Monday, January 19, 2009
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Friday, January 16, 2009
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Green TV online
One Greener TV is 24/7 sustainability television http://ping.fm/LNXrM Biodiesel, global warming, solar, & all FREE
Comment from our listener to discuss
Comment from listener that was received after show. Let's discuss.
Hi Shane,
I'm listening to the show. Here is a thought that intrigues me... isn't living in poverty, for all the hell it is, isn't it Green in itself? When one is living in poverty, one is not flying all over the world,one often doesn't have a car, and certainly can't consume as much, and often uses used items ect...
Aimee via email (not our guest on the show)
Shane: I think that is true, but they may also be consuming the least healthy cheap food and items produced which create more pollution. They consume less of the things that have the worst effect on the environment.
Add comments as you like.
Hi Shane,
I'm listening to the show. Here is a thought that intrigues me... isn't living in poverty, for all the hell it is, isn't it Green in itself? When one is living in poverty, one is not flying all over the world,one often doesn't have a car, and certainly can't consume as much, and often uses used items ect...
Aimee via email (not our guest on the show)
Shane: I think that is true, but they may also be consuming the least healthy cheap food and items produced which create more pollution. They consume less of the things that have the worst effect on the environment.
Add comments as you like.
January 14 Show Summary and Links
Seattle Based One Greener Radio Welcomes Experts to Discuss Urban Poverty and Green Issues
Community Activist, Ilene Harvey and Legal Advocate, Melissa Barnes from the City of Charleston join Aimee Allison from Green for All to discuss sustainability and community concerns.
Seattle, WA (PRWEB) January 9, 2009 -- How does "going green" meet the needs of those most in need? When is the appropriate time and how do we bring sustainability principles to disenfranchised groups? These and other challenging questions will be the focus on January 14th's show. Join us for a lively and engaging discussion. Marketing sustainability to the urban set. How to make green appealing to a 19 year old single mom with 4 kids?
Aimee Allison is the Media Project Manager for Green For All. Ms. Allison was an early advocate for green jobs as an Oakland city council candidate in 2006, a city that later created the first local Green Jobs Corps. As host and producer of KPFA radio's Morning Show, Aimee has discussed the green economy with top environmental and social justice leaders including Francis Lappe Moore and Winona LaDuke. She was honored by Helping Our Peninsula's Environment for providing the first San Francisco Bay Area news coverage of the aerial spraying of secret, untested pesticides on California communities. Aimee’s coverage led to the halt of the pesticide spraying in 2008. She was a featured speaker at the San Francisco Greenfest, Progressive Festival, and Craigslist Foundation. Aimee holds a BA and MA from Stanford University and lives in Oakland, CA.
Ilene Harvey has worked as an advocate for over 20 years for low income families, sexual assault/domestic violence victims and incarcerated youth. She founded a support group for women 17 years ago and still going strong. Harvey also established recycle and gardening programs to raise awareness in a hard to reach population. She is a graduate of Texas Tech University- Public Relations & Journalism. Harvey is currently practicing and encouraging others in the minority communities to think Green, and even gave green gifts to friends for the holidays - "to practice what I preach" as she heads the Transitional Housing Programs for the homeless and disabled for the Housing Authority of the City of Charleston.
Melissa Barnes developed women's and youth ministries, immunization drives and participated in service projects in the Philippines through nondenominational Churches of Christ in Georgia and North Carolina. She worked with an Early Intervention Program in Atlanta, GA bringing awareness of community resources to families with special needs children. In addition, Barnes created a Special Education Project geared towards fostering parental involvement in advocating rights of disabled children. Currently, she serves as Guardian Ad Litem for abused/neglected children, incarcerated and the disabled for Dorchester County, SC, is a Volunteer Attorney for Charleston Pro Bono Legal Services and is General Counsel for the Housing Authority of the City of Charleston.
Community Activist, Ilene Harvey and Legal Advocate, Melissa Barnes from the City of Charleston join Aimee Allison from Green for All to discuss sustainability and community concerns.
Seattle, WA (PRWEB) January 9, 2009 -- How does "going green" meet the needs of those most in need? When is the appropriate time and how do we bring sustainability principles to disenfranchised groups? These and other challenging questions will be the focus on January 14th's show. Join us for a lively and engaging discussion. Marketing sustainability to the urban set. How to make green appealing to a 19 year old single mom with 4 kids?
