Chef Emeril Lagasse Cooks Up Exciting Specials on Planet Green

Upcoming locations include Maryland, Napa Valley, and Vermont

SILVER SPRING, Md., July 30 -- Celebrity Chef extraordinaire Emeril Lagasse, host of Planet Green's Emeril Green, is whipping up a batch of 20 new half-hour episodes and three hour-long specials this season that will have viewers hungry for more.

GRILLIN' WITH EMERIL (1x60) Premieres Monday, August 31 at 8:00 p.m. ET

As the dog days of summer wind down and Labor Day approaches, Chef Emeril fires up the barbeque and heads into the Maryland countryside! Lagasse visits a local farmstead where he shows viewers how to prepare a smokin' end-of-summer meal in Grillin' with Emeril, premiering Monday, August 31 at 8:00 p.m. E/P. Join the community cookout as Chef Emeril presents his best grilling tips and techniques, and explores the resources required to bring food from the field to the table. Chef Emeril takes viewers on an in-depth tour of the farm and showcases:

�using community supported agriculture to create mouth-watering summer treats;

�how to grill fresh ingredients without losing important nutrients and flavor;

�utilizing garden herbs for savory drinks.

EMERIL GREEN CALIFORNIA SPECIAL AND ORIGINAL EPISODES (wt) (1x60 / 10x30) Premieres Monday, November 30 at 8:00 p.m. ET

Emeril Green California Specials (wt) will take viewers to one of the country's most progressive and dedicated organic and sustainable farming areas - Sonoma and Napa Valleys. At the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley, see a school leading the way with its commitment to local ingredients and sustainable farming practices. New students arrive each semester to study the art of food preparation, and wine education; with the land so rich in ingredients, they quickly come to realize the importance of knowing where their food has been grown. While the school may provide the canvas for these culinary artists in training, the local farms and food purveyors supply the materials. Follow a few students and teachers as they mix it up with Chef Emeril to create a local, seasonal menu from ingredients all from within a 150 miles radius. Beginning in October, Chef Emeril's tour of wine country will include:

�visiting a farm that uses solar power and biodiesel fuels for all its energy needs;

�learning more about sustainable fishing and water conservation practices;

�exploring the in's and out's of organic farms.

EMERIL GREEN VERMONT SPECIAL AND ORIGINAL EPISODES (wt) (1x60 / 10x30)

There's something very exciting happening in the small town of Hardwick, VT. It's a town of environmentally conscious young agricultural entrepreneurs who are trying to create a sustainable farming community. This eclectic group of ecopreneurs is working toward a common goal to adopt a unique, innovative approach to supporting sustainable agriculture and is doing so by using only entirely local resources. Join Chef Emeril as he explores the town and learns more about the people that inhabit this bucolic place in an original special premiering in 2010. Travel with Chef Emeril as he visits the following locales:

�a business dedicated to providing organic growers with certified organic seed;

�a 205 year-old family farm that makes freshly pressed cider;

�an award winning environmentally conscious brewery.

Emeril Green (airing Mondays at 8:00 p.m. E/P), hosted by Chef Emeril Lagasse, helps real people solve cooking problems by utilizing fresh and organic sources of food to promote a healthier lifestyle. Many of the meals prepared on the show support sustainable fare by choosing ingredients from local sources and fair trade options. Shot mainly on location at Whole Foods Market(R), Chef Emeril works with everyday cooks who have real culinary challenges.

About Planet Green:

Planet Green is the multi-platform media destination devoted to the environment. Launched on June 4, 2008, this brand with a mission is available in 57 million homes. Planet Green is the center for a new conversation, speaking to people who want to understand how humans impact the planet and how to live a more environmentally sustainable lifestyle. It's for people who truly want to make a difference in meeting the critical challenge of protecting our environment.

Planet Green and its two robust websites planetgreen.com and TreeHugger.com, offer unique, original, insightful, inspiring, and entertaining content related to how we can evolve to live a better, brighter future. Planet Green's unique programming, digital tools, and content will enlighten, empower and most certainly, entertain.

Planet Green is a division of Discovery Communications.