CEC sponsors TV program for World Environment Day

This one-hour variety program features Canadian celebrities and musicians, animated humorous segments offering an upbeat, lighthearted look at ecological concerns and up-to-date, relevant reports on some common North American environmental issues.

Projects that encourage people to make intelligent transportation choices to help decrease carbon dioxide emissions are explored. Survival plans for endangered species are also examined. The Monarch butterfly’s fantastic journey from Canada to Mexico is followed.

Eco Variety also features the power of youth, highlighting the outstanding contribution of a young Canadian environmentalist. Native North Americans also play a vital role. Host Graham Greene and performer Buffy Sainte-Marie bring warmth and vibrance to the show, while Grandma Twylah of the Seneca nation tells stories of how we are all interconnected.

Other Canadian artists featured in the program include Jane Siberry, Bruce Cockburn, Hemingway Corner, Fred Eaglesmith and a real children’s favorite, Rosie Emery.

Eco Variety is an international effort, with program segments originating in Canada, Mexico and the United States. This program will be televised world-wide to hundreds of millions of viewers. Eco Variety is a co-production of NewVue Films Inc., in Canada (producer of Celebrate the Earth 1995) and YTV, the National Youth Network. Uplinger Enterprises in the United States (producer of Live Aid) and Televisa in Mexico are also partners in the project.

This program was created on behalf of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (also known at the NAFTA Environmental Commission) established to protect the environment and promote public awareness of environmental issues in North America.

In Canada, Eco Variety is directed by Judith Murray and produced by Donna Roberts.