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Television Archives

Trash talk--National Geographic's "Human Footprint"

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Supriya Doshi posted Apr 9, 2008 | 4 comments

Wednesday, April 9, 2008 -- 1:15 a.m.

Since my co-worker Curt (of Show Patrol fame) first mentioned National Geographic's "Human Footprint" special, I've been fascinated with this concept of visualizing how much we, as individuals, consume daily, monthly, annually, and even during our lifetime. It's no doubt a big number--and that number only becomes more real when you see it with you own eyes.

And those numbers seem even more impressive when you multiply the amount of your own consumption by the number of people in the world.

In putting together "Footprint," National Geographic assumed the average lifespan of an American to be 77.75 years old. Then, using statistics from various sources to come up with numbers of consumption for the average American, they illustrated the findings.

So I settled in one Friday night a few weeks ago to watch a press screening of "Footprint," which airs on the National Geographic channel at 8 p.m. Sunday. As I watched 12,888 oranges cascade into a room and milk cartons covering a lawn, I certainly started thinking about my footprint. But a more pressing thought occurred to me within the first few minutes: What did the special's producers do with all that stuff after they used it on film? What about the thousands of eggs they broke to prove a point? And all the unwrapped diapers?

To a person concerned about consumption, it seemed like a lot was being consumed to make the film. I rummaged through the literature that came with the DVD, looking for an answer to my question. Unfortunately, I didn't find the reassuring answer I was looking for. The literature simply said that they tried to recycle and reuse as much as possible, which I have a feeling wasn't much.

Hmm.

So, in trying to portray the footprints of average Americans, National Geographic managed to put two more imprints in the ground. Was it worth it?

Published in Television

Networks go eco-crazy

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Supriya Doshi posted Mar 30, 2008 | 1 comment

Sunday March 30, 2008 -- 3:03 p.m.

In the last few weeks, the number of shows focusing on environmental issues has increased to the point where I no longer can keep track of them all. The Sundance Channel, Discovery, BBC America, National Geographic, HGTV--off the top of my head--all have some sort of green programming in the works or already out there.

It's fantastic ... I think.

I feel like I should be ecstatic about networks jumping on the eco-friendly bandwagon, but I'm a little unsure of how grand of an effect the shows really will have.

Part of it has to do with the fact that many of the networks picking up this type of programming have a narrow audience. The channels often are included in extended cable packages, and, really, how often do you flip to those channels?

On my pessimistic days, I think these shows are simply around to cushion the advertising of the eco-friendly products featured in commercials and sponsored in episodes. It's a great way to get people who already are green to buy new products.

But I don't want to be a downer. I do think these shows will draw in an audience that appreciates seeing, not just hearing, what problems exists and what they can do to help. And there's no better way to get that message out there than TV, which influences all of us in more ways than we can possibly know.

And if that's the case, who am I to frown upon something that only adds to our awareness of the environment?

Any thoughts on the introduction of eco-friendly programming? What kind of influence do you think it'll have on the the TV-watching public?

Published in Television

Discovery Channel's Planet Green TV

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Supriya Doshi posted Mar 21, 2008 | no comments

Friday, March 21, 2008 -- 12:24 p.m.

I just found something that might just justify my excessive TV-watching: Discovery Communications (of the Discovery Channel fame) is planning to launch a green network, Planet Green, according to a Wall Street Journal story.

Now, aside from the fact that most of us probably won't get this channel (it's replacing Discovery Home, which I think you can only get with premium dish packages), it's an interesting concept.

If you get a chance, take a look at the story. It's pretty interesting to see what goes into putting together a network of this sort, and some of the shows they're putting sound pretty cool, such as "Emeril Green."   

Published in Television

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