Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, July 31, 1993 TAG: 9307310289
SECTION: SPECTATOR PAGE: S-12 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DANIEL P. JONES THE HARTFORD COURANT
DATELINE: HARTFORD, CONN. LENGTH: Medium
But nothing prepared him for the adulation he got from a crowd of children recently at the Bushnell Memorial here while playing a television cartoon character named Captain Planet, an environmental superhero.
"It was overwhelming," Evans said.
Schoolchildren attending an environmental fair and awards ceremony mobbed the 28-year-old Wethersfield, Conn., actor and clamored for autographs. Many grilled him about his exploits battling eco-villains such as Hoggish Greedly, Looten Plunder and Duke Nukem.
The response wouldn't have been surprising to observers of children's television, who see a budding trend toward environmentalism.
In "Captain Planet and the Planeteers," (weekdays at 6:30 p.m. on TNT), the superhero is summoned by five teenagers to use the Earth's natural forces to battle oil spills, smog monsters and the slaughter of endangered animals.
One of the highest-rated syndicated programs for children on television, it is watched each week by an estimated 7 million people, mostly children.
Environmental themes are evident not only on television but also in children's books and movies, such as "FernGully, the Last Rain Forest," released last year in theaters and still popular with children as a video and for toys based on its characters.
Whether young people will grow up to be much "greener" than their parents, however, is open to debate.
Moreover, some observers worry about the trend, saying that shows such as Captain Planet could cause children to view all effects of civilization and technology on the environment as necessarily bad.
Some industries have complained about inaccuracies in some of the environmental tips and messages. The aerosol products industry, for example, has complained to producers about a "G.I. Joe" cartoon episode and about an environmental tip given by the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles."
The complaints were that both programs incorrectly said that aerosol sprays harm Earth's protective ozone layer. In fact, aerosol sprays have not contained chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs, the chemicals that eat the ozone shield, since 1978.
Surveys consistently show that most Americans are unaware that aerosols no longer use CFCs, said Dan Minogue, chairman of the Consumer Aerosol Products Council. "With so much environmental misinformation appearing in cartoons, sitcoms and children's books, it's no wonder Americans are confused."
Other observers, including some child psychologists, decry what they see as excessive violence on television, and believe much more environmental programming should be offered instead of the mayhem. But they say the content should be accurate and based on sound science.
Among children's shows that incorporate environmental themes are the public television productions of "Barney," the purple dinosaur popular with preschoolers, "Mister Rogers Neighborhood" and "Sesame Street."
Nickelodeon, the children's cable service, also has weighed in. It sponsored an Earth summit for children in Orlando, Fla., last April, and frequently airs stories about environmental topics on its weekly news program called "Nick News."
Advertising experts say children are widely regarded as leaders in families when it comes to spreading environmental information, and they view the trend as more than a fad.
"It's here to stay," said Bob Rehak, senior vice president and creative director for the Houston office of Ogilvy & Mather, one of the world's largest advertising firms. He edited a just-published book on environmental marketing and advertising.
"I think there are a lot of advertisers that see it as something they need to be committed to," Rehak said.
Jonathan Adler, an environmental policy analyst at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a conservative Washington, D.C., think tank that favors free enterprise and limited government, said that most television programs for children "substitute politics for science and anti-technology blather for sensible discussions of important issues."
Adler said that Captain Planet is part of a larger effort to "greenwash" America's youth into believing that humans and civilization are bad.
But Dan Gottlieb, an associate producer at Turner Broadcasting Systems in Atlanta, said Captain Planet "doesn't point fingers." The villains don't represent actual business people or other people, he said. "They represent the problem."
The goal of the show, he said, is to teach children that they "are going to be the solutions" to the problems. "And I think we try to include as much scientific fact as we can."
Evans, the actor, said he knew nothing about Captain Planet when he agreed to take the role. He watched several episodes of the show and had to adhere to strict guidelines of behavior. The superhero, for example, never strikes his enemies and has virtually encyclopedic knowledge about the world and environmental subjects.
by CNB