IN THIS ISSUE: EMA Young Hollywood Board Supports School Garden Program, along with Yes To Carrots and Kellogg Garden Products! » CASAA Program at Venice High School » Skillet Chilaquiles » The Film and Entertainment Recycling Initiative » Hot, Rich and Green! » Jamie Oliver and TED » Get Green At An Early Age » Major Movie Studios Avoid a Load of Rubbish » Whole Children, Whole Planet Expo »           EMA Young Hollywood Board Supports School Garden Program, along with Yes To Carrots and Kellogg Garden Products! Since launching last year, EMA's School Gardens partnership with Yes To Carrots is thriving, with special thanks to Kellogg Garden Products who has generously donated soil, fertilizer, and amendment to each of our ten adopted schools, impacting the gardens in the most positive of ways. In a recent visit to Brooklyn Early Education Center, garden administrator Dwayne Sherman explained the difference in a tree's growth and vigor based on the type of soil used. And what a difference quality soil makes! One master gardener, overjoyed with the donation, said, "This means so much and is so very appreciated... totally amazing! Your support of our garden program says a whole lot about Kellogg." At another campus, the Kellogg's donation allowed the school to plant a bed solely dedicated to vegetables. And aptly put by the Westminster Elementary school garden manager, this "donation from Kellogg Garden Products... it's garden gold!" These contributions will not only sustain the gardens for another year, but also produce healthy and bountiful green spaces for the students to enjoy. EMA Young Hollywood Board members have been equally generous, visiting their adopted schools and mentoring young students. A huge thank you goes out to Nicole Richie, Amy Smart, Anna Getty, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Emily Van Camp, Olivia Wilde, Rosario Dawson and Carter Oosterhouse for taking time out of their very busy schedules to give excited students the opportunity to show off their gardens and the fruits of their labor. And the reception has been equally overwhelming from students and teachers alike! At Carson High School, students invited Emmanuelle Chriqui to plant trees with them, then after some hard work they proudly gave her a tour of the school's vegetable patch. Afterwards, Emmanuelle and guests were served an organic, healthy lunch using ingredients grown from the school garden. Rosario Dawson's visit to Westminster Elementary School was equally inspiring. Rosario spoke movingly about growing up on New York's Lower East Side where community gardens were a place for people to come together. She also talked about how important gardens are for young children. Venice High School students gave Olivia Wilde a tour of their garden and taught her the proper way to plant new seedlings with a little advice from Kellogg Garden Products Chief Sustainability Officer Kathy Kellogg. (Who better to help than a third generation gardening expert?!) And to Olivia's complete delight, the students happily picked a variety of greens for her to enjoy at home. With such a successful first year behind us, EMA looks forward to growing this program in the years ahead with the help of additional caring sponsors and committed young celebrity mentors. For more information about EMA's School Garden program or to make a donation towards a school garden, please go to our website www.ema-online.org. CASAA Program at Venice High School By Mary Sue Milliken At least 15 years ago, my business partner Susan Feniger and I were called upon by Venice High School in Los Angeles to help raise funds for a school garden program. Inspired by then Principal Bud Jacobs' enthusiasm, we raised a few thousand dollars and helped launch the project. Over the years, we lost touch, but over a decade later I moved into the neighborhood and kept driving by the beautiful garden at the school. Then as fate would have it, I was recently invited to tour the Venice High School garden and learn about their fledgling Culinary Arts and Sustainable Agriculture Academy (CASAA). Excited to be called upon by a new generation of students and teachers at Venice High, I was again inspired to help, this time securing a very generous donation of new kitchen equipment from KitchenAid. Now, as the original garden program evolves and combines with the new CASAA program, students passionate about food and the culinary arts are linking growing, harvesting, and cooking along with traditional subjects like science, math, and history--an integrated and absolutely fascinating way to learn and a real-world adventure. Currently, the CASAA students, led by program coordinator Tina Gruen, are gearing up for the Venice High School Earth Day Festival with over 20 booths, featuring information about local and organic food, composting, water use, recycling, farm worker's rights, climate change, and more. Meanwhile they are busy experimenting in the kitchen with everything from garden-fresh cauliflower tossed with penne pasta, red pepper, and walnut pesto to braised beet and goat cheese salads. As the program progresses, I look forward to introducing students to new ideas and recipes like this simple and delicious Skillet Chilaquiles. Perfect for fostering creativity