Maggie Gyllenhaal (left) and Hugh Dancy star in "Hysteria," a smart romantic comedy about the invention of the vibrator as a medical device in Victorian England.

When we heard about Hysteria, a film about the invention of the vibrator in Victorian England, we giggled and were immediately intrigued. Tanya Wexler had the same reaction when she got the pitch seven years ago. “It made me laugh so hard I said, ‘I have to do it!’” says the director, 41, whose delightful “thinking woman’s romantic comedy” opens in New York City and Los Angeles on May 18 and expands to more cities over the next few weeks.

Starring Maggie Gyllenhaal and Hugh Dancy, the movie is set in 1880s London at a time when a wide variety of women’s complaints were given the catchall diagnosis of “hysteria,” treated by physicians with digital manipulation. (Yep, women went to the doctor for the “big O.”) Dancy’s Dr. Mortimer Granville joins the booming practice of an older doctor (Jonathan Pryce) and encounters his two daughters: prim-and-proper Emily (Felicity Jones) and Charlotte (Gyllenhaal), a feisty firebrand of a social activist who fights for women’s suffrage and works with the poor at a settlement house. When Granville’s eccentric, wealthy inventor friend (Rupert Everett) comes up with a motorized feather duster, Granville sees the value in it as a way to relieve his aching right hand.

While the story is a fictionalized account, it’s based on the real Granville and his medical invention. “Yes, the vibrator was invented as a labor-saving device,” laughs Wexler, who did considerable research about medicine, vibrators, society and women’s roles at the time. Women like Chicago’s Hull House founder Jane Addams inspired the reform-minded Charlotte. “We said, ‘Let’s make the character who we would have wanted to be had we lived back then,’” says Wexler, calling her “the beating heart” of the movie. “She had to have that fire, power and accessibility.” Casting was crucial. “It was a very short list and we got very lucky,” she says, in getting Gyllenhaal — who gave birth to her second daughter April 30 — to sign on.

“I knew that the script had to be pretty much perfect or they wouldn’t let me make the movie,” explains Wexler, who thought the subject was a no-brainer, but would-be investors were risk-averse. “Movies are really hard to get made and are expensive and you really have to make your case. Few were willing to stick their necks out.”

Now developing two projects (including one with actor Paula Patton), Wexler, a New York City-based mother of four, calls Hysteria “an amazingly cool experience,” one with which she aimed to entertain and “not whack people over the head with a message,” but nevertheless points out several themes in the movie that she hopes audiences will think about. “There’s an empowerment message,” she says. “You’re in charge of your own happiness. And it doesn’t take a doctor to get it!”

But are some women still misinformed about sexual health and medicine? We see some parallels in Hysteria to the recent documentary Orgasm Inc., about the pharmaceutical race to cure Female Sexual Dysfunction (FDS).

Do you think there are still a lot of misconceptions about female sexual health?

Photo credit: Liam Daniel/Sony Pictures Classics

In her new book, clinical psychologist Jennifer Baumgartner gets to the issues underlying wardrobe woes such as overshopping, hanging on to old clothes and hiding in unflattering clothing.

Like many women, our closets are full of unloved items that go unworn, and we find ourselves thinking, “Why did we ever buy that?” We wear the same familiar pieces over and over, yet our wardrobe never feels complete. In the new book You Are What You Wear: What Your Clothes Reveal About You (Da Capo Lifelong Books, 2012), Jennifer Baumgartner, Psy.D., argues that our fashion woes are actually tied to deeper emotional issues. (Our plans to spring clean our closet suddenly got more interesting!)

A practicing clinical psychologist who also runs her own wardrobe consulting business, InsideOut, Baumgartner says that the key to perfecting your style is to understand this connection and make changes accordingly. Part style guide, part psychological examination, the book is divided into nine chapters, in which Baumgartner diagnoses nine distinct shopping complaints and wardrobe mistakes. These include overshopping, having a stagnant closet, baring too much skin, failing to dress your age, living in “mom jeans” and avoiding mirrors.

In each chapter, Baumgartner shares a real-life case study. For example, Ricki hides her body in clothes two sizes too big and Tessa, a compulsive shopper, has fallen deep into debt paying for a closet full of clothes she barely wears. Baumgartner then provides an analysis of each issue from both a stylistic and psychological perspective. Ricki has been taught to be ashamed of her body since her first child was born, while Tessa turns to shopping when she experiences emotional highs and lows in the same way overeaters turn to food.