Aimee Allison is the Media Project Manager for Green For All. Ms. Allison was an early advocate for green jobs as an Oakland city council candidate in 2006, a city that later created the first local Green Jobs Corps. As host and producer of KPFA radio's Morning Show, Aimee has discussed the green economy with top environmental and social justice leaders including Francis Lappe Moore and Winona LaDuke. She was honored by Helping Our Peninsula's Environment for providing the first San Francisco Bay Area news coverage of the aerial spraying of secret, untested pesticides on California communities. Aimee’s coverage led to the halt of the pesticide spraying in 2008. She was a featured speaker at the San Francisco Greenfest, Progressive Festival, and Craigslist Foundation. Aimee holds a BA and MA from Stanford University and lives in Oakland, CA.
Ilene Harvey has worked as an advocate for over 20 years for low income families, sexual assault/domestic violence victims and incarcerated youth. She founded a support group for women 17 years ago and still going strong. Harvey also established recycle and gardening programs to raise awareness in a hard to reach population. She is a graduate of Texas Tech University- Public Relations & Journalism. Harvey is currently practicing and encouraging others in the minority communities to think Green, and even gave green gifts to friends for the holidays - "to practice what I preach" as she heads the Transitional Housing Programs for the homeless and disabled for the Housing Authority of the City of Charleston.
Melissa Barnes developed women's and youth ministries, immunization drives and participated in service projects in the Philippines through nondenominational Churches of Christ in Georgia and North Carolina. She worked with an Early Intervention Program in Atlanta, GA bringing awareness of community resources to families with special needs children. In addition, Barnes created a Special Education Project geared towards fostering parental involvement in advocating rights of disabled children. Currently, she serves as Guardian Ad Litem for abused/neglected children, incarcerated and the disabled for Dorchester County, SC, is a Volunteer Attorney for Charleston Pro Bono Legal Services and is General Counsel for the Housing Authority of the City of Charleston.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Green Behavior Shifts: Community level discussions
Small community group talks about greening and changing behavior:
For cleaning: do you use church volunteers or a cleaning service? Non-toxic cleaning supplies can be cheaper, and as effective, if you stay mostly with homemade supplies rather than the premium-price stuff from the local healthfood store. The premium priced stuff has its place, but it should be used only when something cheaper won't do. I use the premium "natural" dish detergent, but my all-purpose surface cleaner is white vinegar, with a squirt of dish detergent, in a spray bottle. My cleaning bible is Annie Berthold-Bond's "Better Basics for the Home". I don't have the hard numbers but I know it is doable. A cleaning service might be harder to deal with, just because they usually want to clean as many spaces as possible in as little time as possible, which means standardized products with a proven track record. However, you have a few things on your side:
1) the green products are getting cheaper (Clorox has gotten in the market, which will certainly bring prices down)
2) there is more of a demand for "green cleaning services" which again will bring prices down and quality up.
Example: one of the products Berthold-Bond had difficulty finding was "green" carpet shampoo to use rug cleaner. Last week, I saw some at a mainstream chain grocery store with the rental rug cleaners. There is also a social justice aspect to this: people who clean buildings (too often minorities, immigrants and women) are at even more of a danger from hazardous cleaning chemicals, due to the amount of their exposure. Could you negotiate with your social justice committee to cover some of the premium of a green cleaning service?
For paper, I would make sure you are reducing and reusing before I would think about paying for recycled paper. Let's face it, if someone is printing three single sided drafts of a 5-page paper, using new paper each time, have we really gained much by making them use 50% post-consumer recycled-content paper? Behavior changes may be harder, but they may save a lot more in the end than changing purchasing patterns (which I understand to be the ultimate goal of Green Sanctuary anyway). It will also make it easier to buy more expensive "green" products if you have to buy less of them.
As for the windows, I found this site through Grist.org, http://www.efficientwindows.org/index.cfm. And this column on dealing with inefficient windows that can't be replaced, http://www.grist.org/advice/ask/2006/11/08/inefficient_windows/index.html. And while I can't find it now, I did see an article that pointed out that energy efficient windows don't help much if the building is not decently insulated. I rent, so my experience with windows is mostly in trying to get landlords to clean them regularly. Again, insulation and caulking may be an easier sell, even if .