in the kitchen, this dish combines eternal favorites chips and salsa with cheese, chiles, and avocado, becoming a vehicle for vegetables and herbs straight from the garden. Here are a few ideas: sautéed zucchini and/or zucchini blossoms roasted yams and caramelized onions roasted poblano chiles and red, yellow, and green bell peppers sautéed mixed mushrooms and fresh oregano or epazote sautéed greens, such as collard greens, red chard, and/or green chard grilled corn and black beans Skillet Chilaquiles Serves 4 1 cup tomato salsa 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth 1/2 cup half and half or heavy cream 2 cups of your favorite vegetable combination (see ideas above) 1 cup cooked, leftover chicken, shredded (optional) 6 to 8 cups corn tortilla chips 1 cup panela cheese (Cacique is a good brand), cut into 1/2-inch dice 1 ripe California avocado, halved, seeded, peeled, and cut into 1/2-inch dice 1/2 small red onion, finely diced 1 to 2 jalapeño or serrano chiles, stemmed, seeded if desired, and minced 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped 1 lime, cut into wedges, for serving 1/4 cup sour cream, for serving In a wide skillet, bring salsa, broth, and half and half or cream to a boil. Add vegetables, chicken if using, and tortilla chips, mixing gently to coat each chip while simmering. In 1 to 2 minutes, when some of the chips have moistened and begun to break up, but others are still holding their shape, add panela cheese. Continue stirring gently for another minute to distribute cheese evenly. Add avocado, onion, chiles, and cilantro and stir well to distribute. Cook for 1 minute, just to heat through, and then remove from stovetop and divide among 4 warmed plates. Top with a squeeze of lime and a dollop of sour cream and serve immediately. Copyright © 2010, Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger "Too Hot Tamales" Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger are Chef/Owners of Border Grill Santa Monica, Border Grill Las Vegas, and Ciudad restaurants, as well as the Border Grill Truck. For more information, go to www.marysueandsusan.com. The Film and Entertainment Recycling Initiative Over the past few years, while the Green movement has taken a stronger, more mainstream hold in the American psyche, Hollywood has also been working hard to do its part in becoming more environmentally aware. Studios are using solar panels for energy, green building materials are being used, sets and equipment are being reused and productions are buying credits to offset their CO2 emissions. These changes are a step in the right direction for the industry. But what happens when a production leaves the studio lot? What sort of green practices are they able to implement then? The first step for most American households and business in becoming a conscious, participating entity towards a sustainable future seems to be recycling. And yet, how many towns, counties and companies, even in places you would imagine are progressive enough to demand a recycling program, do not do it. Hundreds of thousands of pounds of materials that are 100% recyclable are still going straight into the landfills. The Film and Entertainment Recycling Initiative (FaERI) was created to help solve this problem. FaERI has a straightforward mission: to set a standard of environmental responsibility throughout the film industry by performing the simple act of recycling on the sets and in the offices of every movie and television production across North America. In order to accomplish this, FaERI has developed the position of the On-Set Recycler to be on set everyday, from call to camera wrap. FaERI was formed in November of 2007, and in the 28 months since then, has already recycled over forty thousand pounds! That translates to 20 tons of paper, cardboard, plastics, metals and glass that would be in thick black garbage bags, perfectly preserved for all of time in a landfill. FaERI currently charges a minimal fee to provide its services to productions. However, FaERI's goal is to support its operations through grants and the sale of annual memberships and donations. FaERI hopes that eventually, it will be able to earn enough from these sources to provide no cost recycling to all level productions and studios. Please visit the Film and Entertainment Recycling Initiative at faeri.org. Hot, Rich and Green! In Hot, Rich and Green!, Rebecca Harrell Tickell inspires women to realize their power, follow their passion, and start the eco-friendly business of their dreams. The lessons in this book come from Rebecca's personal experiences, as well as through one-on-one interviews with successful women, including EMA President Debbie Levin and longtime EMA Board member Amy Smart, who have thrived by following the simple formulas presented. With an authentic, positive message, Hot, Rich and Green! is a book about women, for women, by women. A motivational book for any budding environmentalist, Hot, Rich and Green! demonstrates how women can work to save the planet, while achieving monetary success and personal satisfaction. Hot, Rich and Green! highlights the true values that stem from running an eco-friendly business: helping your community, sustaining yourself financially, improving your