Big Ideas for a Small Planet

Eleven-year old activist Evan Green hosts a kick-off party to recruit new members for his Red Dragon Conservation Team, a group of kids and adults dedicated to saving the rainforest and fostering biodiversity; a group of students from the educational initiative "Plastics are Forever" collects used containers from a Los Angeles waterway and creates rafts from the trash; and toy-maker Barbera Aimes, founder of ImagiPLAY, creates non-toxic toys made from renewable rubberwood and recycled cardboard.

The United States Post Office teams up with William McDonough to develop a "cradle to cradle" policy that will reduce the USPS's environmental impact; Frederic Scheer of Cereplast creates biodegradable containers made from corn and potato starch; and the designers at Ford present a tour of the recyclable Model U, a concept car that embodies the "cradle to cradle" principle with its hydrogen fuel cell supercharged engine featuring high fuel efficiency and recyclable or biodegradable parts.

Bicyclist Craig Calfee's unusual bike design uses a highly sustainable resource - bamboo - to build a bicycle stronger than steel for champion cyclo-cross athlete Dorothy Wong; Jason Salfi, co-founder of Comet Skateboards, shows off his solar-powered facility where skateboards are made from sustainable materials and introduces us to the students who are producing artwork for these eco-friendly boards; and World Champion Freeskier Alison Gannett launches her "Global Cooling Tour" to highlight the impacts of global warming on the business of winter sports.

Mathias Wackernagel, co-creator of the Ecological Footprint, audits a Bay Area company in an effort to show it how to reduce its environmental impact; Kim Jordan and Jeff Lebesch, the founders of New Belgium Brewing Company, demonstrate their dedication to the environment and to their employees by creating an ideal working environment; and David Hertz, founder and president of Syndesis Inc., introduces the office of the future.

The Reverend Fletcher Harper inspires environmental concern in the religious world with GreenFaith, an interfaith coalition dedicated to greening places of worship and taking action against polluters; Judy Bonds, director of Coal River Mountain Watch, uses her faith to galvanize local communities in the battle against the mining companies who are destroying their homes; and avid diver Don Brawley gives life to the cremated remains of the dead by including their "cremains" into a man-made reef that supports coral re-growth in the Florida Keys.

Addressing some of the most important issues facing humanity, this original documentary series from Sundance Channel focuses on environmental topics with features on forward-thinking designers, green products and alternative ideas that may transform our everyday lives. This episode explores the booming field of alternative energy as it introduces several individuals who are working to develop clean, renewable energy from resources like the sun, wind and even cow manure.

Addressing some of the most important issues facing humanity, this original documentary series from Sundance Channel focuses on environmental topics with features on forward-thinking designers, green products and alternative ideas that may transform our everyday lives. Traditional furniture, carpets and paint can exact a heavy environmental toll, be it in the depletion of virgin forests, the use of petroleum products or toxic emissions from paints and adhesives. But it IS possible to have stylish furnishings without messing up the planet, and this episode will introduce three designers who know how beautifully and conscientiously to feather a nest.

Addressing some of the most important issues facing humanity, this original documentary series from Sundance Channel focuses on environmental topics with features on forward-thinking designers, green products and alternative ideas that may transform our everyday lives. Water is likely to be a flash point in the 21st Century, as population growth collides with droughts and dwindling reserves. This episode introduces three people who are embracing creative solutions to the looming shortage of drinking water - be it desalinating the ocean, catching rainwater or cleaning up our rivers.

Addressing some of the most important issues facing humanity, this original documentary series from Sundance Channel focuses on environmental topics with features on forward-thinking designers, green products and alternative ideas that may transform our everyday lives. Generation Y – the children of baby boomers, now in their late teens to early 20s - came of age to ever-louder warnings of climate change, resource depletion, and species extinction. It’s an eco-aware group, but also one inclined toward buying, eating, traveling and consuming more than any generation before. By blending environmentalism with consumerism, the life choices Gen Y is making right now – how they party, where they go to college, even how they get married – open a fascinating window onto how future generations will care for the earth.

Addressing some of the most important issues facing humanity, this original documentary series from Sundance Channel focuses on environmental topics with features on forward thinking designers, green products and all alternative ideas that may transform our everyday lives. Loss of biodiversity, water depletion, topsoil erosion, carbon emissions: when it comes to conventional farming and industrial food production, the cost goes beyond the supermarket bill. This episode explores the different ways professionals and ordinary people are trying to nourish us with environmentally friendly food and wine.

Addressing some of the most important issues facing humanity, this original documentary series from Sundance Channel focuses on environmental topics with features on forward thinking designers, green products and all alternative ideas that may transform our everyday lives. n this episode,environmental consciousness hits the fashion world as style means sustainable fabric and earth friendly manufacturing practices. Meet men and women who are bringing green to fashion, clothing stores and the dry cleaners.