'Today' Anchor Vieira Loses Not-So-Eco-Friendly Super Bowl Bet

Maybe they should have added a few carbon credits to this Super Bowl bet.

NBC's "Today" co-anchor Meredith Vieira lost a bet to fellow co-anchor Matt Lauer for the New York Giants 17-14 win over the New England Patriots. But it wasn't exactly a carbon-neutral endeavor.

"[Y]ou know, let's check the traffic chopper, chopper four for Meredith - to see how traffic is over the West Side [of New York City] - and you can see, it's still clear," "Today" meteorologist Al Roker said on the February 4 show. "It's still clear, the traffic and in fact, it's perfect for planes flying overhead, ‘Giants Rule, Meredith drools.'"

A carbon-belching airplane with a banner attached saying "Giants Rule, Meredith drools" made a lap around New York City, which doesn't conform to the NBC "Today" green theme they have devoted a lot of attention to in recent weeks.

The January 22 episode of "Today" featured the show's personalities - Vieira, Lauer, Roker and Ann Curry carpooling to work, but only for one day and while complaining how lame it was. Other "Today" pro-green segments involved paying more for green products, crusading against paper and plastic grocery bags and praising a government mandate for compact fluorescent bulbs.