EcoLinking#8
by Don Rittner

Environment, TV & Interactivity?

You just finished watching a half hour environment show on TV.  One story
left you with several questions.  Another peaked your interest and you want
more information. Wouldn't it be great if you could get answers to those
questions, or find out where you could get more info, or even talk to the
producer of the segment?  

You can if you have an account on America Online and are watching Network
Earth, a half hour environment only news show that plays every Sunday night
at 11 PM Eastern Time, 8 PM Pacific Time on TBS.  

Each week's Cover Story explores one of the major environmental issues of the
day through the eyes of people actively involved with the issue. Stories such
as their one-hour CNN special on the midwest floods, "In Nature's Wake;" or
their half-hour special edition of Network Earth and Earth Matters, "The Last
Battle of Vietnam," on research underway there into the impact of Agent
Orange on people who still live on the lands that were sprayed; or their
investigative cover story on the continued poisoning of eagles by western
ranchers engaged in illegal use of pesticides for livestock predator control,
"Ring of Death," to name a few, but it goes even further.  

You can sign on to the Network Earth Forum on America Online and download the
entire transcript of the show, or send email to the producer of the segment,
or even discuss a segment of the show with other members of the forum
individually, or during real time chats.  The Forum leaders also try to make
sure there is supplemental material in their libraries for you to download.

There's more.  You can search the Network Earth Resource Library for press
releases, executive summaries, reports, book reviews, and backgrounders on
all environmental topics.  Use the Network Earth Resource Library to find
which organizations are working on issues you're interested in. Find out how
"green" your Congressfolks are by reading the League of Conservation
Scorecards.  And if you don't like what they're doing, or want to support
current and pending environmental legislation, you can send an Action Fax
directly from the Forum to your Congressperson. 

Other features of the Forum include a notice of upcoming shows, a year in
review of top environmental stories, environmental trends, public discussion
folders, and more.

Recently the Network Earth staff combined with the CNN Earth Matters staff
into a single environmental news department now called the CNN Environment
Unit.  They have 24 full-time staff and a combined annual budget of more than
two million dollars. 

The program also is seen on four Turner networks with a  potential reach of
more than 120,000,000 households.  The original Network Earth program from
TBS airs on both CNN and CNN International the following week under the
Network Earth title.  Some weeks later, it airs again on TNT Latin America in
Spanish and Portuguese translation.

To become an active participant, you must join America Online.  AOL charges
$8.95 per month and that includes 5 hours free online time, $3.50 per hour
over that. To get a free AOL starter kit call 1-800-827-6364 Extension 8984.