e²: the economies of being environmentally conscious

If you don't already know about the PBS series of series, e², get with it.

By PBS's description:

e² is an ongoing PBS series about the economies of being environmentally conscious...with a combination of policy, technology and ingenuity...from energy consumption to building efficiency...it chronicles global efforts to solve pressing ecological challenges

So far, the series have covered architecture and design, energy, and transport; while future series will cover water, food, and cities.

You can access trailers and excerpts from the episodes, as well as the series of Web-exclusive video podcasts that accompany each episode from here. Some full length episodes from the design and energy series can be found here.

Below are the PBS descriptions for the series that have aired:

e² design

e² design is an ongoing PBS series about the pioneers and innovators in the field of sustainable architecture, and how their work is producing solutions to pressing environmental and social challenges. Now entering its third season, the series features compelling stories from around the globe: Beijing to Nova Scotia, Ladakh to New York. Each episode examines the built environment's effects — both ecological, and social — and the design innovations that can reduce buildings' contribution to climate change.

e² design is narrated by Brad Pitt.

There have been three seasons of e² design with six episodes per season.

e² energy

Global in scope and comprised of six 30-minute chapters filmed in HD, e² energy features the engineers, policymakers and innovations that are transforming energy availability and consumption. Each episode covers viable policy and technology alternatives to the fossil fuel culture. Episodes explore: California as a world leader in emissions control; transportation and the need for greater efficiencies; ethanol in Brazil and its future in the United States; distributed solar energy as a means to poverty alleviation in Bangladesh; community wind in Minnesota and its role in regional economic development; and the role of coal and nuclear power in our future energy mix. Solutions-oriented, the series illustrates the trials and trade-offs that any evolution in our global energy system will demand.

e² energy is narrated by Morgan Freeman.

e² transport

The most recent installment of the e² series – e² transport – examines sustainable transportation alternatives with potentially far-reaching effects. The series introduces a broad range of ideas to address the crises of automobile culture and fossil fuel dependence: from existing technologies, to long-term urban planning, to economic incentives. The six e² transport episodes explore: the transformation of London into a transit-efficient capital thanks to visionary mayoral leadership; Paris’ ambitious public-private Vélib’ bike initiative, which encourages residents to forgo cars for bikes and public transportation; the potential for local food production to lessen the environmental impact of the global food market and – as renowned author Michael Pollan elaborates – build healthier, more sustainable communities; the effort to reduce traffic and pollution in Seoul, Korea by restoring the Chonggyecheon Stream as a center of public life; Portland, Oregon, as a global model of transit-oriented development and urban “livability”; and the efforts made by aerospace corporations, technology firms and administrators to make the aviation industry more efficient.

e² transport is narrated by Brad Pitt.