I Want My Green TV: Our Fave ‘Save the Planet’ Shows

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Everyone was hopping on the Green TV bandwagon this week for Earth Day, some more successfully than others. But when April is over and the networks turn their lights back on, some green shows will still be on the air trying to save the planet. Here are a few of our favorites.

The Lazy Environmentalist Wins Some, Loses Some

We love the lazy environmentalist, because he really sums up our attitudes about being green. Sure we want to do our part to save the planet, but we’re busy. We can’t spend a lot. And we too, can get a little lazy. Enter Josh Dorfman who visits eco-skeptics to see what habits they can alter without too much effort or a noticeable lifestyle change.

Season two premiered this week and Josh worked with an interior designer and a family who loves to camp. Neither gave the environment a second thought. Until now.

Interior designer, David Brian Sanders, a complete anti-eco snob, said that green products did not meet his client’s standards. But Josh prevailed and Sanders incorporated a toxin-free mattress, a soy-based concrete floor stain, energy efficient appliances, a vintage stove, and low VOC paint. Victory for Josh.

No such luck in segment two. Dorfman showed a family how to camp with less environmental impact. We get that people want a few modern conveniences in the woods, but these guys brought a generator for their TV, DVD, iPod, computers, electric cooktop, and microwave. Doesn’t feel like communing with nature to us. Add in the drive and mother earth would be better off if they just stayed home.

Surprise, surprise. They weren’t open to switching to the solar generator, shower heater, oven, or the battery-less crank lights. Their only concession? The recycled sleeping bags. Seems they were pretty soft. So much for “Leave No Trace” camping.

Calling All Cash for Clunker Doubters

If you’re wondering if you should let that Cash for Clunkers program slip through your fingers, you might want to think again and buy that new refrigerator. Need proof that EcoStar products payoff in the long run? Then plug your TV back in and tune into “Wa$ted” on Planet Green.

This week’s episode followed host Annabelle Gurwitch as she worked with two sisters, who own and operate the deliciously decadent Sweet Melissa Patisserie in Brooklyn, New York. Sibling rivalry was taking its toll on the eco-minded business manager Erin. She was at odds with owner, CEO and sister Melissa, who was afraid that being environmentally aware would hurt the companies bottom line.

Needless to say that switching to eco-friendly packaging, replacing a Freon fridge with an eco-efficient model, and composting reduced the bakery’s ecological footprint from 183 acres to 175 acres saved the sisters $2,280 year.

So let this be your wake-up call. Your refrigerator is running and your bills are increasing. Take a clue from green TV and get into that appliance rebate line now.

Tune in next time to see what’s cropping up on green TV.

Image: MarkWSutton