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Silver Spring, Md. - This summer, Planet Green presents Blue August, a robust month of on-air and on-line programming that brings to life the wonders and mysteries of the aquatic -- from the majesty of our oceans to the critical issue of clean drinking water.  Featuring awe-inspiring documentaries including the network premiere of the Blue Planet series, all new episodes of Focus Earth with Bob Woodruff, innovative and entertaining short-form content on-air and online, world renowned partners and experts, Blue August will captivate and immerse audiences in a world of intrigue, real-life drama and the important choices that will shape our future.  Prominent conservationists and explorers Philippe and Alexandra Cousteau host Blue August.  Planet Green President and General Manager Laura Michalchyshyn made the announcement:

"With this special month of programming, Planet Green is shining a spotlight on the critical and complex role our oceans and water play in the health of our planet and to those who do and will inhabit this earth," said Michalchyshyn. "Working with leading experts and a team of distinguished partners, Planet Green will leverage all of its platforms during Blue August to engage our audiences in understanding and protecting this elemental part of life on Earth."

Planet Green's Blue August helps audiences take the plunge into an enlightened and brighter future with the following features and platforms:

• Hosts Philippe and Alexandra Cousteau draw on the half-century legacy of their legendary family of explorers.  These dynamic siblings have dedicated their life's work to advocacy on behalf of the oceans, conservation and clean water, undoubtedly one of the most daunting and important challenges of our time.   Philippe and Alexandra bring their engaging personalities, individual expertise and experience to Blue August through short-form content and entertaining hosted segments throughout the month;
•  Poignant and vivid programming including the network premiere of the award-winning series Blue Planet, a special oceans-themed episode of Focus Earth with Bob Woodruff and the world premiere of Acid Test: The Global Challenge of Ocean Acidification, an original, groundbreaking documentary by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) featuring Sigourney Weaver. View the trailer for Acid Test at (http://planetgreen.discovery.com/tv/blue-august.html) and find out more about the film and ocean acidification at www.nrdc.org;
•  All month long on planetgreen.com, readers can engage with a broad range of original content from viewing slideshows of jaw-dropping waves to voting for your favorite sea creature to Beach Tips 101.   Get involved with volunteer activities, get informed with buying guides and get started using everyday actions with big impact;
•  TreeHugger.com goes deep with a comprehensive look at the state of our oceans and clean water, with the latest politics, opinion, and news.  Interviews and special features with thought leaders and experts explore the present challenges and future solutions for a healthy blue planet;
•  Renowned environmental advocacy and conservation organizations the NRDC, Ocean Conservancy and Oceana bring resources and information about humankind's role in protecting and improving the future of our oceans and waterways throughout the month, and
•  The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) joins the month-long event with research, scientific findings and political context about water and ocean issues spanning the globe.

About Planet Green:
Planet Green is the multi-platform media destination devoted to the environment.  Launched on June 4, 2008, this brand with a mission is available in 57 million homes.  Planet Green is the center for a new conversation, speaking to people who want to understand how humans impact the planet and how to live a more environmentally sustainable lifestyle. It's for people who truly want to make a difference in meeting the critical challenge of protecting our environment.  

Planet Green and its two robust websites planetgreen.com and TreeHugger.com, offer unique, original, insightful, inspiring, and entertaining content related to how we can evolve to live a better, brighter future.  Planet Green's unique programming, digital tools, and content will enlighten, empower and most certainly, entertain.

Planet Green is a division of Discovery Communications.

About PHILIPPE COUSTEAU
Philippe Cousteau is the 29 year-old son of Jan and Philippe Cousteau Sr., and the grandson of Captain Jacques-Yves Cousteau. As a member of the legendary family, Philippe is continuing the work of his father through EarthEcho International (www.earthecho.org), the non-profit organization he founded with his sister and mother, and of which he serves as CEO.  In addition to EarthEcho, Philippe is co-founder of Azure Worldwide (www.azureworldwide.com) a strategic environmental design, development and marketing company.  Philippe is the Chief Ocean Correspondent for both the Animal Planet and Planet Green channels, where he works on various ocean and water-focused documentary programs.  Philippe is currently a host for Oceans, a new high definition series premiering on Discovery Channel in 2009.  Philippe has been featured in television and radio programs across the country.  He was recently named to Smithsonian Magazine's list of "37 under 36, America's Young Innovators in the Arts and Sciences."  He and his sister were guest editors of the Women's Health "Blue Issue" and he has written articles for many publications including Sport Diver Magazine and National Geographic magazine and has lectured at such institutions as the United Nations, Harvard University, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.  Philippe has also testified to Congress on issues of ocean management and off-shore drilling.  He was recently profiled by Bob Woodruff in an ABC News/Planet Green special documentary entitled Focus Earth: 6 People Saving Our Planet.  Philippe serves on the Board of Directors of The Ocean Conservancy, Marine Conservation Biology Institute, and the National Environmental Education Foundation.

About ALEXANDRA COUSTEAU 
A globally recognized advocate on water quality and policy, Alexandra Cousteau continues the work of her renowned grandfather Jaques-Yves and father Philippe Cousteau. At 33, she has already mastered the remarkable storytelling tradition handed down to her and has the unique ability to draw audiences into the weighty issues of policy, politics and action.  Alexandra is dedicated to advocating the importance of conservation and sustainable management of water resources to preserve a healthy planet.  Her global initiatives seek to inspire and empower individuals to protect the ocean and its inhabitants, and the human communities that rely on freshwater resources.   Last year, she founded Blue Legacy (www.bluelegacy.org), a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit dedicated to exploring how humans relate to our water-based planet. Through projects like the recent "Expedition: Blue Planet", Alexandra combines traditional film and social media to engage global audiences online-showing how individuals and communities contribute to an interdependent global water system, and how they can work together to protect it. In her first book This Blue Planet, to be published in early 2010, Cousteau will share the stories from a 100-day expedition - that took her from the Ganges River in India to the Okavango Delta in Botswana, throughout the Middle East and across both Cambodia and Australia. Educated in International Relations at Georgetown University, Alexandra brings expertise and energy to the environmental issues that matter most.  And she's quickly establishing a name of her own.   She is regularly featured on CNN International as a Principal Voice, writes numerous columns for the international press, and was named with Tyra Banks as a 2008 Fun Fearless Phenom by Cosmopolitan magazine. 

About our partners:
The Natural Resources Defense Council is a national, nonprofit organization of scientists, lawyers and environmental specialists dedicated to protecting public health and the environment. Founded in 1970, NRDC has 1.2 million members and online activists, served from offices in New York, Washington, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Beijing. More information on NRDC is available at: www.nrdc.org.

Ocean Conservancy is the world's foremost advocate for the oceans.  Through science-based advocacy, research, and public education, it informs, inspires and empowers people to speak and act for the oceans.  Ocean Conservancy is headquartered in Washington, DC, with support from more than half a million members and volunteers. To learn more about Ocean Conservancy visit www.oceanconservancy.org. 

Oceana campaigns to protect and restore the world's oceans. Its team of marine scientists, economists, lawyers and advocates win specific and concrete policy changes to reduce pollution and to prevent the irreversible collapse of fish populations, marine mammals and other sea life. Global in scope and dedicated to conservation, Oceana has campaigners based in North America, Europe and South America.  More than 300,000 members and e-activists in over 150 countries have already joined Oceana. For more information, please visit www.oceana.org.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) provides leadership and encourages partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.  For more information please visit www.unep.org.