The Power Is Yours : The Deep Ecology of Captain Planet
By Robert L . Lively , Arizona State University
Introduction
Using children ' s programming to teach environmentalism is nothing new . Over the years , both television and movies have targeted children in an attempt to raise environmental awareness and promote environmental concepts such as preservation and conservation . Although most of these programs and films were either one shots , or short lived television series , Captain Planet , broadcast on Turner Television from 1990- 1996 , was the second longest-running children ' s television show of the 90s which explored a variety of environmental themes over the course of its run . With a multiracial team of children protecting the planet with their power rings , Captain Planet was one of the most successful children ' s programs of the 90s , as well . In this essay , I argue that the television show Captain Planet , with its roots in Deep Ecology , offered children a more radical view of environmentalism than other successful environmental children ' s programming and routinely suggests a more radical response to environmental issues . Using Deep Ecology as a lens offers a new way of examining the messaging of this extremely popular environmental cartoon .
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