For cleaning: do you use church volunteers or a cleaning service? Non-toxic cleaning supplies can be cheaper, and as effective, if you stay mostly with homemade supplies rather than the premium-price stuff from the local healthfood store. The premium priced stuff has its place, but it should be used only when something cheaper won't do. I use the premium "natural" dish detergent, but my all-purpose surface cleaner is white vinegar, with a squirt of dish detergent, in a spray bottle. My cleaning bible is Annie Berthold-Bond's "Better Basics for the Home". I don't have the hard numbers but I know it is doable. A cleaning service might be harder to deal with, just because they usually want to clean as many spaces as possible in as little time as possible, which means standardized products with a proven track record. However, you have a few things on your side:
1) the green products are getting cheaper (Clorox has gotten in the market, which will certainly bring prices down)
2) there is more of a demand for "green cleaning services" which again will bring prices down and quality up.
Example: one of the products Berthold-Bond had difficulty finding was "green" carpet shampoo to use rug cleaner. Last week, I saw some at a mainstream chain grocery store with the rental rug cleaners. There is also a social justice aspect to this: people who clean buildings (too often minorities, immigrants and women) are at even more of a danger from hazardous cleaning chemicals, due to the amount of their exposure. Could you negotiate with your social justice committee to cover some of the premium of a green cleaning service?
For paper, I would make sure you are reducing and reusing before I would think about paying for recycled paper. Let's face it, if someone is printing three single sided drafts of a 5-page paper, using new paper each time, have we really gained much by making them use 50% post-consumer recycled-content paper? Behavior changes may be harder, but they may save a lot more in the end than changing purchasing patterns (which I understand to be the ultimate goal of Green Sanctuary anyway). It will also make it easier to buy more expensive "green" products if you have to buy less of them.
As for the windows, I found this site through Grist.org, http://www.efficientwindows.org/index.cfm. And this column on dealing with inefficient windows that can't be replaced, http://www.grist.org/advice/ask/2006/11/08/inefficient_windows/index.html. And while I can't find it now, I did see an article that pointed out that energy efficient windows don't help much if the building is not decently insulated. I rent, so my experience with windows is mostly in trying to get landlords to clean them regularly. Again, insulation and caulking may be an easier sell, even if .
Friday, January 9, 2009
One Greener Radio Welcomes Experts to Discuss Poverty and Green Issues
Jan 14th Show Topic: Community Activist, Ilene Harvey and Legal Advocate, Melissa Barnes from the City of Charleston join Aimee Allison to discuss sustainability and community concerns.
Seattle, WA (PRWEB) January 9, 2009 -- How does "going green" meet the needs of those most in need? When is the appropriate time and how do we bring sustainability principles to disenfranchised groups? These and other challenging questions will be the focus on January 14th's show. Join us for a lively and engaging discussion. Marketing sustainability to the urban set. How to make green appealing to a 19 year old single mom with 4 kids?
One Greener Radio airs live on Wednesdays at 10 AM Pacific / 12 Noon Central / 1 PM Eastern on The Green Talk Network. To access the show, log on at http://www.modavox.com/green. All shows will be available in Shane Snipes' Content Library on The Green Talk Network for on-demand and podcast download. The Green Talk Channel on VoiceAmerica and World Talk Radio Networks generate over 2 million unique visitors through their established network of online listeners.
Aimee Allison is the Media Project Manager for Green For All. Ms. Allison was an early advocate for green jobs as an Oakland city council candidate in 2006, a city that later created the first local Green Jobs Corps. As host and producer of KPFA radio's Morning Show, Aimee has discussed the green economy with top environmental and social justice leaders including Francis Lappe Moore and Winona LaDuke. She was honored by Helping Our Peninsula's Environment for providing the first San Francisco Bay Area news coverage of the aerial spraying of secret, untested pesticides on California communities. Aimee’s coverage led to the halt of the pesticide spraying in 2008. She was a featured speaker at the San Francisco Greenfest, Progressive Festival, and Craigslist Foundation. Aimee holds a BA and MA from Stanford University and lives in Oakland, CA.
