Care to spend Earth Day with a remote in your hand? It's theoretically possible, as broadcast networks both major and less-than-major are jumping on the greenwagon this year and rolling out new shows to teach us about sustainability, environmental disaster, going greener, and even an inexplicably greener Miss USA pageant. I hate to be cynical or anything, but is this sudden greening of TV more about dollars or about actually raising awareness?

Some of the Earth Day—which has somehow turned into Earth Week, leaving me to wonder, why not Earth Year?—programming does seem pretty spectacular and completely worth TiVoing. Planet Earth's Focus Earth: Six People Saving Our Planet sounds informative and inspirational, while The Sundance Channel could get me to watch David de Rothschild doing just about anything (in this case it's his new series Eco Trip: The Real Cost of Living, about the environmental impact of products like bottled water, cell phones, salmon, chocolate and cotton tee shirts—but he could talk about anything and I'd watch).

On the flip side some programming, notably for kids, seems a bit, well, contrived. Greening a cruise ship on The Suite Life of Zack and Cody? Jon & Kate Plus 8 Go Green? Taking one day out of the year and working recycling or saving water into the storyline like on PBS Kids' Superwhy isn't nearly as effective as It's a Big, Big World's daily messages of loving the earth.

But if you filter out the greenwash, there's some not-to-be-missed programming. Almost anything on The Fine Living Network (catch Big Green Lies by Seventh Generation's Jeffery Hollender) would do, and PBS is rolling out strong shows on Frontline, Nature, and Nova, no less than you'd expect from PBS.

Can watching TV take the place of actually doing something to change the state of the planet? Of course not. But this year's crop of Earth Day TV—if you know where to look—might just help make a difference.

(Photo credit:Aaron Escobar, flickr)