Finally, Baumgartner discusses treatments for both her patients and readers. Ricki, for example, needs to choose clothes based on what makes her feel sexy and confident. Tessa must learn to find effective alternatives to shopping that will not burn a hole in her pocket when she experiences a range of emotions.

Fashion remedies include complementing a neutral wardrobe with seasonal colors and adding one statement piece to every outfit, while the author also asks you to examine the message your wardrobe sends to others and to determine and accentuate the attribute you love most about yourself.

You Are What You Wear inspired us to examine what our clothes tell us about ourselves. After some self-reflection, we’re ready for a little upgrading to perfect our own style. What do you think your clothes say about you?

Iowa farmer Andrew Dunham, who runs the Grinnell Heritage Farm, talks in "The Weight of the Nation" about the obstacles he and other farmers face in delivering organic vegetables to market.

We caught a preview last week of HBO’s upcoming four-part documentary The Weight of the Nation and we have a spoiler alert for you: A lot of us Americans are fat! OK, so the obesity crisis isn’t breaking news, but this well-intentioned documentary, which airs tonight and tomorrow at 8 p.m. ET/PT on the cable channel and its website, does have some surprises up its sleeve.

One of the most startling things about Weight is simply that it’s a cooperative effort of HBO Documentary Films, the Institute of Medicine (an independent federal agency), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health, with underwriting coming from Kaiser Permanente and the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation. (Anyone who has ever tried to plan a girls’ night out can recognize how exhausting that group effort — which involved three government agencies — must have been.)

Surprisingly, one of the villains in the series is the government itself, in the form of federal farm subsidies that keep American corn and soybeans (and their derivatives, high-fructose corn syrup and soybean oil) unnaturally cheap. If you can draw the connections between that fact and obesity, you’re onto the point of the documentary. As the companion book of the same name notes in its opening chapter, “As much as we wish there were one thing in the fight against fat we could point to and eliminate, there isn’t…the cause is complex.”

Complex issues don’t always make for good TV, but if you really want to understand the big picture on how America got so fat, it’s worth investing the time to watch. The statistics fly thick and fast in this series, but you also see the human toll: how agribusiness has turned individual farmers from food growers into commodity producers and how children in low-income communities are hit disproportionately with the double whammy of no safe place to exercise and an onslaught of cheap junk food.

Consciousness-raising is clearly the agenda here, since the producers believe that informed people will make smarter choices. In fact, HBO is offering individual kits stocked with discussion guides and DVDs to encourage people to organize their own screenings. Given that peer behavior has been shown in recent research to be a significant driver in weight gain, the reverse approach makes sense. Whether it will work remains to be seen, but with the prospect of the nation’s obesity-related healthcare costs swelling to $344 billion (21 percent of total healthcare costs) by 2018, there’s a lot of dollars — and lives — at stake.

What steps do you think should be taken to fight the obesity crisis in the United States?

Photo credit: Courtesy HBO

Lisa Loeb, who is expecting her second child, says her mom taught her the importance of being there for your children.

When we’re young, we often believe our mothers are completely clueless, but most of us come to realize with hindsight that their advice made a lot of sense. In honor of Mother’s Day, we asked a few celebs to share the maternal lessons that they’ve most taken to heart.

“‘Don’t shave with soap. And never forget where you came from.’ That’s why I do so much work in the Latino community and the special-needs community. I have a sister with special needs.” —Eva Longoria, Desperate Housewives

“My mom used to say, ‘Keep your panties up and your dress down!’ And she always used to tell me, ‘Pay it forward.’” —Sherri Shepherd, The View

“She taught me how to laugh at myself. She taught me that I might make mistakes and that it’s OK to laugh.”  —Brooke Elliott, Drop Dead Diva

“‘Always be on time.’ I’m very punctual.” —Cat Cora, Around the World in 80 Plates

“‘Pay your debts’ — monetary, emotional, psychological. I’ve discovered that when you pay your debts, you get back tenfold. She also taught me how to make the best meatloaf in the world. I can’t tell you what’s in it. Family secret!” —Carolyn Hennesy, True Blood

“Just to be there. You can’t call it in. Being in entertainment and being a working mom, people think you can just say, ‘I’ll be there for you’ or ‘I’m thinking of you.’ Thinking of a person or talking to them on the phone is not the same as sitting with your child and reading with her or blowing her nose or sharing lunches with her. You have to be there.” —Lisa Loeb

“‘Be respectful of others.’”—Lisa Vanderpump, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

“’Have a sense of humor, no matter what Zev does.’” —Marissa Jaret Winokur, Retired at 35 (and mom to Zev, 3)

What’s the best piece of advice your mother gave you?