Ilene Harvey has worked as an advocate for over 20 years for low income families, sexual assault/domestic violence victims and incarcerated youth. She founded a support group for women 17 years ago and still going strong. Harvey also established recycle and gardening programs to raise awareness in a hard to reach population. She is a graduate of Texas Tech University- Public Relations & Journalism. Harvey is currently practicing and encouraging others in the minority communities to think Green, and even gave green gifts to friends for the holidays - "to practice what I preach" as she heads the Transitional Housing Programs for the homeless and disabled for the Housing Authority of the City of Charleston.
Melissa Barnes developed women's and youth ministries, immunization drives and participated in service projects in the Philippines through nondenominational Churches of Christ in Georgia and North Carolina. She worked with an Early Intervention Program in Atlanta, GA bringing awareness of community resources to families with special needs children. In addition, Barnes created a Special Education Project geared towards fostering parental involvement in advocating rights of disabled children. Currently, she serves as Guardian Ad Litem for abused/neglected children, incarcerated and the disabled for Dorchester County, SC, is a Volunteer Attorney for Charleston Pro Bono Legal Services and is General Counsel for the Housing Authority of the City of Charleston.
One Greener Radio will focus on sustainability with lighthearted and enjoyable conversations. A goal will be to hear stories of change in communities.
Entertainment professionals play such an important role in getting the message out to about social change. We will see how each guest's projects expand the awareness of the ecology, ethics and economics. The talks will not be tech heavy, but will highlight lifestyle choices and simple ways to grow greener. We will talk about their work and current events, which relate to the issues important to our guests.
One Greener Radio is hosted by Shane Snipes, a media and sustainability specialist. He has worked for more than 16 years in the sustainability, environmental and social change arenas. His recent clients include Microsoft, Nordstrom, and Intel to name a few. He has interviewed dozens of celebrities, corporate executives, and experts at festivals, fundraisers, special events, and casual settings. Some of his interviews include Al Pacino, Virginia Madsen, Susan Sarandon, Harvey Keitel and dozens more.
For additional information on One Greener, contact Shane Snipes at shane @ onegreener.com or visit http://www.onegreener.com . One Greener provides news and research into the the merging of technology and sustainability.
Contact Executive Producer Dave Kredell at 480-294-6409 for advertising / sponsorship information or other show details.
About One Greener:
One Greener is a marketing and training firm based in Seattle and Southern California with clients across the USA and Sweden. The firm specializes in green strategic planning using ISO 14001, LEED, Cradle to Cradle and the Natural Step methodologies. http://onegreener.com
About Green For All
Green For All is a national organization dedicated to building an inclusive green economy strong enough to lift people out of poverty. By advocating for local, state and federal commitment to job creation, job training, and entrepreneurial opportunities in the emerging green economy – especially for people from disadvantaged communities – Green For All fights both poverty and pollution at the same time. http://greenforall.org
About VoiceAmerica / Modavox:
(OTC.BB MDVX), Modavox is the leading producer and distributor of online talk radio content, streaming approximately 250 hours of live programs and scheduled replays weekly on its Modavox VoiceAmerica™ Network (http://www.voiceamerica.com ). Modavox, Inc. (http://www.modavox.com ) is a pioneer in internet broadcasting, producing and syndicating online audio and video, and offering innovative, effective and comprehensive online tools for reaching targeted niche communities worldwide. Through its patented Modavox Central™ technology, Modavox "takes the search out of search," delivering content straight to desktops and internet-enabled devices. Through its proprietary StreamSafe™, WebcastWizard™ and Stream Syndicate™ tools, Modavox provides managed access for live and on-demand internet broadcasting and syndication, content management, online meetings, event management, enterprise communications and distance learning.
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Seattle, WA (PRWEB) January 9, 2009 -- How does "going green" meet the needs of those most in need? When is the appropriate time and how do we bring sustainability principles to disenfranchised groups? These and other challenging questions will be the focus on January 14th's show. Join us for a lively and engaging discussion. Marketing sustainability to the urban set. How to make green appealing to a 19 year old single mom with 4 kids?