quality of life, and ultimately saving our planet. For more information or to purchase the book, please go to: www.hotrichandgreen.com. Jamie Oliver and TED By Diane Hatz This year's TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) conference was deliciously full of sustainable food talk, from chef/Blue Hill restaurant owner Dan Barber's love affair with a fish to cancer researcher William Li's talk about which local, sustainable foods will help prevent cancer. But the highlight of the event, which ran February 9 – 13 in Long Beach and Palm Springs, was Jamie Oliver's TED prize speech and wish. Every year, the TED prize is awarded to an exceptional individual who receives $100,000 and "One Wish to Change the World". This year, Oliver's wish is "for your help to create a strong, sustainable movement to educate every child about food, inspire families to cook again and empower people everywhere to fight obesity." Oliver is known for his bestselling cookbooks, award-winning TV shows and for changing the school lunch program in Britain. He has now landed on American soil and is taking on the childhood obesity epidemic here, partly through his new ABC television show and partly through winning this year's TED prize. The plan is to "set up an organization to create a popular movement that will inspire people to change the way they eat. The movement will do this by establishing a network of community kitchens; launching a travelling food theater that will teach kids practical food and cooking skills in an entertaining way and provide basic training for parents and professionals; and bringing millions of people together through an online community to drive the fight against obesity. The grassroots movement must also challenge corporate America to support meaningful programs that will change the culture of junk food." Oliver also has the chance to help galvanize and give a strong national voice to the sustainable food movement that could reach far beyond his wish. For example, MIT and Columbia University's Earth Institute, as well as First Lady Michelle Obama, have taken on efforts to end childhood obesity. Johns Hopkins founded the Center for a Livable Future to look at interconnections among diet, food production, human health and the natural environment. EMA has launched a national school garden program to reconnect children with their food. And The Glynwood Institute for Sustainable Food and Farming supports leaders in the movement while also solving critical problems in this area. Together, all of us can realize Oliver's wish and create a healthy, sustainable food system for all. Begin by purchasing one item from a sustainable farm in your area, like milk or apples. Over time, add more healthy food. Or commit to spending as little as $10 a month on food from a local farmers market. Another option is to reduce your meat consumption like the folks at Meatless Monday suggest. These seemingly small efforts all add up to granting Oliver's wish to create a strong, sustainable food movement. So let's start today! To learn more about Oliver's prize, or to find out how you can get involved, please visit www.tedprize.org/jamie-oliver. Diane Hatz is Co-Founder & Director of The Glynwood Institute for Sustainable Food and Farming, www.glynwoodinstitute.org. GET GREEN AT AN EARLY AGE Teach your children well by starting their "green" education early. That's the guiding philosophy that led Lisa Keyser, a professional designer, to create the GREENZYS, a cute, fun-loving band of characters on a mission to protect and preserve the earth and all its creatures. Although she had never created a toy line before, Lisa has worked as a professional designer for the last 12 years. As founder of her own design firm, Moonreef, she has also had plenty of experience in designing high-end, exquisite, hand-painted works of art for the tile industry. She's also designed and licensed art for many different product categories. But when it came time to create a toy, motivation for the GREENZYS was sparked by the fact that she's a mother of two kids. And while she's certainly bought her share of toys for her kids, she was also concerned by the number of toys that ended up in the trash in only a few days. "For years, I've been buying trendy toys that last about five minutes," she says, so when I decided to create a toy, I wanted to do something that was socially valuable, as well as to create something that would engage kids for the long term." Combining Lisa's keen eye for design with her concerns as a mom, The GREENZYS have developed into the first literary-based children's property that is eco-friendly. The product line, which includes books, plush toys, animated content and an interactive website, encourages environmentally sound lifestyle practices while also entertaining young consumers. And by planting a real tree for every GREENZYS purchase, kids are also learning proactive steps for saving the world and insuring for a much greener future. It all starts with reaching out to kids at an early age and that's what makes the GREENZYS unique. "Going Green' is no longer a phrase used by adults and major corporations," says Karen Farmer, a children's book author and environmentalist. "It's important for parents to help kids