PBS Honors Earth Day With a Week of Eco-Friendly Programming, Educational Resources

On April 18, GoodBiz113 ad partner PBS begins counting down to the 40th anniversary of Earth Day with new and encore programming leading up to Thursday, April 22, 2010.

New programming next week includes:

* AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: "Earth Days" [4/19]. Director Robert Stone ["Oswald’s Ghost," "Guerrilla: The Taking of Patty Hearst"] traces the origins of the modern environmental movement through the eyes of nine Americans who propelled the movement from its beginnings in the 1950s, to its moment of triumph in 1970 with the original Earth Day and to its status as a major political force in America.

* INDEPENDENT LENS: "Dirt!" [4/20] takes an interesting look at dirt and how humans regard [or disregard] it.

* In P.O.V.: "Food, Inc." [4/21], filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation’s food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that’s been hidden from the American consumer.

Along with new programming, PBS is recycling some topical programs in celebration of Earth Day. NATURE offers an encore presentation of "Frogs: The Thin Green Line" [4/18], which profiles scientists who are racing to stop the massive die-off of frogs. NOVA examines California’s aggressive pursuit of a sustainable energy future in "The Big Energy Gamble" [4/20].

Thousands of hours of PBS programming are available on the PBS Video Portal. The Video Portal has released a special collection of Earth Day programming called Be Green. The collection features more than 30 new and encore programs at www.pbs.org/begreen.

PBS KIDS® also celebrates Earth Day with "PBS KIDS Share the Earth Day," featuring themed episodes and Web content on water conservation; planting and growing; nature; and recycling.

Beyond broadcast, PBS Teachers will host a webinar to discuss environmental curriculum and its effect on student health, attendance, learning, test scores and preparedness for green jobs.

PBS Teachers also offers an Earth Day Activity Pack for educators to use in the classroom, or to post on their classroom, school or favorite social networking websites. The Activity Pack is designed for multiple grade levels and contains links to Earth Day-themed education resources and activities from PBS to support environmental awareness.

The new PBS Teachers STEM Education Resource Center website contains science, technology, engineering and math educator resources, including an online video collection that explores some of its iconic STEM-related content for pre-K through grade 12 educators.

New Programming
* AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: "Earth Days" -- Monday, April 19, 2010, 9:00-11:00 p.m. ET; repeats Thursday, April 22, 9:00-11:00 p.m. ET. Director Robert Stone traces the origins of the modern environmental movement through the eyes of nine Americans who propelled the movement from its beginnings in the 1950s.

* INDEPENDENT LENS: "Dirt!" -- Tuesday, April 20, 2010, 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET. Farmers, physicists, church leaders, children, wine critics, anthropologists and activists talk about dirt -- where it comes from, how we regard [or disregard] it, how it sustains us, the way it has become endangered, and what we can do about it.

* P.O.V.: "Food, Inc." -- Wednesday, April 21, 2010, 9:00-10:30 p.m. ET. How much do we know about the food we buy at our local supermarkets and serve to our families? Though our food appears the same -- a tomato still looks like a tomato -- it has been radically transformed. In POV’s "Food, Inc.," producer-director Robert Kenner and investigative authors Eric Schlosser ["Fast Food Nation"] and Michael Pollan ["The Omnivore’s Dilemma"] lift the veil on the U.S. food industry, revealing surprising facts about what we eat, how it’s produced, who we have become as a nation, and where we may go from here.

Encore Programming
* NATURE: "Frogs: The Thin Green Line" -- Sunday, April, 18, 2010, 8:00-9:00 p.m. ET. Large-scale die-offs of frogs around the world have prompted scientists to take desperate measures to try to save whatever populations they can.

* NOVA: "The Big Energy Gamble" -- Tuesday, April 20, 2010, 8:00-9:00 p.m. ET. NOVA examines California’s aggressive pursuit of a sustainable energy future.

About PBS
PBS, with its 356 member stations, offers all Americans -- from every walk of life -- the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and online content.

Each month, PBS reaches more than 124 million people on-air and online, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature and public affairs; hear diverse viewpoints; and take front-row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS’ broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry’s most coveted award competitions.

Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. PBS’ premier children’s TV programming and website, pbskids.org, are parents’ and teachers’ most trusted partners in inspiring and nurturing curiosity and love of learning in children.

More information about PBS is available at http://www.pbs.org/, one of the leading dot-org websites on the Internet.

SOURCES: PBS.org, WGBH
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Franken Campaign Releases Two New Ads Focusing on the Economy, Middle-Class Families and Small Businesses

Just one day after Minnesota's U.S. Senate candidate Al Franken unveiled his proposal to unfreeze credit and help small businesses create jobs, his campaign released two new television spots highlighting Franken's strong message on middle-class economic issues and supporting small businesses. The ads -- "Get to Work" and "Honest Differences" -- began airing this morning and will run statewide.

"The election comes down to a simple choice," said Andy Barr, communications director of the Al Franken for Senate campaign. "Norm Coleman chose Bush economics over Minnesota's middle class. And, now, Minnesotans have a chance to choose a new direction. In these ads, Al Franken lays out his plans to help the middle class: Cut taxes for middle-class families, create jobs, bring real oversight to Wall Street, and work to put our economy back on track."


SCRIPT: "Get To Work"
Al Franken: It's such a tough time. People's life savings are literally slipping away. We have got to change the disastrous policies of the Bush administration. I don't have all the answers – but here's where we start. Let's stop the billions of dollars in giveaways to big oil and drug companies. Bring real oversight to Wall Street. Work to make college affordable. And fix the economy to help the middle class. I'm Al Franken. I approve this message. Because it's time to get to work.


SCRIPT: "Honest Differences"
Announcer: Honest differences on the issues that matter to your family. The economy: Al Franken supports tax breaks for the middle class. A five thousand-dollar tax credit to help families pay for college. Stop giveaways to the special interests. Norm Coleman? He supported George Bush's economic plan all the way, voting for budgets that have left us ten trillion dollars in debt. It's Al Franken who will stand up for the middle class. For a change.

Al Franken: I'm Al Franken, and I approve this message.


GoodBiz113's take: During this election year, while far too many candidates have stooped to unleashing petty, baseless and mean-spirited attacks on their opponents, it's refreshing to see and hear specific, pragmatic and forthright proposals -- especially those that pertain directly to economy-propelling small businesses.

SOURCE: Al Franken for U.S. Senate
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