One Greener Radio airs live on Wednesdays at 10 AM Pacific / 12 Noon Central / 1 PM Eastern on The Green Talk Network. To access the show, log on at http://www.modavox.com/green. All shows will be available in Shane Snipes' Content Library on The Green Talk Network for on-demand and podcast download. The Green Talk Channel on VoiceAmerica and World Talk Radio Networks generate over 2 million unique visitors through their established network of online listeners.
Aimee Allison is the Media Project Manager for Green For All. Ms. Allison was an early advocate for green jobs as an Oakland city council candidate in 2006, a city that later created the first local Green Jobs Corps. As host and producer of KPFA radio's Morning Show, Aimee has discussed the green economy with top environmental and social justice leaders including Francis Lappe Moore and Winona LaDuke. She was honored by Helping Our Peninsula's Environment for providing the first San Francisco Bay Area news coverage of the aerial spraying of secret, untested pesticides on California communities. Aimee’s coverage led to the halt of the pesticide spraying in 2008. She was a featured speaker at the San Francisco Greenfest, Progressive Festival, and Craigslist Foundation. Aimee holds a BA and MA from Stanford University and lives in Oakland, CA.
Ilene Harvey has worked as an advocate for over 20 years for low income families, sexual assault/domestic violence victims and incarcerated youth. She founded a support group for women 17 years ago and still going strong. Harvey also established recycle and gardening programs to raise awareness in a hard to reach population. She is a graduate of Texas Tech University- Public Relations & Journalism. Harvey is currently practicing and encouraging others in the minority communities to think Green, and even gave green gifts to friends for the holidays - "to practice what I preach" as she heads the Transitional Housing Programs for the homeless and disabled for the Housing Authority of the City of Charleston.
Melissa Barnes developed women's and youth ministries, immunization drives and participated in service projects in the Philippines through nondenominational Churches of Christ in Georgia and North Carolina. She worked with an Early Intervention Program in Atlanta, GA bringing awareness of community resources to families with special needs children. In addition, Barnes created a Special Education Project geared towards fostering parental involvement in advocating rights of disabled children. Currently, she serves as Guardian Ad Litem for abused/neglected children, incarcerated and the disabled for Dorchester County, SC, is a Volunteer Attorney for Charleston Pro Bono Legal Services and is General Counsel for the Housing Authority of the City of Charleston.
One Greener Radio will focus on sustainability with lighthearted and enjoyable conversations. A goal will be to hear stories of change in communities.
Entertainment professionals play such an important role in getting the message out to about social change. We will see how each guest's projects expand the awareness of the ecology, ethics and economics. The talks will not be tech heavy, but will highlight lifestyle choices and simple ways to grow greener. We will talk about their work and current events, which relate to the issues important to our guests.
One Greener Radio is hosted by Shane Snipes, a media and sustainability specialist. He has worked for more than 16 years in the sustainability, environmental and social change arenas. His recent clients include Microsoft, Nordstrom, and Intel to name a few. He has interviewed dozens of celebrities, corporate executives, and experts at festivals, fundraisers, special events, and casual settings. Some of his interviews include Al Pacino, Virginia Madsen, Susan Sarandon, Harvey Keitel and dozens more.
For additional information on One Greener, contact Shane Snipes at shane @ onegreener.com
Contact Executive Producer Dave Kredell at 480-294-6409 for advertising / sponsorship information or other show details.
About One Greener:
One Greener is a marketing and training firm based in Seattle and Southern California with clients across the USA and Sweden. The firm specializes in green strategic planning using ISO 14001, LEED, Cradle to Cradle and the Natural Step methodologies. http://onegreener.com
About Green For All
Green For All is a national organization dedicated to building an inclusive green economy strong enough to lift people out of poverty. By advocating for local, state and federal commitment to job creation, job training, and entrepreneurial opportunities in the emerging green economy – especially for people from disadvantaged communities – Green For All fights both poverty and pollution at the same time. http://greenforall.org
About VoiceAmerica / Modavox:
(OTC.BB
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Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Solar education block just started; check it out: Sustainability/Environmental Online TV http://ping.fm/waXkU
How Green is Hollywood?
By Daniel B. Wood
LOS ANGELES--America's dream factory is out to put its reputation for waste in the can.
