• by Lydia Loizides , Op-Ed Contributor, November 19, 2007

It is all the rage, a color so powerful that it has changed the color of a peacock and even earned a Nobel Peace Prize. The color? Green.

I know I have written about this before, but this time I want to talk about the previous few weeks and the networks' moves towards Green Programming. So far, what we are talking about are corporate initiatives that have manifested themselves in storylines or even tried to clean up behind-the-scenes practices. That being said, besides some programming on Sundance Channel and Science Channel or Discovery, I have yet to see a program that is truly green. Until now.

May I introduce to you EcoManiacal (full disclosure, they have recently become a client). Now these guys are truly green; they have built the first fully green -- and by that I mean off the grid, solar- and wind-powered -- studio in downtown Los Angeles. Everything from the lighting to the bays to the projects -- they are all green. Now that is what I call green.

As we move closer to an election year, green will be a bigger and bigger topic of conversation, especially as Mr. Gore continues to bring Hollywood, Washington and the world into the nexus of this cause. The question remains, how can green be made palatable enough for the "average" American to watch? Besides the movie "Happy Feet" (which in and of itself was a little much at times), what kind of programming will speak to the youth of this country and inspire them enough to put down the Xbox and pick up some trash? That does remain to be seen, but I have a few ideas. It starts with the simple idea of compelling programming. Thoughts

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