shift through all the information to find real ways they can make a difference, even at a very tender age." The GREENZYS plush toys and book are made of eco-friendly materials and the GREENZYS website offers kids useful information, including tips on things they can do in their own home, schools and communities. In short, the GREENZYS encourage lifelong green habits which will be important for their future. "I'm always looking for a niche when I create something new," says Lisa. "Helping kids to understand the value of living green is extremely important to me. And what better way to teach them then to start at an early age with a product that encourages and reinforces those lifestyle practices." For more about GREENZYS and to purchase their books and toys, please go to: www.greenzys.com. MAJOR MOVIE STUDIOS AVOID A LOAD OF RUBBISH Commitment to recycling prevents 40 million pounds of trash from entering landfills in 2009 Los Angeles — The major movie studios collectively diverted more than 40 million pounds — or 66 percent — of their studio sets and other solid waste from landfills last year, according to the Solid Waste Task Force, a joint program of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). That's three percent more than they diverted from landfills last year, and 23 percent more than was diverted just 15 years ago. "This marks an all-time high for the studios in reusing and recycling," said MPAA President and Interim CEO Bob Pisano. "On the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, I want to commend the studios for their dedication to environmentally responsible practices and for their commitment to combating global climate change. Their enthusiasm for going green sets a great example for other businesses and for individuals everywhere." The studios' eco-friendly focus helps them recycle nearly everything these days — even the food leftover on employees' plates. The studios are putting a halt to food waste at their facilities. Food is one of the largest sources of waste in California, and it doesn't just end up clogging landfills. The food waste rotting in landfills adds dangerous levels of methane to the atmosphere. In order to lessen their ecological footprint, the studios began diverting their food waste to compost. The result is a lot less trash. The diversion converts materials headed for the trash bin into a rich soil. The following includes other highlights of the major film studios' environmentally friendly policies: Disney On Earth Day, April 22, 2009, The Walt Disney Studios launched its debut Disneynature film, "Earth." Partnering with The Nature Conservancy, the studio planted 2.7 million trees in the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest — one for every person who saw the film in its opening week. This Earth Day, the launch of Disneynature's feature film "Oceans" includes another partnership effort with The Nature Conservancy — The "See Oceans, Save Oceans" initiative. A portion of every ticket sold for opening week (April 22 to April 28) will help protect the coral reefs by establishing new marine protected areas in The Bahamas. Disney's motion picture production has seen a steady, significant reduction in the construction footprint on films over the past five years. Approximately 60 to 70 percent of set waste is reused, recycled, resold or donated. Also, the studio has progressed its on-site recycling efforts from a 55 percent average recycling rate to an 85 percent average, quickly progressing toward a zero set waste goal of 90 percent or better in less than one year. Several films, including "Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour," "Step Up 3D," "Secretariat" and "Disney's Alice in Wonderland," were shot digitally, saving over five million feet of film or the equivalent of 900 miles (the distance of 13 trips between The Walt Disney Studios and Disneyland). That's equal to 55 Disney employees not driving their cars for one year. Continuing to lead industry recycling efforts, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures helped create a process for movie theatres to recycle trailers and 3D glasses. In the first year, this has resulted in the recycling of more than 400 tons of material, which would have previously gone to landfills. The studio has also established an Environmental Steward role on live action films. A vital member of the production team, this role has helped spearhead recycling efforts (including office consumables, water bottles and set construction materials), reduce vehicle emissions, treat and process hazardous waste and drive awareness and participation in environmental efforts among cast and crew. Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment continues to lead industry-wide packaging reduction efforts that have reduced the amount of plastic and virgin paper used by 30 percent. Fox Fox continues to raise the bar for environmentally friendly film and TV production. "Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief" became the fourth Fox film to use the same sets and construction materials and disassembled them afterwards so that future productions could continue the trend. The production did not use a single plastic water bottle either on set or on location, and implemented innovations such as building elevated walkways in remote locations to keep cast and crew off of vegetation and bringing in transformers in order to use clean, hydroelectric power instead of diesel generators for power. Fox Television Studios has maintained its rigorous green policies in the breakdown of their shows and are proud to report that they have not sent anything to landfill since 2007. In accordance with the standards of the Fox Green Guide, FTVS utilizes video conferencing to cut down on air travel, views production cuts electronically instead of using single-use DVDs, establishes recycling stations around productions, distributes documents electronically instead of using paper documents, bans plastic water bottles on set and distributes reusable water containers. Last week, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation announced that it will construct a 158-watt DC solar photovoltaic system, in partnership with Solar Power, Inc. and Pacific Edison. The system, which will be mounted on the roof of Fox's Building 99, is expected to be completed this summer. This is the second major investment in solar energy announced by Fox's parent company News Corporation this month, part of the company's Global Energy Initiative. In honor of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day and the corresponding release of "Avatar" on DVD and Blu-Ray, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment and the Earth Day Network have pledged to plant one million trees across the globe by the end of 2010. Earth Day Network will collaborate with its international partners to plant one million trees in 15 different countries. The trees will be indigenous to their respective regions and will be cared for and nurtured to maturity, taking into consideration natural disasters such as fires and landslides during the planting process. Fans will be able to adopt one of the one million trees being planted and receive a virtual hometree, which they can locate on a map to see where it's actually planted. The Avatar Home Tree Initiative is just one of many ways that the film's compelling environmental message is being leveraged to engage an immense global audience in issues that concern threats to the earth and its precious natural resources. NBC Universal In 2009, NBC Universal hired an executive whose time is devoted solely to implementing best practices across all physical production, including feature films and television shows. Shannon Schaefer, who is based on the Universal lot, works with dozens of productions to implement, track, measure and improve on green practices as recommended in the studio's Green Is Universal Production Guides. Shannon also travels with productions to ensure green practices are being met, and she works with filmmakers to help find green vendors and implement best practices while they are on the road. The company's "Green Is Universal" Production Guides — available for industry-wide use — outline measures that productions can take to reduce, recycle and repurpose. Examples include limiting the use of individual plastic water bottles, implementing comprehensive recycling programs, reusing set materials and donating leftover food. Recently, the set of "It's Complicated," starring Meryl Streep, Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin, used biodiesel in its generators and vehicles, conducted on-set recycling, donated food daily to a local soup kitchen and donated sets for material reuse. The film's DVD, due out on April 27th, uses packaging with 20 percent less plastic and 100 percent recycled paper inserts. Among one of the more successful practices established at Universal is the use of "split" waste bins. These bins are designed to help cast, crew and others separate compostables from trash and recycling. They are available to productions and complement the existing food recycling programs on the Universal lot. They have proven to increase the amount of material that is composted and not sent to a landfill. In partnership with "Green Is Universal," NBCU's television production arms, Universal Media Studios (UMS) and Universal Cable Productions (UCP), have developed a series of best practices and educational materials that are being put to use on all productions. "The Green 17" are a baseline commitment to 17 green goals shows produced by UMS and UCP. The green goals cover key areas of environmental impact including recycling and repurposing, alternatives to higher VOC paints and toxic cleaners, paper use reduction and digitization and water bottle reduction. Many productions already go above and beyond the baseline goals, with shows like "Saturday Night Live" using sustainably sourced lumber, "Psych" and "Mercy" using rechargeable batteries for sound equipment and "Parenthood" composting their catering food waste. Paramount Paramount has completed the first phase of construction on its multi-phase chilled water plant. The chilled water plant offers an energy-efficient cooling solution for the studio lot, utilizing 50 percent less power than traditional HVAC systems. The system's sophisticated stage automation technology is the first of its kind at a studio facility and allows air conditioning to be controlled on specific individual