[WSIS CS-Plenary] Fwd: WORLD'S FIRST BROADBAND ENVIRONMENTAL TV CHANNEL LAUNCHES TODAY: UN AGENCY

[Rik Panganiban]

The UN Environment Programme is getting into the webcasting game with  
their sponsorship of the first "broadband TV channel" devoted to the  
environment.  Seems really interesting.

Rik Panganiban

Begin forwarded message:

> From: UNNews at un.org
> Date: March 31, 2006 1:00:37 PM EST
> To: <news4 at list.un.org>
> Subject: WORLD'S FIRST BROADBAND ENVIRONMENTAL TV CHANNEL LAUNCHES  
> TODAY: UN AGENCY
> Reply-To: <UNNews at un.org>
>
> WORLD’S FIRST BROADBAND ENVIRONMENTAL TV CHANNEL LAUNCHES TODAY: UN  
> AGENCY
> New York, Mar 31 2006  1:00PM
> The world’s first broadband TV channel dedicated to environmental  
> issues – called ‘green.tv’ and developed with support from the  
> United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) – is being launched  
> today, aiming to become a “one-stop shop” of broadcast information  
> on the environment covering everything from climate change to  
> children’s stories on wildlife.
>
> UNEP said green.tv would also go live today as a podcast on iTunes  
> as well as having a front-page listing, courtesy of Apple  
> computers. It will carry films from around the world produced by  
> non-governmental organizations (NGOs), community filmmakers, public  
> sector bodies and companies with a firm interest in protecting the  
> environment.
>
> “Green.tv is a truly innovative project which will no doubt  
> influence the field of environmental film-making and research. It  
> will eventually offer a comprehensive ‘one stop shop’ for  
> environmental TV programming – something that has so far not been  
> available,” said Eric Falt, Director of UNEP’s Division of  
> Communications and Public Information.
>
> “Green.tv has the potential to become a broadband reference point  
> or benchmark in this field.”
>
> It will have seven channels covering: air, land, water, climate  
> change, people, species and technologies, in each of which there  
> will be a feature, a news item and a children’s story. With the  
> look and feel of a global TV channel, green.tv will combine this  
> with the best elements of the internet, giving users access to  
> online chatrooms and the ability to watch video on demand, UNEP said.
>
> Director/Producer Ade Thomas, who first thought up the idea,  
> compared it to the popular Google search engine. “If you want to  
> see a news item about climate change, watch a kids’ story about  
> penguins or a feature about wind farms, go to <"http:// 
> www.green.tv/">www.green.tv and you'll be able to see some engaging  
> and thought-provoking films about the environment, at a time when a  
> greater understanding and awareness of these issues is critical,”  
> the Director/Producer said.
>
> On launch, the channel will show films from numerous environmental  
> and other organizations, including UNEP, Friends of the Earth UK,  
> Greenpeace International, the World Conservation Union-IUCN, Stop  
> Climate Chaos, Barclays, Water Aid, and the European Environment  
> Agency.
>
> In welcoming green.tv, UK Environment Minister Elliot Morley said  
> its hi-tech nature would give it great potential to spread the  
> message at a time when increasing numbers of people wanted to find  
> out more about the environment.
>
> “There are more people using the internet than watching TV and we  
> also know that there is enormous interest in environmental issues.  
> I think green.tv has tremendous potential, bringing together new  
> technology and innovation in terms of how we spread information,”  
> Mr. Elliot said.
>
> In a separate development today also related to the environment,  
> the Natural World Museum is joining forces with UNEP to launch the  
> Art for the Environment initiative, with the opening of the first  
> exhibition at the UN Office in Nairobi.
>
> One of the exhibits, called Trapped Inside, features a living  
> African Greenheart tree on life-support designed by French artist  
> J.C. Didier. UNEP said that species was chosen because it is under  
> environmental pressure, and is also used for traditional medicine.
>
> “Seeing this art will generate significant public awareness of  
> environmental issues globally,” said UNEP Executive Director Klaus  
> Toepfer.
>
> The next Natural World Museum exhibition will be housed at City  
> Hall in San Francisco, United States of America in June, to  
> commemorate World Environment Day 2006.
>


Rik Panganiban
Program Coordinator
Necessary Knowledge for a Democratic Public Sphere
Social Science Research Council
810 Seventh Avenue, 31st Floor
New York NY 10019
PH: 212.377.2700 x 644
FX: 212.245.4232
email: panganiban at ssrc.org
Web: www.ssrc.org


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