With a huge carbon footprint, and possibly more influence than any other industry, big TV networks and movie studios are partnering with major environmental organizations to go green. A growing list of behaviors once cutting-edge such as recycling, composting, and using wind, solar, and alternative fuels have become commonplace in Hollywood.
Not just season shows but high-profile awards events -- such as the coming Golden Globes on Jan. 11 and the Oscars in February -- are increasingly incorporating green ideas. These include red carpets made of old plastic bottles, chalkboards for signage, electric generators powered by soy waste biodiesel fuel, and party tents lit by solar panels. Gift bags at award shows now often include items such as low-energy light bulbs.
Such practices seemed faddish just a few years ago, but gained currency with the 2006 release of Al Gore's Oscar-winning film on global warming, "An Inconvenient Truth."
By using more renewable energy, the 2008 Oscars avoided an estimated 630 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions.
"A year ago these practices were fad driven and everyone was just talking, ‘How do we do it, how do we go green?' " says Charisse McAuliffe, founder and CEO of Gen Green, a Colorado-based company which helps promote environmentally conscious lifestyles.
"This year a lot more companies have implemented what they were talking about last year. They are in execution mode. I think Hollywood gets it, and they understand their power that they can help others to get it."
Green practices becoming the norm
More productions are including serious environmental goals in their mission statements. Fox Broadcasting Company adopted the slogan, "Green it. Mean it," with the goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2010.
The company has taken the lead in greening large special events. It reduced the power needs for lighting at the 2007 Emmys by 75 percent, using low-wattage LED and fluorescent lighting in the press tent and solar panels to drive air conditioning. It also turned the 2008 American Idol Finale into a zero-waste event by composting organic materials and recycling bottles, cans, metals, and cardboard.
Fox has now created a comprehensive online handbook on environmentally conscious productions and events, which includes a worldwide "green" vendor guide.
"This cross-fertilization of ideas is very important at this early stage," says Sasha Mervyn, director of development for Laura Ziskin Productions. She was asked to head the greening of the Oscars two years ago and recalls that she pretty much had to "start from scratch."
The growing list of environmentally friendly practices shows that the town is doing more than just talking about responsibility, say observers.
"Hollywood is taking great effort to go green," says Zahava Stroud, president and cofounder of iHollywood Forum, which organized an environmental conference this month for networks and movie producers. The impetus, he adds, is "coming from the top CEOs down."
Ninety-five percent of the new green practices are not noticed by viewers and audiences, says Allen Hershkowitz, senior scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and ecological adviser to ABC, Sony, Warner, Capitol Records, and others. "The reduced ecological impact happens at the raw material acquisition stage and in processing, refining and transportation stages," he says.
What may have an impact, however, is when announcers mention the activities on camera - such as Leonardo DiCaprio and Al Gore did at the 79th Oscar telecast in 2007.
"Hollywood is among the most culturally influential institutions on the planet so the impact is twofold," says Mr. Hershkowitz. "One [impact] is the amount of energy and waste saved, the other is the message it sends to consumers and other industries."
New techniques
Key individuals have made a difference in the Hollywood greening movement. Oscar-winning director Peter Jackson broke new ground when he used videoconferencing while filming the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy in New Zealand. It enabled him to remain in a central location while filming all three installments simultaneously. By plugging off-location cameras into the conference system, Jackson could make changes in lighting and camera angles from afar, saving air-travel emissions.
Jackson's techniques are now must-haves used by other industry leaders from Lucas Film to Disney and Bad Robot Productions.
Hurdles remain for Hollywood's new green agenda. Besides habit, there are technical and economic challenges, not to mention unfamiliarity with new products, materials, and processes.
But more and more studios have assigned "green gurus" known as EVPs or VP of environment, says Meredith Bergmann, spokeswoman for Green Media Solutions, a company that brings together environmental experts and production consultants.
What is helping drive each new advance is the realization that money can be saved, she says.
"If you reduce the number of cases of bottled water bought, reduce the number of locations, use less gas by renting hybrid vehicles, reduce the ... charter flights, you will save money," says Ms. Bergmann. "It is getting more attention now that we see how costly - both economically and healthwise - neglecting the environment can become."
LOS ANGELES--America's dream factory is out to put its reputation for waste in the can.