zones within the stage sets, optimizing efficiency and reducing demand. The plant is already serving two soundstages. The interactive Paramount Green House exhibit, which was presented throughout July 2009, showcased eco-friendly initiatives and business practices throughout the company. Volunteer student docents from Environmental Charter High School guided employees and visitors through presentations that: highlighted on-lot paper consumption and detailed ways to save; demonstrated the PIX system, an online tool for distributing dailies and production documents electronically; showcased innovations to make office life greener, including sophisticated lighting controls, web-based meeting platforms and eco-friendly furniture; and more. In an effort to dramatically reduce single-use and five-gallon bottled water consumption on the studio lot, Paramount installed bottle-less water filtration systems across the property, including offices, conference rooms and The Dining Room. Orders of five-gallon water jugs have decreased by 80 percent, and the company reduced annual orders of individual water bottles by approximately 100,000 bottles. Sony Pictures Sustainability continues to be a focus for Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) with ongoing improvements on its studio lot, productions and supply chain in the past year. In addition to continued operation of solar energy panels on the roof of the Jimmy Stewart building, the studio opened two new office buildings constructed to LEED standards set by the U.S. Green Building Council. The studio made a commitment to become a zero waste company and launched a unique partnership with the City of Culver City to compost organic waste. The pilot program is off to a strong start with a successful diversion rate of more than 80 percent in December 2009. Sony Pictures provides Sustainability Best Practices guidelines and assigns a "green" point-person for each of its productions. The studio encourages sustainable practices from the outset of production, such as the sourcing of sustainably harvested wood during set construction, reuse of set materials through the studio's innovative set reuse program and using alternative fuel or hybrid vehicles when available. In an effort to reduce the waste of disposable water bottles, the studio provides reusable water bottles to each person working on a production. The studio takes local needs into consideration too. For example, in China, the studio's "Karate Kid" production provided reusable tea or water thermoses and chop sticks to the crew. Sony Pictures has also been working with A Million Trees LA as its "tree-planting" partner and is expanding these practices nationally and globally, with current productions such as Columbia's "Eat Pray Love" in Bali and Screen Gem's "Love Don't Let Me Down" in Nashville, Tennessee. Warner Bros. Entertainment Warner Bros.' Stage 23 received a LEED Gold rating by the U.S. Green Building Council, making it the first LEED-certified sound stage in the world. Completed in 2009, the stage incorporates a number of sustainable elements, including a 100-kilowatt solar electrical system; Forest Stewardship Council-certified lumber; Ice Bear cooling technology, which uses off-peak electricity for daytime cooling; recycled steel and metals; concrete foundations containing recycled fly ash; and energy efficient lighting. Additionally, the 1930s building that was previously on the stage's site was carefully deconstructed so that 92 percent of its materials were reused or recycled, diverting 1,890 tons of material from landfills. Building on Warner Bros. Entertainment's long-standing commitment to reduce the environmental footprints of its feature films, New Line Cinema's "Valentine's Day" implemented a number of sustainable practices during production. These initiatives included a first-of-its-kind "hybrid" base camp — which included solar-powered and biodiesel-fueled generators; reusable water bottles; use of clean-air vehicles, including for talent transportation; recycling and composting efforts; and use of biodegradable food ware. Additionally, a carbon calculator was used to measure the production's environmental footprint and inform future green production initiatives. Committed to increasing its usage of alternative fuel, Warner Bros. Studios installed two 1,000-gallon biodiesel tanks in its transportation department. "Valentine's Day" was the first Warner Bros. production to use this alternative fuel source; Warner Bros. Television also uses B-20 biodiesel fuel (a blend of 20 percent biodiesel and 80 percent diesel) in 50 of its trucks, which are deployed to all Los Angeles-based one-hour shows. Whole Children, Whole Planet Expo The Whole Children, Whole Planet Expo is taking place on Saturday, April 24, 2010 at the Highland Hall Waldorf School in Northridge, CA. Click here for more information about this free community event! 5979 W. 3rd Street Suite 204 Los Angeles, CA 90036 Phone: (323) 556-2790 Fax: (323) 556-2791 Can't see this email? Click here to view it online. » Click here to forward this email to a friend. » Click here to unsubscribe from future EMA emails. » © The Environmental Media Association (EMA), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.