The environment on Earth is comprised of a network of lifeforms, where the survival of one organism is intricately tied to the health of other organisms. When one species expands its habitat into new regions of earth, this change can displace or otherwise adversely affect the other species that existed in these regions before the new organism “moved in.” All the creatures of the Earth instinctively react to changes in the environment; human beings are one notable exception to this observation.

Individual human beings can use the evolutionary trait of intelligence to alter the normal balance of lifeforms on Earth. This does not absolve human beings from having instincts that affect the environment, but it does mean that intelligence creates a new layer of environmental impact. Collectively speaking, assemblies of humans, or governments, are currently engaged in affecting the web of lifeforms that we call the “environment.” Since politics affects the disposition of governments, and how those governments can and will affect the environment, it is important for all human beings on the planet to voluntarily influence governments to act responsibly when it comes to ensuring a future that includes a healthy environment.

It just happens that Sundance Channel has recently launched a new website all about Politics. If you are interested in seeing how environmental factors are important in politics, then check out a post [www.sundancechannel.com] from acclaimed environmental author Thomas Kostigen as he talks about the subject of water rights and privatization.

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In his article [www.sundancechannel.com] on the Sundance Channel Election Website, Mr. Kostigen considers how legislation and political participation can affect the most important resource for life on earth: water. We hope you enjoy Mr. Kostigen’s passion and knowledge on the subject of water. If you like what you read, you can get so much more from Thomas Kostigen’s numerous books on the environment.

P.S. – Try taking sips of water when you read Mr. Kostigen’s article; doing so might make the reading experience extremely visceral.

Are you personally invested in a healthy environment? Do you carefully consider how your lifestyle affects the earth? If the answer is yes, then you are probably an Earthkeeper Hero. You should be recognized for your notable efforts. If you enter the ‘Be An Earthkeeper Hero’ Contest, you might just win some cool prizes: Timberland Gear or the $5,000 grand prize. If you feel that you could doing more, then you can also check out all of the other contestants and help insure that the best entry wins the day.

Here at Sundance Channel, we are dedicated to bringing you opportunities to explore you connection to the environment. Check out this map marker [www.sundancechannel.com] created by the folks at www.Earthkeeper.com. Read it through and then make sure to click the “website” link on the marker to check out the Earthkeepers. If you want to go straight to the main contest page, click here [www.changents.com].

Earthkeepers is affiliated with Timberland, the popular makers of the ultimate work and hiking boots. Timberland was featured in ECOBIZ, a series of short films about businesses that began as green enterprises, or in the case of Timberland, of companies who realized the tremendous social and economic advantages of retrofitting their company to be green. Check out a video on Timberland.

Recently, there was a green blog post about Elizabeth Redmond, one of the Earthkeeper Change Agents. She has invented a new type of device that captures the energy of human movement and transforms it into energy. If you missed it, check it out here [www.sundancechannel.com].

Understanding the importance of saving the world from global warming is important, but that does not mean you will have fun being green. Sundance Channel wants “being green” to be a fun process and therefore, we try to present environmental information in new and exciting formats.

You already know about Sundance Channel’s new weekly programming block THE GREEN [www.sundancechannel.com]. Shows like BIG IDEAS FOR A SMALL PLANET explore the personalities and innovative strategies of cutting edge businesses that are tackling green issues in excitingly new ways. ECOISTS portrays candid interviews of celebrities like Woody Harrelson, Daryl Hannah, Ben Harper and others as they ask motivating questions about humanities’ role in assuring a healthy environment.

The fun begins On Air but continues on Sundance Channel Website. When you sign up as a member of Sundance Channel, you can also get the Greenzine [www.sundancechannel.com], a fun collection of stories and opinions that you can only find on Sundance Channel. You will receive a couple Greenzine issues each month, so you can be sure the fun will be lasting.

If you are looking to test your knowledge of environmental info, then take the Green Quiz [www.sundancechannel.com], a fun activity full of zany pictures and quotes.

Now that you have entertained yourself with all this green information, and have already learned some techniques to reduce your carbon footprint, check out Sundance Channel’s Green E-cards. Send one of your friends a silly or serious note using our colorful online Green E-card [www.sundancechannel.com].

Thanks for checking out what Sundance Channel has to offer. Please comment on this article and spread the word about how much fun it is to be green.

Sometimes it is necessary to focus on promising and hope-inspiring news stories, especially since the majority of environmental news stories are about doom and gloom. Recently, there has been a major victory for all Americans as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) managed to get the giant energy company American Electric Power to settle an eight year-long court case. The settlement is planned to cost the utility company $4.6 billion once all the chips are on the table. This settlement deals with 16 coal plants that were releasing unsafe levels of pollution. The fine will go towards cleaning up some of the pollution from these coal processing facilities as well as in updating the machinery with new regulatory devices.

At this time in the world’s history, these types of cases are really important in terms of setting landmark precedents. Without a healthy fear of being punished for criminally polluting the world, there is nothing keeping companies from poisoning the air, water and earth. There is far too much commerce and need for energy in the world for investigators to be keeping tabs on all operations, and it has become clear that “the honor code” is not sufficient to insure a healthy environment. Therefore, we must make examples of companies like American Electric Power if we are to insure compliance with environmental laws and regulations.

Wherever you are living in the world, chances are you might be near a power plant or a large industrial complex. If you notice any environmental problems that may be related to these types of operations, then we encourage you to comment on this blog post and/or make a “Green Action Needed” map marker on the Eco-mmunity Map. Then make sure to send your friends an E-card with a link to your map marker. You can get this link by clicking the “grab link” button on the display of any map marker.