Star Bamboo Singapore

Do you remember the cartoon series on Singapore television in the early 1990s, Captain Planet and the Planeteers?

Narrator: Gaia, the spirit of the Earth, can no longer stand the terrible destruction plaguing our planet. She gives five special rings to five special young people. From Africa, Kwame with the power of earth. From the North America, Wheeler with the power of fire. From the Soviet Union, Linka with the power of wind. From Asia, Gi with the power of water and from South America, Ma-Ti with the power of heart. With the five powers combined they summon earth’s greatest champion.

Captain Planet!

The 5 kids: Go Planet!

Yes, I thought you would find that familiar.

Gaia, the name of a goddess from Greek mythology, is the embodiment of the ailing Earth’s spirit, and Captain Planet is the world’s favourite eco-champion. Some might say he’s the Al Gore of the cartoon world.

Now, Gaia is back on Singapore TV.

Coming just 2 weeks after the Live Earth concerts, Saving Gaia is a new documentary series set to première tonight at 830pm on ChannelNewsAsia. It examines environmental problems in various Asian countries.

For example, here’s tonight’s synopsis (from MediaCorp’s TV guide):

When the ground gives way beneath their feet, sometimes it hit them with a ferocity that takes away all they hold dear. Sometimes it is such a quiet process that millions go about their lives, unaware that their homeland is sinking. Saving Gaia – When the cities go under – explores the problem of land subsidence in Bangladesh, Shanghai and Vietnam. What the millions in these places are doing, are not doing, or are not able to do.

The good thing about being a broadcasting monopoly in Singapore is that you can get everyone to sing the same message.

Check out the Saving Gaia web site and you’ll find the TV, radio, newspaper and magazine arms of MediaCorp all involved in this effort.

There’s not much information on the web site, beyond asking you to sign a pledge to commit to the 3R’s.

There’s even a freebie reusable shopping bag for you if you’re among the first 5,000. Rather handy you know, with more and more places charging you for plastic bags.

Curiously enough, “purchasing images from photolibrary.com” is listed as a Useful Resource. I’d thought it’d be better under the “Brought to you by” section.

The pledge is a nice idea but I wonder why they would need our NRIC number. Surely a contact number would suffice?

Privacy is a very real concern these days. I can access a lot of confidential information about a person on governmental web sites, with just his name and NRIC number, even more if I know his birth date as well.

Anyway, if you’re free tonight do tune in to the Saving Gaia series. I think it’ll be a nice change to get an Asian perspective on the global warming issue.