Now Testing: Planet Green Network

There's a new channel in town, and its name is Planet Green. Self-described as the only 24-hour eco-lifestyle network on television (tethered also to its online presence), Planet Green is a sister site of the well-known "green" site TreeHugger.com. More interestingly, Planet Green comes to us from Discovery, who has re-branded their Discovery Home network into the new eco-focused channel. WOW.

Last night I watched a show called "Wasted" and the ever-popular Ed Begley reality show "Life With Ed", both pretty awesomely executed. "Wasted" is a how-to show that takes a homeowner and guides them through reducing their ecological footprint. Yawn, right? WRONG! You get how-to tips and advice on specific situations, and the hook is that at the end of 3 week period, they re-measure the footprint and pay you the amount you could save a year IN CASH! Nice touch. "Life With Ed" is basically like watching a Christopher Guest movie for a half hour. Ed has always been a green pioneer, and watching his whole family deal with his eccentricities is comedy gold. I also caught a snippet of a show called "Alter Eco", which is usually hosted by Entourage hottie Adrian Grenier. Alter Eco is an hour-long how-to show hosted and populated by pretty people. It goes down like iced sweet tea on a hot day.

I'll be watching and testing Planet Green. My initial grade based on branding, packaging and execution? B+!