Last Thursday night, David Schwimmer and Al Gore made guest appearances on NBC’s new and acclaimed comedy “30 Rock” in an episode about environmentalism. In an arresting moment of small screen juxtaposition, a recent Nobel Prize winning politician appeared opposite a star from “Friends,” the comedy show that once dominated primetime. Environmental issues are evidently exempt from the rule of jest dictating that no problem is funny until it has been resolved and long moot (e.g. the War of 1812 can be funny; the War on Terror cannot). Although global climate change and the associated concerns are more worrying than ever, pop culture is ready to laugh. This levity, however, is no cause for concern. It is evidence that a new phenomenon is slowly seducing our society: America is listening eagerly to the siren song of the environment.

An issue with a sense of humor is rare, but the green movement’s newfound groove could ultimately prove to be pivotal. Tesla Motors provides a stellar example of how going green doesn’t mean going slow; the company’s entirely electric sports car has a body that a supermodel would envy while accelerating from 0 to 60 in four seconds. The roadster, still in the early stages of production, has been pre-ordered by a number of celebrities, including George Clooney and Michael ‘Flea’ Balzary of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Even beyond Silicon Valley, green is still the new black; the September issue of Vogue showed models posing in the latest runway fashion with windmills, solar panels, and the most of-the-moment handbag: the recyclable grocery tote.

At Stanford, our green track record isn’t perfect. The biodegradable disposable utensils that Tresidder Union advertised enthusiastically at the beginning of the year were nowhere to be found just recently as plastic utensils took their place. The chipper, bright-blue recycling bins in every dorm room become overflow trash cans. Professors sometimes provide single-sided handouts, perhaps because many of the older campus copiers, such as the ones in Green Library, make double-sided copying difficult or impossible. Even those who drive a Prius or at least a small sedan may forget that driving frequently in a fuel-efficient car is no better than driving rarely in a gas-guzzling SUV.

But environmentalism in 2007 is hotter than the Sahara will be in A.D. 2057, and in many ways, Stanford is indeed leading the charge. Our dorms have green councils offering to swap old light bulbs for compact fluorescent lamps. While the blue recycling bins may be occasionally abused, nearly every room has them. The new Environment and Energy Building, currently under construction, will be eco-friendly, and an environment-themed dorm is planned for the future. Even Tresidder Union has caught up with the composting trend that is now common in many non-University-run campus kitchens.

Perhaps both on and off campus, previously uninterested people will notice environmentalism’s new image as something funny, attractive, and worth inviting to the next cocktail party. While slapping some sex appeal on a concept is an old marketing strategy, even the staunchest opponents of such shallow tactics can be consoled by the impact this will have on converting apathetic individuals to caring about the environment. The issue has already become part of the cultural lexicon for some, and this influence will, one hopes, continue to spread. Stanford students and faculty are highly-educated individuals in an ecologically-conscious area of the country — if our selective subset still have yet to take the sustainability issue to heart, it suggests that the awareness is worse in less wealthy and educated parts of the country. If a new image for environmentalism makes the issues more accessible and more appealing, even old-school environmentalists must accept its positive effect on awareness.

Like the female protagonist in a makeover movie, the environmental movement has transformed itself before our eyes from gawky and sidelined to sleek and chic with all the right moves. Because climate change, pollution, species extinction and the other malaises of the current world are serious issues, environmentalism cannot always be sexy. There is nothing glamorous about last Wednesday’s oil spill in the San Francisco Bay. It will not be pretty for anyone who sees the political wrangling that will have to go on before Congress can seriously consider something like raising the gas tax. Even small individual efforts at helping might not feel so hot when biking instead of driving on a cold night leaves your nose cold and blue.

We’re past the days of considering environmentalism an exclusive issue of granola-crunchers from the Pacific Northwest. The planet’s problems affect everyone; so much the better if the concerns begin to appeal to everyone. So wave at Schwarzenegger as he drives by in his Tesla on his way to lobby the EPA to enforce the Clean Air Act. Know that you look just as good in green as anyone — try some on for yourself.