Crunchy Chicken: Planet Green Response

There is a post over at Crunchy Chicken today about the launch of Planet Green (welcome back to blogging Ms Crunchy!).   While I wrote about my superficial excitement for the channel, she delved deeper into the advertising message that is being promoted.  I have to say – if I look at it in that context, I agree with most of what she wrote and that of her readers.  This is not to say that I really am not excited to watch these programs, but I am a more educated watcher than the casual Oprah mom.  (DISCLAIMER: I didn’t watch much of the launch last night because it was the last game of the Stanley Cup playoffs).

She pointed out that GM is a major sponsor of the channel and there will be product placement in many shows.  I bitched about this with the HGTV Green House giveaway.  Many of these shows have been on other Discovery Channel owned channels.  One of which is Mean Green Machines.  The first one that I caught last night was doing a comparison of a GM E85 truck versus the Tahoe Hybrid.  I threw up in my mouth a little.  Remember their commericals using little kids to sell SUVs?

In general, though, I think a lot of the programming is honest.  I’ve always liked the host of This Old House on PBS – the one after Bob Vila – and he is the host of Renovation Nation.  The five minutes I watched of it last night was a good program.  Wa$ted is okay.  It is the exact duplicate of a show from New Zealand that used to be on Discovery Home.

Anyway – I talked about some of the programs yesterday.  Today is about advertising.  Should we be worried about greenwashing to the masses?  Of course we should.  Many of these products being advertised are from major companies who are anything but green historically.  Yes, they’re trying to make money off of a movement.  If they make a household cleaner that is safer than 409, then I’m not going to complain (well, not too much).  Not everyone is going to make their own cleaners like my angelic wife.  It’s a tit-for-tat world.  We could sit an nit-pick everything.  I often do. 

For some of the brands I’ve always liked like Burt’s Bees selling out to Clorox, I look at it like your favorite underground band finally making it.  The die-hard original fans are pissed off because their band is “selling out.”  In reality – the goal of a band is to make it big and make a living off of their music.  The goal of a business is to make profit.  The unfortunate part is there are lots of genuine companies who will be looked at skeptically because they are in the green market space. 

Greenwashing is an issue, but I think we need to give these shows a chance.  I’ve seen many of them in the past.  They aren’t all bad.  Some have their issues – like Wa$ted when their first episode was this McMansion and they barely did anything to change their lifestyle. 

A commenter, Robin pretty much sums up what I’m thinking…”I’m not ready to call the channel useless yet, but I hadn’t given a thought to the type of advertising that would be on it, yet. Gives me some food for thought.”

Umm…Discovery Channel…this is kinda funny…but doesn’t make people want to live more sustainably…

PS – Ms Crunchy Chicken – I don’t want to see green porn with Tommy Lee.  I think he’d make a cucumber blush.