NASHVILLE, Tenn. (April 2, 2008) — In honor of Earth Day on Tuesday, April 22, Documentary Channel™ (DOC) will devote the entire day to “green” documentaries with a special “EarthView” programming event featuring four new primetime U.S. television premieres and one DOC premiere of “eco-friendly” documentaries beginning at 7 p.m. ET/PT. These special documentaries, produced by Journeyman Pictures, examine the current debates contributing to our world’s energy and environmental problems.

Earth Day also marks the one-year anniversary of the network’s “EarthView” programming block, an initiative launched on April 22, 2007 to encourage environmental awareness. The “EarthView” programming block is dedicated to all things “green” and is scheduled for every Sunday night in primetime at 7 p.m. ET/PT to showcase “eco-friendly” and environmental documentary titles.

“We launched our green block ‘EarthView’ one year ago on Earth Day, and have been extremely pleased with how well it’s been received by viewers, as well as the documentary film industry, various environmental groups and a host of corporate partners,” says Tom Neff, Documentary Channel founder and CEO. “To help celebrate this anniversary and to show our support for Earth Day 2008, we will be airing environmentally-themed documentaries all day and night, including a special lineup of premiere telecasts that we believe viewers will find engaging, provocative, and visually stunning.”

DOC’s Earth Day 2008 primetime schedule of U.S. and DOC premiere telecasts is as follows:

“Earth, Wind & Fire” at 7 p.m. ET/PT – In its U.S. television premiere, this investigative film examines the debate on global warming. With global warming dominating the political agenda, “carbon footprint’” and “renewable energy” have become the latest buzzwords. Only renewable power, claim environmentalists, can enable us to maintain our current lifestyles without destroying the world. Tired of waiting for government action, states like California are taking the lead. But countries like Australia remain firmly wedded to coal. “Earth, Wind & Fire” explores whether renewable energy is capable of meeting the needs of a modern economy.

“Lost in Palm Oil” at 8 p.m. ET/PT – Directed by successful journalist and filmmaker Inge Altemeier, this film examines palm oil. Palm oil, used to produce biofuel, is being billed as a sustainable solution to the world’s energy problems. According to an EU directive, by 2030 all petrol must contain at least 20 percent biofuel. But does palm oil deserve its ‘green’ reputation? What are the human and environmental costs of the explosion in palm oil plantations? This documentary, making its premiere on U.S. television, investigates how palm oil cultivation is contributing to global warming.

“Beautiful One Day” at 9 p.m. ET/PT – Making its American television debut, this film focuses on one of the earth’s greatest treasures and natural wonders, the coral reef off the Australian coast. But in the last 30 years, pollution has caused the Great Barrier Reef, and the life it supports, to slowly die. Sitting on valuable oil reserves, it’s become the target of the oil industry which is desperate for new drilling sites. This investigative film highlights the urgent need to guard The Great Barrier Reef from the corporate vultures.

“Daughters of the Canopy” at 10 p.m. ET/PT – Premiering for the first time on DOC, this film examines the threat to the Amazon rain forest. This sacred forest, and the people who call it home, have never been more at risk. Every year, another 17,000 km disappears to make way for cattle ranches or falls prey to loggers’ saws. But it’s not just the environment that suffers when the forests are cleared. The traditional way of life for more than 20 million people is also threatened. But now, the women of the Amazon are fighting back. In thousands of communities across the region, they’re uniting to save their land. In addition to taking on the loggers, these women are challenging their male dominated society as well.

“Peak Oil” at 11 p.m. ET/PT – In another U.S. television debut, this documentary examines the state of our “cheap oil.” Is the age of cheap about to come to an end? According to many experts, we are about to reach the point of “peak oil” – the level at which supply can no longer keep up with demand. This, say the doomsayers, may send economies spinning into turmoil and up-end our comfortable lifestyles. But others claim predictions like this are simply fear-mongering. They believe supply will match demand for decades to come. Who’s telling the truth? “Peak Oil” investigates how long we have to prepare for a day when there is not enough to go around.

About Documentary Channel™: Documentary Channel (DOC) is the USA’s first 24-hour television network exclusively devoted to documentary films and is the Voice of the Independent Documentary Filmmaker. DOC seeks out and showcases independent, cutting-edge and international non-fiction programming rarely seen in the U.S., and often then only in film festivals or other special venues. Many of DOC’s programs are U.S. or world premieres on television. DOC is the television viewer’s round-the-clock opportunity to see fascinating, eclectic and award-winning documentary films of all lengths and genres, from classics to cutting-edge.

DOC has created partnerships and relationships with world-renowned organizations and festivals to bring the world’s greatest documentaries to television, often for the first time. These organizations include The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences®, The International Documentary Association, The National Film Board of Canada, Los Angeles Festival, Nashville Film Festival, Hot Springs, HotDocs, Durango Film Festival, Reel Women, and many others. In addition, DOC has teamed up with distinguished educational institutions including USC School of Cinema and the Academy of Art in San Francisco, among others, to introduce young, future documentary filmmakers to the viewing public.

Headquartered in Nashville, Tenn., with offices in New York and Los Angeles, Documentary Channel was founded by CEO and Oscar®-nominated documentary filmmaker Tom Neff. DOC launched on DISH Network DISH Network (Channel 197) in January 2006, and now reaches over 21 million homes nationwide. DOC is carried by several broadcast stations in major television markets including NYC TV (Channel 25) throughout the greater New York metropolitan area. DOC’s Web site is located at www.documentarychannel.com. DOC was recognized after its first year as co-winner of the Emmy for Best Feature Documentary at the 28th Annual News & Documentary Emmy® Awards for the film, “Shake Hands with the Devil: The Journey of Romeo Dallaire.”