Check out this new video spot from GlobalGiving Green, one of the wonderful Eco-mmunity Action Partners who makes it easy for people to support non-profit charities. We hope you enjoy this playful video.

If this video helped inspire you to make a difference, then make sure to check out the GlobalGiving Green Map Marker Group [www.sundancechannel.com] on Eco-mmunity Map. If you click the little button “play slideshow” you will be able to view all of the different geographic locations where the charities are doing their work. If you find one of the charities to be interesting, we encourage you to click the “website” button found in the marker. This will take you directly to the Global Giving Website where you can easily lend your support to a noble cause that is visibly improving the lives of people and the environments they live in.

Jonathan Demme believes that “film and literature can change a mind.” If a film causes a human mind to consider questions that it has not encountered before, therein lies a great possibility to influence that one person. The idea is that awareness allows people to make better decisions in their life. Jonathan warns people from thinking that you can change society with a great book or film, but he does imply that by moving individuals towards a more informed and knowledgeable understanding of the world, these people might collectively create a difference in society. This desire to better people makes Jonathan Demme an ECO HERO.

Jonathan Demme makes films that inspire thought and confront complacency. Mr. Demme has covered human rights issues as well as environmental issues in two of his films. The first film, Jimmy Carter Man from Plains was filmed 2006 through 2007. The film features comfortable interviews with Jimmy Carter in his country home. Since Jimmy Carter dedicated his life to fighting for human rights, one of the messages from Mr. Demme’s film cannot help but be related to environmental justice.

The second film, New Home Movies From the Lower 9th Ward, focuses on the human tragedy of post-hurricane Katrina New Orleans. The residents of the city talk about their harrowing existence in a city that still suffers from environmental disaster.

Check out the ECO HEROES video with Jonathan Demme.

In order to get a geographic appreciation of Jonathan Demme, make sure to check out Jonathan Demme’s Map Marker [www.sundancechannel.com] on Eco-mmunity Map.

Feel free to comment on this post and discover More ECO HEROES using the links below:

Jonathan Demme [www.sundancechannel.com]

Ira Ehrenpreis @ Technology Partners [www.sundancechannel.com]

Jerry Fiddler @ Solazyme [www.sundancechannel.com]

Sarah Gitlin @ Dalton High School [www.sundancechannel.com]

Shai Agassi @ Project Better Place [www.sundancechannel.com]

Sherry Strong [www.sundancechannel.com]

Zem Joaquin [www.sundancechannel.com]

Adam Green [www.sundancechannel.com]

Robert Thurman [www.sundancechannel.com]

Joanna Opot @ Starting Bloc [www.sundancechannel.com]

James Wells @ Sustainable South Bronx [www.sundancechannel.com]

Simran Sethi led a lively discussion about water and plastic in the second life event held on June 20th at Sundance Channel Island. Some of the problems with freshwater supplies and how water can be contaminated were discussed. Also the use of plastic and its carcinogenic effect were covered. This is a very pertinent issue to everyone, as most everyone comes into daily contact with plastic products. Paper continued the discussion about products and their every day use in our lives. Make sure to make it to the next Second Life event if you are curious to get the expert environmental advice of Simran Sethi.

In case you missed the video clip THE GREEN Online with Simran Sethi: Plastic or Paper? that was showed during the event, it will be viewable below.

A Reminder for You: The Next Second Life Q&A Session with Simran Sethi

When: Tuesday, June 26 at 10 PM EST/7 PM PST
What: An evening starting with an environmentally themed short film and ending with 45 minutes of Q&A with one of the world’s most renowned environmental journalists: Simran Sethi
Topic: Sports and the environment.
Where: Sundance Channel in Second Life, in the Main Screening Room

Simran Green Meeting

The Green Meeting was full of curiosity and Simran’s poignant answers. The usual, and happily welcomed, group of environmentally inclined Second Life avatars were in attendance. We hope everyone had a great time and look forward to the next chance to regale your heart with environmental goodness and to put a smile on your faces.

In case you missed it, here is THE GREEN online with Simran Sethi: CREATE. In this video, Simran introduces CREATE week’s documentary: RIVERS & TIDES. It’s a very innovative subject matter for a documentary, as Andy Goldsworthy is a sculptor with one of the more dynamic mediums you could imagine: nature itself.

A Reminder for You: The Next Second Life Q&A Session with Simran Sethi

When: Tuesday, June 12 at 10 PM EST/7 PM PST
What: An evening starting with an environmentally themed short film and ending with 45 minutes of Q&A with one of the world’s most renowned environmental journalists: Simran Sethi
Topic: How kids can fit into the environmental movement.
Where: Sundance Channel in Second Life, in the Main Screening Room

ECOIST: Laura Dern

The difference between being well-meaning and actually making a positive change in the world can often be found in the scope of a person’s mission. In the case of Laura Dern, she has championed children’s health. Being very impressionable and learning quickly makes a child the ideal student of the environmentally friendly lifestyle. Therefore one could make the case that by educating our children to be sensitive about their own health, that could lead to a brighter future in which those same children, as adults, will be much more aware of impacts that everyday chemicals can make on health and well-being.

Watch the Laura Dern clip above and let us know what you think about Laura Dern’s mission in our Green Discussion Board. As always, you can get more info about Laura Dern and our other ecoists at our Ecoist Profiles Page.

In the Children’s Health Environmental Coalition (CHEC) website of Laura Dern is a prominent supporter, there is a wonderful little diagram of rooms in the average house and of what kinds of chemicals can be dangerous in those places. Check it out, you may find yourself learning a lot at the CHEC Virtual House [www.checnet.org].

ECO BIZ: ABC Home

Explore Eco-Chic at the ever-expanding line of sustainable ABC Home furnishings. Paulette Cole is dedicated to making your living room feel unique, and so her line of furniture features many one-of-a-kind pieces that can distinguish you from your neighbors. Listen to the CEO herself in this clip from ECO BIZ.

If you are looking to replace furniture in your house or you want to learn ways that you can refurbish your own furniture with eco-friendly techniques, then please post your own questions or take a turn at answering someone else’s in our Green Consultations discussion board.

We got a chance to talk to Badly Drawn Boy about his new album “Born In The UK.”

Badly Drawn Boy sings his heart out in this acoustic performance of “Born In The UK.”

Robyn Hitchcock gives us a look at the man behind the mask in an exclusive interview. Catch more exclusive videos and Comedian Eugene Mirman interview with Hitchcock in our Spotlight [www.sundancechannel.com] section.

Sundance Channel celebrated the launch of THE GREEN, our weekly night of programming dedicated to the environment, with a star-studded party. The evening featured performances from Macy Gray and Lifehouse, along with a slew of celebrity interviews. We put the best snapshots from the evening into the video below. We hope you enjoy.

Now that you have watched the video, we are inviting you to log into our discussion boards [www.sundancechannel.com] and let the world know your opinion about THE GREEN.

Check out our exclusive interview and live performance with Money Mark from SXSW. Money Mark talks about “the 4th Beastie” and his new record “Brand New by Tomorrow.”