Photo credit: Amy Graves

Those who purchase these robin's-egg Gianna Rose soaps from Gifts That Give designate $9.60 of the price to a charity of their choice.

Still stumped on what to get Mom this year? We’ve got some online ideas that will make gifting on May 13 easier — and charitable at the same time.

Gifts That Give offers fabulous finds from more than 100 top brands and donates $1 of every $5 you spend to the charity of your choice. Select a cause, such as the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society or American Red Cross, then shop by category or brand. Each item shows how many dollars will go to the charity you’ve selected. You’ll find everything from Fornash boa scarves ($38 each), Gianna Rose robin’s-egg soaps nested in an apothecary jar ($48), Lily Pulitzer iPad covers ($30 each), a Michael Aram apple honey pot with an arrow spoon ($79), a Monica Rich Kosann Sterling Silver Signature Round Floral Locket ($525) and Simon Pearce Windham bud vases ($155–$325), all conveniently collected under the Mother’s Day tab. We also loved the nifty Present Time photo clock ($130).

If you’re looking for something distinctive, we recently discovered unusual and affordable jewelry and home accessories from Gone Rural boMake, a nonprofit that supports health, education and social infrastructure in Swaziland. A collective of 760 women artisans in the African nation make items from sustainable, renewable or recycled materials, such as beads, dyed grasses, remnant fabrics and recycled plastic bags. You’ll recognize some of the items from stores like Cost Plus World Market and Anthropologie, but you can also purchase the items from websites such as Bridge for Africa and Shopping for a Change. Our favorite items include a gift set of coasters, napkins and napkin rings ($35), a woven table runner ($35), coil baskets woven from local lutindzi grass ($30) and woven baskets from fabric scraps ($46).

If Mom has a favorite cause — and like so many moms, insists she doesn’t need anything — you can make a donation in her name or purchase an item from a charity’s website, like the cute panda T-shirts, watches, umbrellas, totes, beach towels and other items available for a $50 donation to the World Wildlife Fund. The American Red Cross offers practical items like a first aid kits ($16.95–$24.95) and emergency radios ($34.95–$80). Purchase Tanzanian Gombe Reserve Coffee ($15) at JaneGoodall.org, which supports the primatologist’s efforts to protect chimpanzees. Virtually adopt an environment for your mother for a $50 donation to the Nature Conservancy or a sea creature ($30–$250) at Oceana.org, some of which come with animal-themed greeting cards, cookie cutter sets or plush toys.

Or donate to a health cause in her name, such as the American Cancer Society, Alzheimer’s Association, American Diabetes Association or Lupus Foundation of America. Check out Charity Navigator to make sure your donation being spent wisely.

Around the holiday season, we also shared our favorite beauty and jewelry gifts that give back, such as Kahina Giving Beauty argan oil products that benefit cooperatives in Morocco, Same Sky jewelry that helps to empower HIV-positive African women and Altruette gold and silver charms that correspond with various causes, from environmental issues to human rights initiatives.

Don’t forget to share why your mom is the absolute best in 15 words or less and upload of a photo of you and your mom to enter the Zinio Mom’s Day Contest. The winner, selected after the May 10 deadline, will receive a bouquet for his or her mother valued at $200, plus a digital magazine subscription. And every entry receives a free lifetime subscription to VIVmag, so in our opinion, everyone wins!

What do you think is the best way to show your appreciation for your mom this coming Sunday?

"The Edible Balcony" provides tips and ideas for turning any outdoor space into a green oasis that provides fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs.

From city community gardeners to Midwestern homeowners with spacious yards, it seems everyone is eager to embark on gardening projects. In fact, with the mild winter and spring, bulbs — and weeds, of course — in our own garden seem to have started without us! Here’s a look at three books for home gardeners, whether you need help maintaining a yard or have very limited growing space.

In the introduction to The Anxious Gardener’s Book of Answers (Timber Press, 2012), author Teri Dunn Chace notes that the wealth of information available can often be confusing or overwhelming. (We agree, since our own recent online search for red poppy seeds turned up so many opium and bagel results.)

