As part of what could be considered a Washington tradition, every Sunday morning in and around the Beltway thousands of those involved in government, politics, lobbying, policy and other fields related to running the country tune in to what could be called “the political lineup”; hours of political news and discussion shows that air in the Sunday morning time period. Be it “Meet the Press,” “This Week,” “Face the Nation,” “The McLaughlin Group,” or any of the other members of that genre, they are a “must watch” for many. They have this in common: They all revolve around the machinations of government, and they all seem to have three-word titles.
Next week a new player will join that lineup offering something completely different, but just as timely and vital to our nation (and with a three-word title). It’s called “Clean Skies Sunday,” and it will focus every week on two of the most pressing issues facing our country and world: energy and the environment.
“Clean Skies Sunday” is the next step in the growth of CleanSkies.tv, an online channel that offers comprehensive and useful energy/environmental programs as well as a forum for debate and discussion to educate and inform its audience on the entire spectrum of energy/environmental choices and decisions facing our communities, our country, and our world. But what is perhaps most important is what CleanSkies.tv is not. It is not a platform for any one point of view. While part of the mission of the American Clean Skies Foundation (ACSF) is to educate the public, decision makers and others about natural gas, another is to reach across boundaries to facilitate the growth in knowledge about environmental and energy issues and find ways to use our differences of opinion and viewpoints, not as walls to divide, but as a starting point to build a rich, diverse base of knowledge which can benefit us all. Like ACSF, CleanSkies.tv is a very different model than what many are used to. Through CleanSkies.tv (and now, “Clean Skies Sunday”) we are working to provide an outlet for all points of view on energy and the environment in order to create a national forum that will serve as a critical element in providing answers to the very important questions we face.
“Clean Skies Sunday” will feature, among other things, highlights of the news-making and insightful interviews and roundtable discussions offered in full on CleanSkies.tv. It will also offer commentary and analysis on the key energy and environment news items of the preceding week, and a look at the coming week, featuring Susan McGinnis, who came to CleanSkies.tv from CBS, and veteran energy journalist Margaret Ryan, formerly of Platts, the noted energy news operation of McGraw-Hill. Segments from those organizations that make up the very diverse base of ACSF will be yet another part of the 30-minute television program.
“Television,” said Stan Freberg more than 40 years ago, “broadens the mind – up to 21 inches.” (Nowadays you could change that to “up to 72 inches”). In part, he was lamenting the fact that “imagination” and “television” are words that are rarely found in close proximity to one another. CleanSkies.tv and “Clean Skies Sunday” aim to be an exception. Indeed, it could be said that imagination is at the heart of what ACSF is all about. ACSF involves people and organizations of very different viewpoints. What they all have in common is the realization that we must work together to find the answers to ensure our energy and environmental future, and the imaginations needed to tackle such a job. It is a tragedy that in today’s society, “imagination” is wrongly made synonymous with “imaginary.” In the imaginary, we find only things that never were and never will be. In imagination, we find the things that could be and start on the path toward making them a reality.
Want real-world examples? You can find them anytime at www.Cleanskies.tv, and starting next week, on “Clean Skies Sunday,” airing at 9:30 AM each Sunday, on WJLA Channel 7 here in Washington, D.C.
Just be sure to bring your imagination.