Tune in to green

Flipping around the TV channels is getting pretty eco-friendly these days. Sure, the cable box, DVR, and telly itself may be sucking vampire power while you're not looking (a smart power strip can reduce the load). But what's on the screen is going greener every day.

Starting June 4, 2008, Discovery Networks launches the first 24-hour cable channel devoted to an eco-lifestyle. Called Planet Green, the channel will reach 50 million homes in the U.S.

The 250+ hours of original programming will include new shows by celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse and former "This Old House" host Steve Thomas, among others. Rapper Ludacris and rocker Tommy Lee will also battle to see whose concert tour can be greener in a show slated to premiere this August. Ed Begley Jr.'s popular show "Living With Ed" moves to the new network too.

At last year's Green Festival in San Francisco, I got a preview of the new channel. I talked to self-confessed 'organic cheerleader' Sara Snow who has two shows already on Discovery. She's bringing her simple steps for living lighter on the planet to her latest show, "Get Fresh With Sara Snow."

If that's not enough eco-TV for you, check out the Sundance Channel for a line-up it calls The Green. With a mix of documentaries and reality-TV-like features, Sundance's offerings are a bit more edgy than Discovery's.

Think of Planet Green as the "how-to" channel, full of practical experts guiding you along the path to an ever more earth-friendly lifestyle. If you want recipes, shopping advice, remodeling tips, you'll find it on Discovery Networks, with a dash of celebrity fun thrown in.

Consider Sundance Channel the place to dig deeper into environmental issues and see where the world is going. Programs like "The Ecoists" and "Eco Biz" profile activists, entrepreneurs, and celebs who are trying to change the world. "Big Ideas for a Small Planet" looks at broad topics such as transportation or fashion and examines new technologies or emerging philosophies that are making these things greener. If you want inspiration to keep fighting the good fight, Sundance shines.

Enviro themes are popping up in unusual places on TV too. The current season of MTV's The Real World went green the house in Hollywood, California. Low-flow showers, dual-flush toilets, and a bike-powered computer are just some of the eco-toys peppered throughout the place. Watch some video tours, thanks to Grist.org.