Nothing is safe in its path, as a dark tornado plows through a rural.

Watch as National Geographic Television hitches a ride with Storm Chasers to see exactly what makes these storms so strong.

It begins this Sunday at 7p et/pt

From July's edition of The Green Guide:

As summer vacationers flock to the beaches to enjoy the sun, saltwater and sand between their toes, some disturbing facts linger: Each year an estimated 14 billion pounds of trash are dumped into the world's oceans. Plastics now make up 90 percent of all floating marine debris, and most of it originates from land.

Plastic bags, bottle caps, cigarette butts, food packaging and other waste ends up choking, poisoning or blocking the digestive tracts of sea birds, turtles and other marine animals who mistake it for food. Shrimp and fish ingest particle-sized plastic bits that resemble plankton. According to researchers at the Algalita Marine Research Foundation in Long Beach, California, there is some level of plastic in all of the seafood we eat.

Petroleum-based plastic contains suspected hormone-disrupting chemicals that leach out into substances it comes in contact with. It also absorbs toxics such as PCBs and pesticides, and can transport these chemicals via sea currents to shores where they are leached out again. And the problem isn't getting smaller: Algalita researchers are currently studying a "garbage patch" in the Pacific Ocean that is twice the size of Texas and growing by the minute.

So what can we do to help?

• Pick it up. If you walk or exercise outdoors and/or at the beach, bring a trash bag with you and pick up litter along the way. Streets and storm drains empty into rivers and streams that lead to our coasts, so every piece of litter counts.

• Avoid plastic disposables. For picnics, bring food and water in reusable containers and avoid plastic bags and wraps of all sorts, which blow away easily in the sea breeze. If you must use plastic disposables, see "Picnic Perfect Plastics" for suggestions.

• Volunteer for a Coastal Cleanup Day. International Coastal Cleanup Day is September 15, 2007. Find one in your area.

• Support responsible tourism. Cruise ships alone dump 90,000 tons of sewage and garbage into our oceans daily (see "Ecotravel").

• Get educated and involved. Check out these organizations for more information:
Algalita Marine Research Foundation
Surfrider Foundation
Ocean Conservancy,
Oceana
Greenpeace

Halawa Bay, Hawaii. Image by JupiterImages.

For more information check out this month's edition of the Green Guide

Jeff Darnell – Viewer Correspondence

Thank you to the folks who continue to write in to this blog and to our regular email: comments@natgeochannel.com. Summer is truly upon us here in Washington, DC as we ‘enjoy’ another day of 90+ degree weather. Sounds like a perfect chance to catch up on some questions that have come through the mail bag lately.

Carollann: I am very, very disappointed I cannot view your channel on my cable service (I used to be able to). I was always a faithful viewer of the program and my family and friends were, too. We have basic cable because we cannot afford to upgrade our cable service to $90 per month. I think it was very unfair for you to take the channel away from us.

NGC: That is very disappointing for you and for us. This issue comes up now and then as cable systems reconfigure their lineups. For many viewers, NGC can be found on basic cable and when our channel moves, that can be very frustrating. Our desire is to be available to as many viewers as we can, we would love to be on basic cable on every system. However, cable operators only have so much space and there are a lot of cable networks out there so we are put onto digital tiers in many markets. The best course of action here is to talk to your cable operator and express your interest in NGC or any other channel you would want- they very much value your opinion and want to know the channel preferences of their customers.

Stephen: I came across this website, ngcwild.com, is this from National Geographic?

NGC: NGC Wild is indeed an extension of National Geographic Channel – presenting some of our greatest clips from natural history, full length programs and content from partners like Wildlife Conservation Society and Wildcast.net (both coming soon). We are looking for more ideas, so please check out the website and let us know what you think. Click Here to preview NGC Wild

Liezel:I would just like to comment on your great show on the NG Channel!!! I have learned so much from all your researchers.. I particularly like to praise Dr. Brian Armstrong on his Dangerous Encounters Tv show and the Kratt Brothers on the Be the Creature show. I loved these 2 shows!! It gives so much insight to the animal world while keeping us informed about how much these animals may be close to extinction. Please give me sincerest regards and praise for Dr Armstrong who just made history for catching all species of crocodiles - congrats. Please keep up the good work...

I am content to spend my Friday night just watching these awesome shows!!!! Takes my mind off the current social conflicts we have.

NGC:We’re so happy you enjoyed those programs. We have more Dangerous Encounters in production that will come out starting this fall. We hope you enjoythose as much!

Thanks again from NGC and please keep the email coming (comments@natgeochannel.com) and/or the posts to this blog.

The greatest of Pharaoh Ramesses II's building projects, the astonishing temple at Abu Simbel. (simulation)

Engineering Egypt seeks to understand the hearts and minds of two ancient Egyptian Pharaohs and their quest for immortality through awe-inspiring building projects.

A special two hour premiere begins this Sunday at 9p et/pt.

Visit the site and watch a preview of the show before it premieres.

Excavation and analysis of ancient Egyptian tombs is no easy task, but Dr. Susan James goes above and beyond to search for Egypt's lost Queen, Nefertiti.

Ride along with National Geographic as the search for Egypt's Lost Queen continues this Monday at 9p et/pt

Nefertiti and the Lost Dynasty begins this Monday at 9p et/pt

Watch a Preview

Tim "X Eater" Janus and Sonya "Black Widow" Thomas compete in one of the many speed eating contests that happen every year.

Go behind the scenes and see how these colossal competitors are able to eat as much as they do during the premiere of Science of Speed Eating.

It begins this Sunday at 9p et/pt