Monthly Archives: September 2012

What’s Green About the 22nd Annual EMA Awards

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We strive to make our annual Awards as environmentally friendly and low impact as possible. This year we are re-committing to our ZERO WASTE vision with a robust program that includes recycling, composting and food donation. Most importantly, there are no trashcans!

This year’s Awards gala will have a recycling system with color coded bins for paper, plastic, foil, glass, and cardboard. Likewise, all food will be served on compostable bamboo plates using utensils made of cornstarch.

In an effort to minimize food waste, all leftover food will be donated to the Greater West Hollywood Food Coalition. Likewise, the chef stations will be serving food that when possible is local, sustainable, and organic.

In addition to zero waste, many celebrities in attendance will be wearing eco-friendly designs.

The Awards are sponsored by Toyota and Lexus who will transport presenters to the event in alternative fuel vehicles.

Watch the Awards LIVE right here on September 29 at ema-online.org or at Facebook.com/EMAOnline starting at 6pm PT.

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“Bein’ Green”: A Colorful Playlist for the 22nd Annual Environmental Media Awards

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Originally posted on Huffington Post by David Wild TV Writer; Contributing Editor, Rolling Stone; Co-Author, ‘Diary of a Player”‘

“I think the environment should be put in the category of our national security,” Robert Redford once said. “Defense of our resources is just as important as defense abroad. Otherwise what is there to defend?”

If you’re going to use the powerful and often dazzling spotlight that celebrity and mass media afford us today, what better place to put it than on the beautiful world around us, and on the best ways to keep it beautiful. This weekend, I’m honored to be a part of The Environmental Media Awards. The Environmental Media Association is a non-profit organization founded in 1989 by Lyn & Norman Lear and Cindy & Alan Horn that works with the entertainment industry to encourage green production and raise the public’s environmental awareness. Since 1991, The Environmental Media Awards have honored those who use the red hot glare of popular art to further this worthy cause. There will be a lot of big stars there — all of whom realize that we better make sure we can keep seeing the real stars in the sky. Go to http://www.ema-online.org to learn more and even become a part of this excellent orgranization.

That said, here’s my playlist for the 22nd Annual EMA Awards in honor of the power of popular art to remind us where we live and why we had better take good care of it. Some songs here were suggested by my green and off-green followers on Twitter at @wildaboutmusic. As always, please add your green favorite songs below.
BEIN’ GREEN – Kermit The Frog @MaryK61
NATURE’S WAY – Spirit
IDIOTEQUE – Radiohead
SHIP OF FOOLS – World Party
RAINBOW STEW – Merle Haggard
DON’T GO NEAR THE WATER – The Beach Boys
“Cuyahoga” REM @shipsandtrips
EARTH SONG – Michael Jackson @dustairo
MOTHER NATURE’S SON – The Beatles
SALTWATER – Julian Lennon
PARADISE – John Prine
POLLUTION – Bo Diddley
AFTER THE GOLD RUSH – Neil Young
TAKE ME TO THE RIVER – Al Green
CHANGE – Carrie Underwood @thistimebabyx
RUN STRAIGHT DOWN – Warren Zevon
GONE – Jack Johnson
WHERE DO THE CHILDREN PLAY – Cat Stevens
A CAMPFIRE SONG – 10,000 Maniacs @KarenSwanay
THROWING STONES – The Grateful Dead
GREEN – Edie Brickell @bill_keck
WHOSE GARDEN WAS THIS? – John Denver
AMERICAN IDIOT – Green Day
BURN ON – Randy Newman
AFTER THE GOLDRUSH – Neil Young
MERCY, MERCY ME (THE ECOLOGY) – Marvin Gaye
“We’ve Got to Do Something” by Aldous Snow and Infant Sorrow @DavidAYates
SAVE ME NOW – Jeff Lynne
IF A TREE FALLS – Bruce Cockburn
(NOTHING BUT) FLOWERS – Talking Heads

Continue reading →

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Toyota and Lexus Honor the Entertainment Industry’s Environmental Excellence at the 22nd Annual Environmental Media Awards

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Toyota and Lexus are once again celebrating the entertainment industry’s environmental efforts as the presenting sponsors of the Environmental Media Awards on Saturday, Sept. 29.  In its 22nd year, the annual event honors film and television productions that communicate environmental messages in creative and influential ways. This year marks Lexus and Toyota’s 11thyear as the presenting sponsors.

This year’s honorees include environmentalist and activist Kelly Meyer, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, actress Jessica Alba and actor Ian Somerhalder.  The nominees include films such as Big Miracle, Disneynature Chimpanzee and 21 Jump Street, and TV programs such as Harry’s Law, Happy Endings, Rizzoli & Isles, Real Time with Bill Maher and Dallas.

“More than a decade ago, Hollywood made driving a hybrid stylish and cool.  By embracing hybrid technology, the Hollywood community helped Toyota and Lexus reach significant volumes and create a positive impact.” said Bob Carter, senior vice president, automotive operations, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.  “We congratulate the nominees and special honorees, and we thank you for continuing to convey environmental messages and actions in creative and influential ways.”

The Toyota and Lexus line-up of hybrid vehicles will be featured at the ceremony at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, Calif.  Attendees will get a preview of the Toyota Avalon Hybrid before it goes on sale. The 2013 Lexus ES 300h and 2012 all-electric RAV4 EV will also be on display.   Sales of the RAV4 EV started this week in California and customers can visit http://www.toyota.com/rav4ev for more information on the only all-electric SUV on the market.

Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. is a member of the Environmental Media Association’s Corporate Board.

For more information on Toyota and Lexus environmental initiatives, please visit www.toyota.com/about/environment.

The Environmental Media Awards will be livestreamed at www.facebook.com/EMAOnline and www.ema-online.org.

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Will Don Cheadle’s Captain Planet Win EMA’s Digital Content Award?

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Originally posted on Tubefilter.com by By Sam Gutelle

For 22 years, the Environmental Media Association has handed out yearly awards to films and TV programs that manage to bring environmental issues forward as part of the central crux of the plot. Last year’s winners included the animated Yogi Bear film and a CSI episode about fracking. This year’s winners will be announced on Saturday. For the first time, environmentally conscious online videos will have their own category, where three very different videos will vie to take home the EMA Digital Content Award in partnership with TakePart TV.

The odds-on favorite has to be Funny or Die‘s ‘Don Cheadle is Captain Planet‘, which featured the esteemed actor as a twisted parody version of the much-beloved and green-friendly 90s cartoon character. We covered this video when it was supposed to be a series, but we haven’t seen anything from Cheadle and Funny or Die since. If you haven’t seen this video yet, it’s very funny and worth two minutes of your time. If the Digital Media Award aims to capture the cheeky nature of the Internet as it relates to environmental awareness, then ‘Captain Planet’ is the clear choice. When Captain Planet asks Planeteers to “turn off the faucet between usages and recycle those plastics, or else I’ll turn you into a fucking tree,” it perfectly encapsulates how online video can be both funny and issue-conscious.

That’s not to say that the other two nominated videos don’t have a chance of winning. Both are rap music videos, but their tones could not be any more different. The first is ‘Free Energy’, a video for a song by tree-hugging hip-hop collective The Luminaries and guest singer Aishah. The tune is catchy and the lyrics serve as an important reminder that thousands of patents have been censored by the US government. It’s serious music by serious musicians with a serious message, all brought together with an artsy black-and-white-video. Continue reading →

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We’re Livestreaming the Environmental Media Awards on Saturday! See Ian Somerhalder, Jessica Alba & Malin Akerman

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Originally posted on E! Online by Marc Malkin

Just call it greenstreaming!

That’s right, E! Online will be livestreaming this Saturday’s Environmental Media Awards from Hollywood.

Our red, er, green carpet coverage will be hosted by Catt Sadler and Marc Malkin (that’s me!), and we’ll be chatting with honorees like Jessica Alba and Vampire Diaries hunkster Ian Somerhalder as well as presenters Lance Bass, Julie Bowen, Olivia Munn, James Van Der Beek, Wilmer Valderrama and more.

And the good times don’t stop there. E! Online will also livestream the awards ceremony itself, hosted by Rock of Ages star Malin Akerman.

So power down your Prius, dim those energy-saving lightbulbs and pour yourself a nice big glass of organic wine and get ready for some real-time scoop (and probably a couple of tips to help save the earth, too).

E! Online’s EMA livestream kicks off on Saturday at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

Continue reading →

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ecoATM: Deposit Your Old Cell Phones & MP3 Players for Cash

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Want to fight e-waste and make some extra cash? Deposit your old mobile phones and MP3 players into an ecoATM kiosk and you’ll be rewarded with cash, store credit, or the option to donate all or part of that cash to your favorite charity.

ecoATM, the award-winning San Diego start-up known for its commitment to the environment, has designed a machine that can distinguish between 4,000 different types of electronic devices with 97.5% accuracy to give you the right amount of money for your electronics. ecoATM can also tell if a device has any sort of damage, like a cracked screen, to help determine how much it is worth.

“There are going to be millions of people buying the new iPhone 5. When they do, we want there to be an ecoATM nearby for them to cash in or recycle their old phones,” said Tom Tullie, chairman and chief executive officer of ecoATM. “We pay more on average than any of the mail-in options – up to $250 for some phones. That’s enough to pay for your new iPhone 5,” added Mr. Tullie.

Currently there are 150 ecoATMs installed around the country – the company is hoping to reach 300 by the end of the year.

What happens to your old iPod once it’s accepted by the ecoATM? Around 75% of the devices people deposit will go to a new owner and the rest will be recycled.

And how exactly does this all work? Watch the video below to find out! Continue reading →

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Oregon’s Film Industry is Going Green

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Oregon’s booming billion dollar film industry is home to feature films and commercial shoots as well as three prominent television shows – Portlandia, Grimm, and Leverage. The industry is now looking to go green and make an environmental impact as great as its economic one.

Oregon Film is informally working with the industry to encourage everything from recycling and composting to lowering energy use. According to Sustainable Business Oregon,  the Oregon Governor’s Office of Film & Television is also advocating for reduced transportation needs and sustainable building materials in set construction, among other green initiatives.

“If you take this industry above all others, it is really green — except that it’s very in and out,” said Oregon Film’s Jane Ridley. Ridley works with producers and studios to take green concepts from good ideas, to actual reality.

“They have to go the extra mile a bit,” to make the production green, said Ridley. Sometimes that means requisitioning used chairs for the office or working with props that have been used on other sets, and then donating them when work is over. Sometimes it’s more complicated – like getting an energy efficient power supply to some remote area of the state. Continue reading →

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