It’s easy to talk about environmental stewardship, but quite another matter to practice it. This compilation of 12 ABC News stories shows how governments, businesses, and individuals around the world are taking concrete, eco-friendly action. Each engaging example of “going green” offers an opportunity for class discussion, further study, and perhaps even genuine change.

The episodes are…

·        Businesses Going Green: Additions to the Manhattan skyline, such as the Hearst Corporation headquarters and the Bank of America Tower, reveal a growing corporate interest in recycling and solar energy. Texas Instruments’ Dallas offices and the Atlanta home-building market take the discussion further.

·        Interview with Arnold Schwarzenegger on Global Warming: California’s governor emphasizes the need to become environmentally proactive and insists that going green is not an anti-business stance. A second segment, More on Businesses Going Green, looks at eco-friendly initiatives from General Electric, WalMart, DuPont, and FedEx.

·        Electric Cars Encouraged in a Small California Town: Citizens of Lincoln, CA, share their enthusiasm for NEVs, or neighborhood electric vehicles. These golf cart-sized automobiles won’t set any speed records, but they can dramatically reduce fossil fuel consumption and emissions.

·        Solar Power Usage: Will Silicon Valley become “Solar Valley”? Companies like Solar City, Miasole, and SunPower represent a new direction in high-tech—one that fuses state-of-the-art technology with the rapidly growing green consumer market.

·        With the Olympics Looming, China Goes Green: A visit to Beijing illustrates the city’s intensifying efforts to clean up air and water quality in anticipation of the 2008 games. Beijing’s scarcity of water is also discussed.

·        Buying the Right to Pollute? The practice of issuing “carbon offsets” raises questions about enabling, rather than preventing, pollution. One expert compares carbon offsets to the granting of indulgences by the medieval Church.

·        Japan Goes Green: A visit to a Tokyo family’s energy-efficient apartment demonstrates devices that many Japanese citizens use to lower fuel and electrical consumption.

·        Biofuel Usage for Airplanes: Richard Branson, former CEO of Virgin Atlantic airlines, discusses his development partnership with Boeing. Its goal: to offer viable commercial flights that produce zero emissions. In addition, GE engineers describe the challenges of creating biofuels that won’t freeze at high altitudes.

·        San Francisco Goes Green: This story highlights improvements to Giants Stadium, Grace Cathedral, the California Academy of Sciences, and the Public Utilities Commission building—all examples of green architecture or energy-efficient heating and lighting.

·        Going Carbon Negative: Two American consumers are profiled—one whose lifestyle leaves a big carbon footprint, and another whose footprint is steadily vanishing as a result of many ongoing changes.

·        A Family Goes Completely Green: Can an American household neutralize its environmental impact for an entire year? Colin Bevins and his wife explain their attempt to do so—no small feat for a family of three accustomed to life in New York City.

45 minutes.