In like a lion and out like a lamb.  An unlikely green super-hero emerges to protect the fragile seas.

The Bush administration may not be remembered for it’s ground breaking conservation efforts but just before his departure from office, President Bush effectively protected a whopping 195,000 square miles of the central Pacific’s untouched ocean oasis.  With the stroke of a pen, the President set aside an area the size of his home state of Texas as the largest swath of protected ocean on the planet.

And Bush didn’t skimp on the protection either: these marine monuments are granted the highest level of conservation, prohibiting commercial fishing, mining, and drilling of this newly safeguarded underwater Yellowstone.  While the initial proposed ocean and island plot was over 700,000 square miles, Bush’s declaration went above and beyond expectations and is still a huge and important initiative.

Only recently have we come to discover the finite nature of our ocean as a natural resource and it’s efforts like this we hope will endure through our emerging administration.

For a look at the largest marine monument on earth, check out some of these images:

Photo by Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.

Slideshow by volcanojw.

Children are the future of our planet but are grown-ups doing enough to steer them green?

Everyone had their favorite superhero growing up whether it was Superman, Spiderman, Cat Woman, or Mighty Mouse they inspired and entertained us, and in some cases, may have even been our role model.

With the internet, a new generation of casts and characters are reaching kids in new ways.

Jay Golden, creator of Gorilla in the Greenhouse, an environmentally conscious animated series.

Dr. Hufflebot has a worm in his head named Wormulus, and actually that’s the character that I play.  He sounds like this.  I want results, results I need!  Not meaningless mush! The worm actually represents the worm that’s in all of our heads where we just want to block off the natural connection we have to the earth.

This colorful interactive cartoon can be found at GreenGorilla.com.  But don’t stop there, there’s a whole lot of positive, kid friendly entertainment to grow and be inspired by.  And who knows, maybe your child’s favorite will be a green superhero.

For our full interview with Jay Golden, click here.

For links to cool green cartoons for kids and adults, check these out!

The Meatrix (Free Range Studios)

The Story of Stuff (Free Range Studios)

Environment Cartoons by Chris Madden (MSNBC.com)

According to New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, the world is flat… and hot and crowded.

Also a bestselling author, Thomas Friedman has traveled the road from Beirut to Jerusalem, he’s witnessed the towers of American life crumble with the World Trade Center on 9/11, and has come to the conclusion above all else that the world is hot, flat, and crowded.

In his new book Hot, Flat and Crowded, he takes a look at America’s surprising loss of focus and national purpose since 9/11 and the global environmental crisis.  Friedman claims that if America can lead the world in energy innovation it will save the ailing planet and restore America’s reputation.

He calls this effort Code Green stressing urgency and action to replace our wasteful, inefficient energy practices with a strategy for a clean and conscientious energy solution.

For more on the work of Thomas Friedman, click here.

Photo by keso.

August 1st - Fly the Eco Friendly Skies

August 4th - Olympic Update: Green Games Still a Smoggy Grey

August 5th - Superhero Series Presents: Morgan Freeman

August 8th - Home Tours: Conservation on the Commode

August 12th - Green City Spotlight: Albuquerque, New York, Grand Rapids

August 20th - Word of the Day: Upcycling

August 21st - Worst Polluters: US Department of Defense

August 22nd - Greenwashing 101

August 27th - A Laser Focus on Greenhouse Gas: Debate Destroying Data Emerges

August 29th - Back to School Blues and Greens

Photo by dream_sister.

Editors Note:  We hope a dose of positivity helps Morgan during his hospital stay. GET WELL SOON!!!

He’s Batman’s outfitter.

He guided us through the icy March of the Pengiuns and may have been our first friend at the Electric Company.

Of course I’m talking about Morgan Freeman, Oscar winning actor, environmentalist, and subject of today’s Green Superhero.

From an unwanted blast of bus exhaust on a New York City street corner, Morgan Freeman began his 25 years of understated environmental work that has grown as broadly and influential as his acting career.  Named to the board of directors of Earth Biofuels, he currently works with BMW to promote their development of low and zero emission cars.

Though his sober understanding of our global need for energy, he says it’s not about “saving energy; (but) if we get the right kind of energy, there are endless amounts.”  Morgan chooses to express his excitement about the advancement of biofuels, and clean energy rather than his frustration.

For more Green Superheroes, click here.

Photo by divxplanet.

The Dark Knight

The Electric Company

March of the Penguins

At the crossroads of the cold war and the global environmental revolution is former Russian President, Mikhail Gorbachev.

Chairman and Founder of Green Cross International, former President Gorbachev is  today’s Green Superhero. His record for the environment dates back to 1992 and his attendance at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.  His mission to create a sustainable future between humans and the environment continues today.

By keeping it simple, the former Soviet leader has brought together 21 National Organizations that work off three basic programs:  The Environmental Legacy of Wars Program is designed to clean up the massive environmental mess produced by wars.  The International Water Conflict Prevention Program seeks peaceful solutions to the violent standoffs over  fresh water.  And the Earth Charter is a universal blueprint to guide people and nations toward a sustainable future.

Photo by Global Green USA.

Full press coverage here.

Green Air Filter:

The Discovery Channel has introduced a new type of programming with Planet Green, a cable channel that devotes 24 hours to the promotion of a greener lifestyle. The launch party for Planet Green took place in Los Angeles where many celebrities from Adrian Grenier to Ziggy Marley to Bill Nye the Science Guy showed their support for eco-style on a Green carpet. Even the press kit for this launch party is hosted on a 100% solar powered server.

However, will Planet Green do what it is supposed to and spread the word about living green? Or will it simply be a gimmick that entertains but loses its message in the hype? With shows such as Battleground Earth where entertainers Ludacris and Tommy Lee compete in giant trucks in the desert to see who is more green, one can only wonder how much of a carbon footprint these shows are leaving and worth leaving. But despite these speculations, Planet Green is certainly leading Hollywood (and us viewers at home) on the right track.

You may know him from St. Elsewhere, A Mighty Wind, The Accidental Tourist, Batman Forever, or even Transylvania 6500!  But you may also know him simply, as Ed.

Ed Begley Jr., hugely successful actor, humble family man, tirelessly devoted environmentalist, and subject of today’s Celebrity Superhero - Ed Begley Jr.

Ed can be seen biking to Hollywood events, serving as chairman of the Environmental Media Association, and working with the likes of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, the Thoreau Institute, and Tree People. You can catch his hit TV show, Living with Ed on Planet Green and the film Recount on HBO.

For our full 10-minute interview with our friend Ed, click here.

Ed Begley, Jr. recently bestowed his awesomeness upon Green Air and opens up about his political ties to his latest role in the HBO movie, Recount. He offers suggestions on what to do with people who are just “okay with being lazy,” how his struggles as an actor didn’t deter him from living Green, his thoughts on Natural Capitalism, and what’s more important to eco progress - activism or science.

Photo by Eyeline-Imagry.

While Hollywood’s bangin’ out this season’s blockbusters, audiences are flocking to see the biggest stars… but whose impact goes beyond the big screen?

Celebrities who play make-believe heroes in the movies can become actual Superheroes in real life when they focus their powers on socially conscious causes.

The fearless action star and environmental activist, Harrison Ford, is just such a example. Star of the summer blockbuster Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, he lends his voice to EarthShare.org’s latest PSA encouraging people to get involved and sacrifices his chest hair for Conservation International’s TV commercial demonstrating in a personal way the pain of deforestation.

His long standing relationships with these organizations landed him Harvard University’s Global Environmental Citizen Award in 2002 and speaks out openly against the “exploitation of the Earth.”