By Tom McGeveran

July 19, 2007 | 8:51 a.m.

The Discovery Channel recently announced plans to launch a 24-hour cable channel meant to ride the wave of interest in global warming and environmental issues.

Planet Green, Variety reported last night, will cover everything that's gone green in fashion, architecture, technology and food.

Anchoring the channel will be the series "Eco-Town," for which Leonardo DiCaprio is a producer, about the rebuilding of a Kansas town after a tornado--to exacting green specifications.

"You always hope to be an early adopter, and obviously there's a need this channel is addressing," Planet Green president and general manager Eileen O'Neill told Variety. "I think that, in terms of being relevant and impactful, the time is just right now."