Even though it’s not an individual person, The Price is Right has a higher level of celebrity status than plenty of the actual people in Hollywood. It even survived the departure of the beloved Bob Barker and the less-than-warm welcome fans gave to new host Drew Carey (hell hath no fury like a Price is Right fan who doesn’t like their host). After 53 year on television, the show has definite staying power and most American can identify it within seconds of hearing it’s retro-cheesy music or seeing a clip of games like Cliffhanger. It’s just not the first thing you think of when you think of green.

When it comes down to it, The Price is Right is all about getting new stuff; often unnecessary stuff, like a second dinette set for your dining room, and that just doesn’t fit the reduce component of eco-friendly living. Last week for Earth Day, however, the money-minded game show went green for the day.

Many of the products featured had an environmental-bent, like a recycled reusable coffee mug, solar-charger bags and low-flow faucets, and the famous-for-being-green Ed Begley Jr. made a couple appearances, speaking briefly about his electric car (before presenting one to be won). Even the trips won in the showcase were going to be carbon offset.

But while it was nice to see a little green education in an unlikely place, some of the elements of The Price Is Right’s green episode seemed to embrace cliches, like the models wearing woodstock-esque outfits. More disappointing, though, were some of the half-heartedly green products being promoted, like a hammock and a rather confusing wall-sized recycling cabinet.

Still, if more TV shows like The Price is Right could involve little green ideas and products in their programming (not just on Earth Day but year round), we’d likely see more Americans embracing the idea the going green doesn’t have to cost a lot or keep you from convenient shopping. Maybe carbon offsets would become commonplace for trips. Perhaps we’d all reach for green cleaners like Seventh Generation over conventional alternatives. And if The Price is Right is willing to help lead the way—even if it’s a rocky start—well, there’s nothing wrong with that.

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