PBS will be airing a number of programs about science and the environment in the month of April; among them is "Journey to Planet Earth."
PBS will be airing a number of programs about science and the environment in the month of April; among them is "Journey to Planet Earth." Hosted by Matt Damon, the series examines how science and scientific principles affect our life here on Earth.
ENN's Jerry Kay spoke with Hal Weiner, PBS's producer of "Journey to Planet Earth."
Journey to Planet Earth
He says that the biggest issue that we face is climate change. In recent years, PBS had produced programs about the problem with the shrinking ozone layer. However, today, that situation is improving because of the action that was taken after the world community got together to try to solve the problem.
Weiner said the ozone hole is shrinking in particular because of the effects of the Montreal Protocol.
He says Kyoto, on the other hand, is a problem because the biggest polluter is not a party to the agreement. Unfortunately, that polluter is the US.
You can learn more about this exciting series on PBS's web site at www.pbs.org.
We'll be reporting on the series throughout April here at ENN, so be sure to check back often for the latest updates.
About "Journey to Planet Earth":
The programs in the Journey to Planet Earth series explore the fragile relationship between people and the world they inhabit. The series is produced by Emmy Award-winning filmmakers Marilyn and Hal Weiner in association with South Carolina ETV.
A common thread runs throughout all the programs — the necessity to achieve a balance between the needs of people and the needs of the environment. Loss of farmland to urban development, the pollution of the Earth’s rivers, inadequate housing and water resources for those living in the world’s mega-cities — these are just some of the topics covered in Journey to Planet Earth.
About Hal Weiner:
Through their Washington, DC, production company, Screenscope, Marilyn andHal Weiner have produced, written and directed more than 225 documentariesand four public television series (JOURNEY TO PLANET EARTH, WOMEN AT WORK,FACES OF MAN and THE WORLD OF COOKING). They have also produced threefeature films (Family Business, The Imagemaker and K2).
The Weiners have won more than 130 top international awards, including 39CINE Golden Eagles. They have also won Emmy Awards for "Earth SummitPledge," commissioned by the United Nations to open the Earth Summit in Riode Janeiro, and "Streets of Sorrow," an NBC documentary about a supportgroup that helps people cope with the violent death of a family member.
They are recipients of the National Academy of Television Arts and Science's1998 Silver Circle Award for "outstanding contributions to the televisionindustry." Marilyn Weiner is the winner of Women-in-Film's 1997 "Women ofVision Award" for creative excellence.
In a contest sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and thePEN/Faulkner Foundation, Hal Weiner won first prize at the 2002 Larry NealWriters' Competition for his dramatic screenplay The Jerusalem Syndrome. Healso won first prize in the Washington, DC, screenwriting contest for hisscreenplay Shadows.
Through the early 1980s, Marilyn and Hal Weiner produced over a dozenafter-school dramas for PBS and documentaries for major corporations andnon-profit organizations. During this period, the Weiners also establishedan international film distribution division.
Hal Weiner is on the Board of Advisors of the Institute for Mental Health Initiatives and founder of the Independent Media Producer's Association. He served on the Board of Directors of the Council on Non-Theatrical Events and the Washington Urban League and was an Honorary Advisor to American University's School of Communications. Last year he was invited to testify before the House of Representative's Commerce Committee about national security issues and the availability of the world's drinking water.
