The animal kingdom has always been especially intriguing for humans, since that is the kingdom of which we are a member. Although we distinguish ourselves through intelligence, much about animal cultures holds tremendous relevance and impact on human civilization. Maybe the animals in the Bronx Zoo have something to teach all of us?

BIG IDEAS FOR A SMALL PLANET: ANIMALS [www.sundancechannel.com]

Paul Curington, the operations manager of the Dallas Animal Services and Adoption Center, talks about how green shelters are vastly better for the health of the animals and make a big difference in energy and water conservation. This shelter would be a great place to adopt an animal. Here [metroplexanimalcoalition.blogspot.com] is a little piece on the opening ceremony for the building.

Linda Welch loves her animals, and she very much wanted to find a way of extending her love to more animals in the world. She started a pet food supply store called Green Pets to do just this. She wants to promote healthy food for animals, in fact, her animals probably eat better than 90% of the people in the world. Check out this blog post [greenpets.blogspot.com] on the wonderful pet store.

The Bronx Zoo in New York City is one of the leading conservation organizations in the world. Different than normal wildlife protection companies, the Zoo has a direct market application to creating preserves for animals within the palatially large zoo center in the Bronx. Discover more about this wonderful zoo and also learn about their special gorilla program.

To learn more about the whole BIG IDEAS FOR A SMALL PLANET series, check out THE GREEN [www.sundancechannel.com].

If you are interested in finding the physical locations for some of the BIG IDEAS businesses, check out the marker group [www.sundancechannel.com].

ECOISTS: Ed Norton [www.sundancechannel.com]

Ed Norton thoughtfully frames the environmental movement as the most important social issue of the current generation. He draws a comparison to World War II and the civil rights movement of the sixties. He feels that our generation will be judged on whether or not we can solve this climate problem.

ECO BIZ: PIZZA FUSION [www.sundancechannel.com]

Featuring all organic ingredients, this pizza shop cuts no corners to create the absolute healthiest pizza in the universe. Run out of a LEED certified building, this store saves on their energy bill as they also make sure to cut down on all of their food waste. We are sure you can taste it now.

THE GREAT WARMING [www.sundancechannel.com]

Filmed in eight countries in four continents, this film gives a panoramic view of the planet in crisis. Through the narration of Keanu Reeves and Alanis Morrisette, this film explores solutions that are waiting mass scale adoption. Do you have the will to move your local community towards change? Talking about the solutions is the first step to getting society used to the possibility of going green.

Thanks again for joining us on THE GREEN Blog. As usual, please make a comment about this post or if any ideas spring to mind, consider adding your thoughts by creating or commenting on an Eco-mmunity Map Marker.

What can you do with a green gadget? The possibilities are endlessly encouraging. Gadgets are perfect for inclusion into BIG IDEAS FOR A SMALL PLANET because they are so wonderfully surprising. They can allow humans to do things they never even imagined were possible. This week is all about saluting inventors and people who are trying to innovate their field of expertise.

BIG IDEAS FOR A SMALL PLANET: GADGETS [www.sundancechannel.com]

This week features a university professor who wants to make your computer out of chicken feathers and soybeans. Richard Wool, professor of chemical engineering at Delaware University, is turning the computing world into something out of an Isaac Asimov novel by advancing research and development of organic computer parts. This research also advocates efficiency because chicken feathers are annually wasted in landfills by the tons.

Discover Current Energy, a new type of sustainability appliance specialty store. Dedicated to making your wallet fatter and the skies lighter, Chad Vickers, General Manager of Current Energy, decided to create a ultra hi-tech shop that helps people make better use of mother nature’s resources. Check them out online [www.currentenergy.com].

Elizabeth Redmond is an inventor with big dreams of researching bigger and more complex gadgets. She decided to focus her effort on developing materials that could be used in the generation of piezoelectricity. Piezoelectricity [en.wikipedia.org] is created when certain special materials are compressed or bent by physical force. Elizabeth created a new type of technology called POWERLEAP, which is a flooring that generates electricity when people walk on it. As cool as this is, Elizabeth is setting her sights on even inventive solutions for the world’s needs.

To learn more about the whole BIG IDEAS FOR A SMALL PLANET series, check out THE GREEN [www.sundancechannel.com].

If you are interested in finding the physical locations for some of the BIG IDEAS businesses, check out the marker group [www.sundancechannel.com].

ECOISTS: Josh Duhamel [www.sundancechannel.com]

Josh Duhamel, like this blog writer, has an immense crush on alternative energy. He believes that alternative energies are based on access to open space, which is quite true in the case of systems that generate power from solar, water and wind resources. Because of this access to open space, he insinuates that shifting away from fossil fuels and focusing on alternative energy would mean that there is “not as much to fight over anymore.”

ECO BIZ: GREEN SLAM [www.sundancechannel.com]

Billie Jean King, a famous tennis player who has pledged herself to making the sports world more sustainable, started a company to help influence the sports world. Her hope is to compel manufacturers and athletics organizations to green business as usual.

STRAIT THROUGH THE ICE [www.sundancechannel.com]

Climate change is definitely changing the surface of the planet in serious ways. The most noticeable change is occurring in geographic locations that are already the most extreme in temperature and water access. These spots are found along the equator for hot, tropical places and can be found on the North and South Poles when it comes to freezing habitats. This documentary explores the mythical northwest passage, that shipping captains have dreamed about for centuries. Although airplanes have made travel to China a much easier affair, captains still dream about being the explorer that discovers the passage through the ice locked northwest passage between the North Pole and Canada.

The ice is finally melting and a new voyage can be taken; adventurers should take caution however, as the trek is still extremely dangerous.

