These real TV commercials will make you laugh and care about the environment

There are millions of commercials on TV that promote luxury items like cars, jewelry, electronics and more, but we rarely see any that promote the preservation of the planet. Well, these 5 YouTube videos are actual TV commercials that were created by a few green organizations.

These videos prove that having a sense of humor for such grim subject matter is a great way to raise eco-awareness.

1. Planet Green Commercial – “Beach”
This guy takes solar energy to the next level!

2. Funny Greenpeace Commercial
Greenpeace makes a statement about energy efficient light bulbs.

3. Kenco Eco-Refill Ad 100%
This funny ad shows just how far people will go to reduce packaging.

4. Hairy Situation
Learn how the earth feels about deforestation.

5. Emission Measuring – TV Ad for Partnerstvi Foundation
Discover how fun it can be to measure your personal carbon emissions.

This 97-foot tall treehouse made from reclaimed and recycled wood gets an average of 400 visitors a week!

Image: flickr
In 1993 God told Horace Burgess, a landscape architect and ordained minister, to build a treehouse.  Horace accepted this divine intervention, and for seventeen years he worked on what he calls “The Minister’s Treehouse.”  This massive treehouse, which is located is Crossville, Tennessee, is 97-feet high, has 10 floors and covers between 8,000-10,000 square feet.  It’s built around an 80-foot-tall white oak tree and has six other trees that support it like natural pillars.  One could say that it’s the tallest and holiest treehouse of them all.
The coolest feature of the Minister’s Treehouse, which looks to me like something that Tarzan’s rich uncle would own, is that it’s built completely with salvaged lumber that Horace acquired from garages, sheds, barns and other structures.  It also includes recycled furniture, license plates and roofing material.  Inside the treehouse you’ll see a spiral staircase, a choir loft, a private sanctuary, and yes, even a basketball court!  Horace even built his wife her own personal belfry tower, which includes chimes made from oxygen acetylene bottles that weigh 5,700 pounds each.
Need to see it to believe it?  Here’s proof:

Images: odditycentral.com

Images: flickr
The Minister’s Treehouse gets about 400-500 visitors from around the country every week.  After taking a tour of the amazing treehouse and reaching the top, guests get to view the garden that Horace designed himself.  It includes flowers like daffodils, irises, narcissus, gladiolas and wild daisies, all of which spell out the word…J-E-S-U-S!  In an article in USA Today Horace said this about the garden: “The whole message of the thing is if you come to see the site and climb to the top, you’ll see Jesus in the garden, and the preacher didn’t have to say a word.”
According to Horace, the treehouse isn’t finished.  He’s going to keep building it up as long as he keeps getting recycled materials.  I hope that he does go bigger, because this is an amazing sight that everyone should get to see!

This South American cousin to the llama is one of the most eco-friendly animals in the world.When I think of South America I instantly imagine the beautiful green Amazon rainforest. But I recently read an article in L.A.’s Green Right Now section that convinced me that South American has another green gift to offer.

It looks a lot like a llama and makes a humming sound that could soothe you to sleep. No, it’s not a “Lamb Chop Sings Love Songs to the Trees” CD. It’s an alpaca!

I’ll pack a what? Yes, that’s what it sounds like, but this eco-friendly animal is way cooler and greener than any lunch that you’ll ever pack. Here’s why:

• Alpacas produce some of the finest natural fibers in the world, not only providing communities with great clothes, but also giving organic farmers a steady source of income.
• They’re the perfect alternative to gas-powered or push lawnmowers (they eat grass even though they don’t have upper teeth).
• Their waste droppings make an amazing, all-natural fertilizer.
• Sometimes the fur on their wooly coat looks like dreadlocks (which happens to be a very green way to style your hair).

Alpacas have always been considered the weird cousin of the llama (because they are), but it looks like they are now getting their chance to shine in the green spotlight. After seeing how eco-friendly the animals were in Peru, Bolivia and Chile, someone thought of the grand idea to bring some to America. Now some U.S. farmers get the awesome opportunity to see alpacas in action every day!

These cuddly creatures have been providing American farmers with silky, hypoallergenic wool, rich natural fertilizer and playful companionship for the past 25 years, and I hope that they continue to work their charm around the world to prove that they are eco-friendly and proud of it!