The book aims to tackle all common gardening questions, from which end of the flower bulb is up to the right time to prune. Subjects include compost, containers, design, fertilizing, lawns, herbs, pruning, maintenance, shrubs, soil and even your own health and safety as a gardener (for example, using sun protection and considering whether a project is really a DIY one). We love “I Goofed, Can I Fix It?” which provides tips on mistakes such as overzealous pruning and choosing the wrong plant for a space.

Whenever we walk by a brownstone adorned with containers overflowing with lush blooms, we’re amazed, since when we pot a plant, it tends to be a death sentence. The art of container gardening is revealed in Fern Richardson’s Small-Space Container Gardens (Timber Press, 2012), which promises to help readers transform balconies, porches and patios with fruits, herbs, flowers and foliage. In this book, Richardson, who writes the popular blog Life on the Balcony, proves that it’s possible to have a garden without a yard.

Richardson approaches her containers as part of a garden, not simply potted plants, which we now see has been the root of our problem. The book includes advice about color schemes, considering the climate and conditions of your outdoor space, attracting wildlife and how to choose succulents, vines, hanging baskets and more. There are also tips for creating your own potager so that you can harvest fruit, edible vines and herbs; we love the idea for a mini BBQ herb garden to keep by the outdoor grill.

In each chapter, you’ll find diagrams, inspiring photos and fun DIY projects, such as “Cheap Pot Upgrade 101” and “Mod Minimalist Bird Feeder.” You’ll find the keys to creating an uncluttered, lush outdoor space that’s not only beautiful, but budget-friendly — and, unlike bigger gardens, there’s no weed-pulling and lawn care!

We’re determined to avoid having to buy a giant bunch of herbs that wilt in the fridge just to get a few sprigs, so The Edible Balcony (Rodale, 2012) by Alex Mitchell is just the ticket to make our vision come to life — literally. According to Mitchell, it’s possible to grow fruits, vegetables and herbs within the space you have, “from a few pots on your balcony or fire escape to an entire orchard on your roof terrace.” Not only does a garden help a balcony look better, it provides tasty produce, reduces your carbon footprint, keeps cities cool (as in temperature) and reduces air and noise pollution.

Mitchell’s book provides design basics for making the most of a small space, a container guide (from pots to grow bags to window boxes) and tips on potting mix and plant food. There’s a chapter devoted to creating an easy edible balcony with low-maintenance plants, complete with a list of the 10 best crops, and helpers such as self-watering pots.

You’ll find pointers about adding unusual plants, such as striped tomatoes and rainbow carrots, as well as “salvaged balcony” projects, such as creating a planter from an old drawer or planting a salad cascade. The extra-ambitious can even learn how to become a vertical farmer or create an exotic garden with goji berries, grapes and citrus fruits.

What garden projects are you planning to tackle this spring and summer?

Can you spot the cat? The easy-to-assemble Purrtreesort provides a multi-tiered place for cats to play (and hide).

We’re not ashamed to admit that we like to pamper our pets (within reason, of course). In honor of National Pet Month, here are some of our favorite products from the Pet Product Showcase you can buy to make your pets look, feel — and even smell — better!

M&J Dog Essentials has created a three-piece, skin-healthy cleansing system for dogs ($50). The company is run by Mary Louise and Hannah Shenk, a mother/daughter team of aestheticians who started out intending to make products for people before turning their efforts to their canine companions: Toby, a Wheaton terrier, and Moe, a Boston terrier. They switched gears, researched the differences between human and dog skin, and created their holistic products. The system consists of a prebath treatment to infuse nutrient-rich botanicals into the skin and coat and break up dirt, a shampoo to cleanse, and a leave-in conditioner to detangle, moisturize and add shine and softness to your dog’s coat. The products keep a dog’s skin at its natural pH, which is more alkaline than human skin, the reason you shouldn’t use your shampoo on your dog.

Every dog owner fears her pet will run away — escaping through an open door, bolting after a wild animal, or not coming when called. The Tagg Pet Tracker ($99.95 for the tracker device and $7.95 per month for the service after one free month) is a GPS device for your dog or cat that removes the worry, allowing you track your pet from your mobile device or computer. You buy a lightweight, water-resistant tracker that goes on the pet’s collar and then register the device at the Tagg website. If your dog or cat strays, you receive a text message and email, and you can pinpoint his or her location quickly on a map and retrieve your pet.

