Green sports, keeping it real
If you've got some room on the TiVo memory for another reality show this summer, try the one that the Sundance Channel has been running since April called "Big Ideas for a Small Planet," a 13-part documentary series that runs through next month and has an episode on sports airing Tuesday at 9 p.m. (check local listings: on DirecTV, it airs at 6 p.m. and again at 7:35 p.m.). The series is linked to another series called "The Green," which gets into the issues more indepth.
The channel-provided info on what Tuesday's episode is about:
The close relation between playing sports and being outdoors has led many athletes and everyday sports enthusiasts to a heightened awareness of environmental issues. “Sports” follows three people who are dedicated to keeping the planet safe for athletic pursuits, among them:
==Alison Gannett, a world champion free-skier (pictured at right) who has launched an international tour called "Save our Snow" to raise awareness about declining snow pack and educate the winter sports industry about simple, affordable solutions;
==Craig Calfee, who created a line of professional-level racing bikes made from bamboo (the company headquarters is in La Selva Beach, between Santa Cruz and Watsonville, just south of San Jose);
==Jason Salfi, co-founder of Comet Skateboards, which distributes a line of stylish skateboards made from bio-friendly materials (note the painter above) and manufactured in a solar-powered facility (based in Oakland).
==A video link on the Sundance Channel to some of these episodes is here.