You don’t have to be a tree-hugger to enjoy a new series about fuel, wastes, eco-friendly architecture, sewers, logging and more.
But it helps.
The Sundance Channel greens up this spring with a major programming initiative.
From nuts-and-bolts suggestions on environmentally sustainable products to cosmic ideas on how religious faith means caring for the Earth, a new series is uber-progressive and ultra-groovy on one hand, calmly informative and entertaining on the other.
The mantra is this: Walk lightly on the Earth, practice nonviolence, and watch digital cable.
Here’s a big idea for a small channel: “Big Ideas for a Small Planet,” in 13 parts, premieres at 10 tonight on Sundance (Comcast Cable channel 505). The episodes are thematically paired each week with documentaries about ecological and environmental issues.
The whole undertaking, complete with clips starring Sundance chief Robert Redford, is titled “The Green,” and is intended as TV’s first regularly scheduled programming block on the newly fashionable subject.
The emphasis of “Big Ideas” is on practical advice with an upbeat tone: “This oil was used to fry a turkey, now it’s my fuel,” says Joel Woolf, a forward-thinking engineering buff who has found a way around the gas pump.
“Can we imagine a world without gasoline?” an onscreen graphic asks, driving the point home.
Woolf’s two-tank engine system runs on vegetable oil. That’s a lot of fried chicken, but he’s making it work.
Driving the veggie oil-powered car feels the same as driving a conventional car, we’re told, except that it smells a bit like French fries. Same horsepower, same miles per gallon, just that ceaseless McDonalds aroma following you around. (Don’t they make new-car-leather deodorizer for that?)
Americans represent a mere 5 percent of the world population, another stern graphic notes, yet we contribute 45 percent of the bad CO2 emissions. The series works best when the statistics are worked into the storyline more seamlessly.
Laurie David, wife of Larry (“Curb Your Enthusiasm”), has her say, along with the head of Biobling.com, proponents of biodiesel, made from soy or other renewable fuels. Willie Nelson does a testimonial; Tim Robbins, Daryl Hannah, Robert Kennedy Jr. and Josh Lucas will chime in in future short clips.
The tone is inquisitive, stopping short of infomercial territory. MSNBC’s Alison Stewart will lend credence to the proceedings as host of clips on eco-friendly businesses.
Accompanying the episode on fuel is the documentary “A Crude Awakening: The Oil Crash,” directed by Basil Gelpka and Ray McCormack. It’s enough to make you take your stir fry into the garage and fuel up.
An episode planned for summer features New Belgium Brewing Co. of Fort Collins and profiles co-owner Kim Jordan. The company, best-known for its Fat Tire brew, is lauded as “a model of ecological sustainability and worker-friendly policies.”
Great ideas, and a well- meaning production. Still, you can’t help wonder if “The Green” is preaching to the converted and pouring on the Hollywood pitch-people a bit too strongly to connect with the wider audience of regular folks who need to change their habits.
Then again, are regular folks watching the Sundance Channel to begin with?
Cued by Friday’s celebration of Earth Day, viewers can expect more documentary stabs at green topics.
PBS’ “NOVA,” for example, will look at solar power as a way to save the planet. “Saved by the Sun,” April 24 on KRMA-Channel 6, considers how people are using the sun’s energy to power homes, businesses and whole communities. The cameras visit the Mojave Desert to observe the world’s largest solar thermal plant.
Summer doldrums ahead
NBC announced its sleepy summer schedule early, allowing months of anticipation of dozing through a slate of cheesy reality shows. “America’s Got Talent,” “Last Comic Standing” and “The Biggest Loser” will return for more inexpensive, unscripted fun. The only new entry is “Age of Love,” a romance-themed reality concept not yet unveiled.
TV critic Joanne Ostrow can be reached at 303-954-1830 or jostrow@denverpost.com.