For those interested in a wireless fence without the deep holes required to bury the transmitters, there’s a new portable option from PetSafe: the Sit + Play Wireless Fence ($349.95), which plugs into an outlet. You can take it with you on trips or if you move, and you can add more than one dog to the system. It covers up to three-fourths of an acre and can be set up in one to two hours. You train the dog to stay within the fence; if he tries to breach it, he gets a warning tone and then a mild shock from the waterproof, rechargeable collar.

If the smell of your cat’s litter box makes you gag, Zero Odor Litter Spray ($27.95 per kit) will let you breathe easy again. According to Zero Odor, the product eliminates pet smells by bonding with odor molecules. (It even purports to stop skunk odor on sprayed dogs, something we hope we don’t have to find out firsthand.) The product itself is fragrance-free, which many people (and cats) prefer. Zero Odor also makes formulas that lift pet stains and odors from carpeting and furniture. All are nontoxic and biodegradable.

Created by a veterinarian who noticed her cat was finicky about her water source, the Drinkwell Multi-Tier Pet Fountain ($59.99) continually aerates the water and encourages your pet to drink more, giving her two places to imbibe (the top or bottom levels). A replaceable charcoal filter removes bad tastes and odors. There’s also a Drinkwell hy•drate system ($21.99), which turns a regular water bowl into a fountain. It remains in place with small suction cups, and circulates water continuously while trapping fur, food particles and other sediment in its filter.

The Purrtreesort ($379) is the cat’s meow. It’s a beautifully designed, 4-foot tree replica for indoors that is fun for cats to play with, allowing them to climb, scratch and peek through the leaves. It assembles in minutes and with no screws, nails or tools. Removable carpets on perches throughout the tree can be cleaned or replaced, and there’s room to place camouflaged food and water bowls on any perch.

Is there a pet product you or your pet couldn’t imagine living without?

Photo credit: Courtesy Purrtreesort

Beth M. Howard, with her Pie Tour RV and several pies, in Malibu, CA, for a reading from her new memoir, "Making Piece."

We caught up with Beth M. Howard, 50, author of Making Piece: A Memoir of Love, Loss and Pie (Harlequin, 2012), in Malibu, CA, at independent bookseller Diesel. Even before Howard revealed a word of her poignant story, we knew this reading was going to be way better than your average author appearance since it involved generous servings of, yes, pie.

Howard is on a monthlong California and Texas book tour, which includes readings, pie-making demos and classes to publicize the intertwined stories of her commitment to “pie it forward” with her The World Needs More Pie business and her grief over the sudden death of her 43-year-old husband in 2009. But Howard’s exploration of loss is complex because her husband of six years was slated to sign divorce papers on the day of his near-instantaneous death by an aortal rupture.

We found Howard’s descriptions of the nuances of grief and guilt to be one of the most honest and authentic accounts we’ve read. We also learned a lot about baking pies, which seems like an odd (and maybe even inappropriate) combination, but we have to say that it totally works as an engaging and moving narrative, balancing humor against pathos. The book contains five pie recipes at the end, including the apple one that features heavily in the story.

Pie is arguably a quintessential American dessert, so it’s appropriate that Howard runs Pitchfork Pie Stand from her home, the American Gothic House in Eldon, IA, from Memorial Day to Labor Day on weekends (noon to 5 p.m.). If you want to catch up with Howard, check her tour dates or book a trip to Orlando, FL, to attend the 17th annual Crisco National Pie Championships at the Great American Pie Festival April 27–29, where she is serving as a judge.

What’s your opinion on food memoirs?

Julia Louis-Dreyfus plays the U.S. Vice President in the new HBO comedy, "Veep."

Julia Louis-Dreyfus may not be the first to play a fictional female U.S. vice president, but she’s decidedly the funniest, and we’re thrilled to see her back on TV in a role tailored for her. While we’ve seen Glenn Close and Joan Allen occupy the position in the movies Air Force One and The Contender, Patricia Wettig’s portrayal of a villainous veep in Fox’s Prison Break, and Julianne Moore’s recent turn as vice presidential hopeful Sarah Palin in HBO’s Game Change, we’ve never seen the office played for comedy — or quite as profanely — as it is in HBO’s new series Veep, which premieres April 22 at 10 p.m.

Louis-Dreyfus plays Selina Meyer, the newly minted second-in-command, a former Maryland senator and contender for the presidential nomination who is capable and ambitious, but is somewhat unprepared for the rude awakening she gets. “I love everything about her,” says the actress, 51. “I love her sense of self, which is perhaps not quite in place. She has ideas, yet she has to make some compromises and stumbles along the way. She doesn’t have a phony set of ideals, but she wants to stay alive as a political animal.”

