CNN's two night eco-special, Planet in Peril, contained much that was admirable. There was the nifty green CNN logo, for one. And the news that hosts Anderson Cooper and Steve Corwin have been given Amazonian tribal names: "Running Deer" and "Regal Bird," respectively. Plus, who can get enough of that rehashed wet T-shirt contest that ensued when Running Deer and Regal Bird waded into the water to scope out a baby elephant under threat of extinction? Last but not least, there were baby polar bears aplenty (Anderson and Corwin not included). Cute, huh?

But we couldn't help but notice that some of the ads that ran during the series, were a little, well ... incongruous.

There were SUVs—the rugged LandRover "LR3," and Chevy's Tahoe, Suburban, and Trailblazer (2007 models on sale now!). Lest you were freaked out by Regal Bird's report on creepy chemicals like phthalates causing infertility or the traces of lead in his bloodstream due to prolonged use of on-air makeup, there was a reassuring ad for americanchemistry.com, which showed a gleaming and innocuous lipstick and also seemed to imply that chemicals have something to do with newborn babies, astronauts, and firemen, and who can argue with that? Gas company Conoco Phillips and BMW, underwriters of the series, were also heavily represented. Apparently gas should make us think of the gauzy image of a grandpa fly-fishing with his grandson, rather than carbon emissions.

If you were stressed out by the jump-cuts to Cooper covering the fires in California (wearing a suitably rugged flak-jacket), the reassuring ads for insurance companies like Genworth Financial and John Hancock were aimed at you. But if, say, your Malibu cottage was uninsured and you're feeling a bit irregular, then there was always the ad for Fiber Choice chewable tablets. Green movement, indeed.