Thanks again for joining us on THE GREEN Blog. As usual, please make a comment about this post or if any ideas spring to mind, consider adding your thoughts by creating or commenting on an Eco-mmunity Map Marker.

This week’s programming on THE GREEN focuses on the ways in which everyday life can be made more sustainable. From the products that you put and use in your homes to new types of homes constructed from reused shipping containers, this week can give you some ideas for use in everyday living.

BIG IDEAS FOR A SMALL PLANET: LIVE [www.sundancechannel.com]

Demolishing a home can be a simple thing if you want to write off everything in the building. However, there are probably many parts of the home that would be useful to resell or reuse in a new home. Enter Michael Gainer and his deconstruction company Buffalo Reuse [www.buffaloreuse.org]. This non-profit community based organization promotes a local reuse strategy for common home products like doors, window frames, cabinets and anything else that can be salvaged from a home before deconstruction.

Many of the shipping containers that go back and forth between the United States and China end up sitting in huge dumps in ports. Partly, this is caused because China buys a tiny amount of American exports. The problem here is that there is nothing to do with these shipping containers. Architect Peter Demaria is the principal designer at Logical Homes [logicalhomes.com]. He makes use of these unwanted shipping containers by using them as the primary ingredient in sustainable home construction. This is an example of creativity at its best.

Michael McDonough is a talented scientist and architect who built his own weekend house. He calls it the E-House [www.michaelmcdonough.com], and he describes it as a place where architectural and sustainable experiments are conducted. Find out more.

To learn more about the whole BIG IDEAS FOR A SMALL PLANET series, check out THE GREEN [www.sundancechannel.com].

If you are interested in finding the physical locations for some of the BIG IDEAS businesses, check out the marker group [www.sundancechannel.com].

ECOISTS: Famke Janssen [www.sundancechannel.com]

Famke Janssen decided that there was a seriously dangerous connection between oil and climate change. She feels our over reliance on petroleum is putting everything she cares about in jeopardy. She got involved with EndOil.com [www.endoil.org] to see if there was a way for her to help solve this important problem.

ECO BIZ: LIVING HOMES [www.sundancechannel.com]

Living Homes [www.livinghomes.net] was started by Steve Glenn. His company builds green homes that can take only eight hours to build and save countless natural resources. This unbelievable business is one of the first of its kind. The home has sophisticated controls for monitoring energy use in the home as well as water usage. The structure of the homes are made out of steel, so they are quite sturdy, just in case you thought we were pitching you thatch huts…

WEATHER REPORT [www.sundancechannel.com]

Water becomes an increasingly valued natural resource in today’s world. Oftentimes a water shortage can be a dangerous problem for an ecosystem. In this documentary, too much water poured onto Bombay streets. Complete pandemonium ensued and the government was completely unprepared to deal with the situation. Many people felt as if the government did not exist and had to find their own ways of surviving.

Thanks again for joining us on THE GREEN Blog. As usual, please make a comment about this post or if any ideas spring to mind, consider adding your thoughts by creating or commenting on an Eco-mmunity Map Marker.

BIG IDEAS FOR A SMALL PLANET: GROW [www.sundancechannel.com]

Discover three companies that are making it easier for people to grow more things in their home and in their community. Jorg Breuning is a roof garden expert who runs the company Green Roof Services LLC [www.greenroofservice.com] Jorg helps Majora Carter build a roof garden on top of her home in the South Bronx. Having a thin layer of soil on the roof reduces stormwater runoff pollution and also lowers the energy required to heat and cool the building. Perhaps the best perk is the heavenly slice of nature available on your roof.

The second business is really a home business run by Vynnie McDaniels [www.vynniethegardener.com], and he is a xeriscape garden consultant. Xeriscape gardening specializes in designing gardens that are “water wise” or that require small amounts of water to upkeep. It incorporates special selections of plants that do well in hot, arid climates. These gardens are beautiful and different from every day gardens.

Finally, learn about a new, unofficial but very fun holiday called National Parking Day. Initiated by the Trust For Public Land [www.tpl.org], National Parking Day (Every September 21st) happens all over the country and asks people to create small patches of nature in the middle of an urban setting. People unroll sod, pull out a lawn chair and maybe a potted plant, and simply enjoy the day. The idea is to promote the beauty and importance of public parks in cities.

To learn more about the whole BIG IDEAS FOR A SMALL PLANET series, check out THE GREEN [www.sundancechannel.com].

If you are interested in finding the physical locations for some of the BIG IDEAS businesses, check out the marker group [www.sundancechannel.com].

ECOISTS: Don Cheadle [www.sundancechannel.com]

Don Cheadle talks about American supermarkets and how the range and quality of food sold there is so much better than 98% of the world. Don Cheadle wants Americans to take a stronger role in helping the rest of the world eat healthy foods.

ECO BIZ: Green Order [www.sundancechannel.com]

Andrew Schapiro, of Green Order [www.greenorder.com], a New York City consulting firm that helps companies who are looking to green their business. His company has worked with GE, Pfizer and many other large companies including the work they did on the 7 World Trade Center building, which was one of the first Green Certified office buildings to be built in NYC.

It is very good to hear about big companies making green changes to the way they do business. Hopefully this is just the tip of the iceberg for a green revamping of the business world.

OFF THE GRID: LIFE IN THE MESA [www.sundancechannel.com]

Tucked away in the northern New Mexico desert is a community of individuals who have lived outside the society at large. Depicted as unusual, many of the characters in this community are quite colorful in their forms of expression and the way in which they adorn their homes. Take a trip to a different kind of community in this eco-doc.

Thanks again for joining us on THE GREEN Blog. As usual, please make a comment about this post or if any ideas spring to mind, consider adding your thoughts by creating or commenting on an Eco-mmunity Map Marker.