With a huge carbon footprint, and possibly more influence than any other industry, big TV networks and movie studios are partnering with major environmental organizations to go green. A growing list of behaviors once cutting-edge such as recycling, composting, and using wind, solar, and alternative fuels have become commonplace in Hollywood.
Not just season shows but high-profile awards events -- such as the coming Golden Globes on Jan. 11 and the Oscars in February -- are increasingly incorporating green ideas. These include red carpets made of old plastic bottles, chalkboards for signage, electric generators powered by soy waste biodiesel fuel, and party tents lit by solar panels. Gift bags at award shows now often include items such as low-energy light bulbs.
Such practices seemed faddish just a few years ago, but gained currency with the 2006 release of Al Gore's Oscar-winning film on global warming, "An Inconvenient Truth."
By using more renewable energy, the 2008 Oscars avoided an estimated 630 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions.
"A year ago these practices were fad driven and everyone was just talking, ‘How do we do it, how do we go green?' " says Charisse McAuliffe, founder and CEO of Gen Green, a Colorado-based company which helps promote environmentally conscious lifestyles.
"This year a lot more companies have implemented what they were talking about last year. They are in execution mode. I think Hollywood gets it, and they understand their power that they can help others to get it."
Green practices becoming the norm
More productions are including serious environmental goals in their mission statements. Fox Broadcasting Company adopted the slogan, "Green it. Mean it," with the goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2010.
The company has taken the lead in greening large special events. It reduced the power needs for lighting at the 2007 Emmys by 75 percent, using low-wattage LED and fluorescent lighting in the press tent and solar panels to drive air conditioning. It also turned the 2008 American Idol Finale into a zero-waste event by composting organic materials and recycling bottles, cans, metals, and cardboard.
Fox has now created a comprehensive online handbook on environmentally conscious productions and events, which includes a worldwide "green" vendor guide.
"This cross-fertilization of ideas is very important at this early stage," says Sasha Mervyn, director of development for Laura Ziskin Productions. She was asked to head the greening of the Oscars two years ago and recalls that she pretty much had to "start from scratch."
The growing list of environmentally friendly practices shows that the town is doing more than just talking about responsibility, say observers.
"Hollywood is taking great effort to go green," says Zahava Stroud, president and cofounder of iHollywood Forum, which organized an environmental conference this month for networks and movie producers. The impetus, he adds, is "coming from the top CEOs down."
Ninety-five percent of the new green practices are not noticed by viewers and audiences, says Allen Hershkowitz, senior scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and ecological adviser to ABC, Sony, Warner, Capitol Records, and others. "The reduced ecological impact happens at the raw material acquisition stage and in processing, refining and transportation stages," he says.
What may have an impact, however, is when announcers mention the activities on camera - such as Leonardo DiCaprio and Al Gore did at the 79th Oscar telecast in 2007.
"Hollywood is among the most culturally influential institutions on the planet so the impact is twofold," says Mr. Hershkowitz. "One [impact] is the amount of energy and waste saved, the other is the message it sends to consumers and other industries."
New techniques
Key individuals have made a difference in the Hollywood greening movement. Oscar-winning director Peter Jackson broke new ground when he used videoconferencing while filming the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy in New Zealand. It enabled him to remain in a central location while filming all three installments simultaneously. By plugging off-location cameras into the conference system, Jackson could make changes in lighting and camera angles from afar, saving air-travel emissions.
Jackson's techniques are now must-haves used by other industry leaders from Lucas Film to Disney and Bad Robot Productions.
Hurdles remain for Hollywood's new green agenda. Besides habit, there are technical and economic challenges, not to mention unfamiliarity with new products, materials, and processes.
But more and more studios have assigned "green gurus" known as EVPs or VP of environment, says Meredith Bergmann, spokeswoman for Green Media Solutions, a company that brings together environmental experts and production consultants.
What is helping drive each new advance is the realization that money can be saved, she says.
"If you reduce the number of cases of bottled water bought, reduce the number of locations, use less gas by renting hybrid vehicles, reduce the ... charter flights, you will save money," says Ms. Bergmann. "It is getting more attention now that we see how costly - both economically and healthwise - neglecting the environment can become."
Monday, January 5, 2009
Friday, January 2, 2009
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