Meyer also contends with inept staffers and an unseen (so far) president who won’t call her back. “It’s a very powerful position, and yet at the same time, I don’t think there’s a politician out there that would say that they aspire to be vice president,” she muses. “So it’s a strange paradox in that sense. In Washington there are so many good people doing the wrong things for the right reasons and the right things for the wrong reasons. The show sort of speaks to that middle area.”

Louis-Dreyfus, who played a jazz singer and gym owner respectively in her post-Seinfeld series Watching Ellie and The New Adventures of Old Christine, had to do a bit more research for this role. She met with a couple of former vice presidents (whom she won’t name) to get the inside scoop. “Not only was it interesting to hear what they had to say, and how they said it, but also what they didn’t say,” she notes, adding that she asked what it was like to live at the official residence.

“I was interested in the most humiliating thing they were ever asked to do, not the grandeur of it, because you can figure out what that is,” she says. “Also, since Selina is a mother, I was interested to hear what it’s like raising children under those circumstances.”

Although she’s an environmental activist who works with such organizations as the National Resources Defense Council, the Environmental Media Association, the Waterkeeper Alliance and Heal the Bay, Louis-Dreyfus hasn’t gotten involved in politics and has no interest in running for political office. “There is a culture in our family of an awareness and a responsibility to the community around us,” she says of her upbringing. “I spend some of my celebrity capital to bring attention to issues that are important to me. Then hopefully the spotlight goes to the issue and not to me.”

What do you think of a comedic take on the vice presidency?

Photo credit: Bill Gray/HBO

"Confessions of an Eco-Terrorist" features never-before-seen footage of the Sea Shepherd Society campaigns, such as the stink-bombing of a Japanese whale-processing vessel.

It’s been 42 years since the first Earth Day, and what was initially a grassroots demonstration on behalf of the planet is now a global enterprise. Events of all sorts will commemorate the annual celebration, including movies and TV shows to view on Earth Day, April 22, and the anniversary weekend.

Fans of Animal Planet’s Whale Wars series, which documents the ongoing struggles between Japanese whalers and Sea Shepherd Conservation Society founder Paul Watson and his ship’s crew, will want to check out the documentary Confessions of an Eco-Terrorist. The film chronicles 30 years in the global battle to save ocean wildlife, as seen through the eyes of filmmaker and Sea Shepherd crewman Peter Jay Brown, and will be available starting April 22 on Video on Demand and digitally via iTunes, VUDU, Amazon and Xbox Live.

Several channels will present new nature specials. On April 22 at 8 p.m. ET Nat Geo Wild will air War Elephants, which documents the efforts to rehabilitate pachyderms that still bear the scars of the 1977–1993 civil war in Mozambique that decimated the African nation’s elephant population and traumatized the survivors.

Discovery’s spectacular Frozen Planet series about the polar regions has been extended to include the a marathon of the original Sir David Attenborough-hosted episodes culminating with “On Thin Ice,” April 22 at 8 p.m. ET/PT, preceded by a marathon of the Attenborough-narrated episodes that aired in the U.K., starting at 2 p.m. The version that has been airing in the U.S. is narrated by actor Alec Baldwin.

In the clean-energy sector, PBS takes a look at how different communities approach power conservation in Energy Quest USA, premiering April 22 at 4 p.m. ET, and examines global energy policies in Powering the Planet, following at 6 p.m. on that date and with an encore April 26 at 9 p.m. ET.

In conjunction with its “Green Is Universal” initiative, NBCUniversal is celebrating Earth Week with more than 100 hours of environment-related content across its television and Internet channels, ranging from conservation reports on NBC Nightly News to eco-business on CNBC to green celebrity features on Access Hollywood, Access Hollywood Live and E! At greenisuniversal.com, you’ll find easy eco tips from celebrities like Top Chef’s Padma Lakshmi, who recommends washing clothes in cold water; all the advice is available in a downloadable smartphone app called One Small Act.

Not to leave out the littlest environmentalists, kiddie channel Sprout will educate preschoolers about caring for the planet on Earth Day morning.

Check out “Green Screen” in the latest issue of VIVmag for more information about eco-documentaries, including Revenge of the Electric Car, To the Arctic 3D and Disneynature’s Chimpanzee. What are you doing to celebrate Earth Day?

Photo credit: Courtesy Kelsey Stevens