectively marketed (and it is, more and more today) then you will get most of the crowd to go along with you. I'm not sure how much good a "preachy" kind of approach is for most people. It might make them think a little, and make a few general choices better.
But look at Al Gore and his huge energy-consuming mansion here in Tennessee. Many of the most "preachy" people seem to think they are privileged, and can be the exception to the rules they want to impose on the masses. Or they use gloom-and-doom type hype, which most people don't respond to very well.
Sorry to ramble here, I really don't have a point. Just various thoughts brought up by this subject.
CH--I wonder if anyone would watch it as well. I mean, seriously, it will probably be an extra channel you have to pay more for. And most people watch tv to escape from their lives, I think, so that would also be a factor against it. I don't think anyone on here has a lot of couch potato time. They were just referencing what it seems most people do with their evenings.
I know what you mean about Al Gore. That drives me bananas. But I guess that the rich will always be with us. (hee hee)
Jen, I agree. They already have huge exposure on their existing channel. But yes, people do need to know what they can do specifically and how what they are already doing hurts the earth.
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