 Right now, green is cool. So cool
in fact, that being environmentally
“reckless” is decidedly uncool!
And the beauty of this trend is that
it’s crossing generational lines. Younger
celebrities are encouraging their fans
to “go hybrid” with the same passion
that their older counterparts are role
modeling for theirs. The reality is, the
world could be very, very different for
our children and grandchildren. This
is a sobering fact that’s not escaping
even the youngest, historically most
carefree demographic. They’re scared.
And they should be. If we don’t change
our lifestyles to be more cognizant of
the scientifically proven environmental
challenges we are facing, our future
will not be at all what we have been
expecting.
2006 was a year where we had two
mainstream feature length documentary
films in theatres, An Inconvenient Truth and Who Killed the Electric Car? You know
people are interested! Our wonderful
friend, Al Gore, has taken the collective
movie-going public by the shoulders and
jolted them to attention. Dean Devlin has
pointed his spotlight on the electric car
debate. I’ve gotten more calls from my
children’s “twenty-something” friends
desperate to ask how they can “DO
SOMETHING.” They get it. They want
to make a difference in what their future
looks like. This is a serious change
from several years ago when we (along
with all of the other environmental
organizations) were screaming about
all these same issues to much “deafer”
ears.
MTV had a series called Break the
Addiction about not only our addiction
to oil, but lifestyle changes in general.
HBO has aired several environmentally
based specials. Our 2006 nominees
(for the EMA Awards) were even more
plentiful and more impassioned.
Let’s talk about corporate responsibility!
Our credo of “changing the world
through shopping” is becoming a
reality. Our Corporate Advisory Board took a great leap this year with more
partners and a solid strategy. With
representatives from many of the most
influential companies in our country, we
come together with the common goal
of improving the bottom line through
aggressive “green” options for the
consumer. Cross marketing has become
an exciting opportunity for several of
these non-competing companies to
offer potential customers a complete
environmentally progressive package to
satisfy their needs. Meeting twice a
year with our Executive Board, we are
confirming that like-minded individuals
equal like-minded business plans.
As always, we visited many Executive
Producers of feature films and series
television, including My Name Is Earl,
The Office, Las Vegas and The Big Day,
and pitched storylines, character arcs,
beats, jokes, anything they would listen
to in order to motivate and educate.
Now for the third year, we also grabbed
production people and gave them the
guidelines and resources for the EMA
Green Seal.
This year, EMA handed out our 3rd
Annual EMA Green Seal Awards honoring
Production Teams for their efforts to be
more “green” behind-the-scenes as well
as EMA Green Seal Awards to Corporate
Offices of Studios, Agencies and other
entertainment industry companies who
have committed to being more “green”
within their everyday office activities.
These Awards further EMA’s mission to
increase environmental awareness and
to inspire environmentally conscious
habits on an individual level and within
the industry as a whole. It also serves
as an incentive for greater participation
in existing studio, production and
corporate guidelines.
To qualify for this Award, the process
includes completion of some or all of
EMA’s “Checklist” of “green” choices
such as: buying recycled content office
products; using Energy Star light bulbs
and equipment; recycling everything
possible; reducing waste and the use of
plastics; using less toxic set materials;
integrating alternatives to lauan; filling
up with ultra low sulfur diesel and
not allowing equipment and vehicles
to idle unnecessarily. These are some
of the actions that will make your
office or production a nominee. Related
community improvements or enhancing
the surrounding filming site counts
too. Simple to elaborate activities that
demonstrate a commitment to the
environment will all be considered.
The incredible and ever engaged EMA
Board continues to grow. And, this year
we’ve grown in some very interesting
directions. Capturing the coveted
young psyche, we welcome Lance Bass;
green talent managers from Mosaic
Management, Julie Darmody and Dave
Fleming; busy producer, Todd Garner;
our CAA corporate guru, Tera Hanks;
green builder/developer extraordinaire,
David Margulies; marketing wiz, Madelyn
Hammond; EMA Award winning
producer and “green” author, Elizabeth
Rogers; “Mr. X Games,” Frank Scura;
our country’s leading sports attorney
and green advocate Leigh Steinberg; our
new rep from The Hollywood Reporter,
Marc Sternberg; and continuing to
make Paramount Pictures green, Anita
Woerner. We’re so thrilled to have
them all!
BP America teamed up with EMA and
ABC 7/KABC-TV, to produce Public
Service Announcements (PSAs) to
raise teacher awareness about BP's A+
For Energy grant program. The PSAs,
featuring Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon and
Huell Howser, encourage teachers to
submit grant applications for energy
conscious projects in their classrooms.
The study of energy and energy
conservation can be incorporated
into all grade levels and subject areas,
including wind energy, renewable vs.
nonrenewable energy, heat and light,
electricity and magnetism.
Ready, set, buzz! That’s the way it was
at the “Green Power Family Hour”
on Sunday, May 7th at the Fairmont
Miramar Hotel in Santa Monica. We held
a “pre-Mother’s Day” event to celebrate
both the environment and teach tips
to everyone on how to keep a green
lifestyle. Who better to teach, than
the children of EMA Board members!
We created a very special game show
featuring 19 “contestants” and celebrity
hosts, Ed Begley Jr. and Jeffrey Tambor.
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts provided
the guests with reusable gift bags for
shopping at our Green Lifestyle Product
Stations which included: Begley's Best
(Ed's cleaning product), BP America,
Delicious Living magazine/New Hope
Natural Media, DeWitt Stern Group,
Earthbound Farm, Eaturna, FIJI Water,
Green Mountain Coffee Roasters,
Greenopia: The Urban Dweller's Guide
to Green Living, Horizon Organic, LUNA
Bar, Mike Sullivan's LAcarGUY Family of
Dealers, POM Wonderful, Shaklee, SILK,
Toyota Motor Sales USA, Inc., TransFair
USA, Whole Foods Market, and Zia
Natural Skincare. Guests were also
treated to a delicious organic menu
provided by BlackPearl Organic Seafood
and Sustainable Seafoods LLC, Bonterra
Vineyards, Coleman Natural Foods,
Newman’s Own Organics, Organic
Vinters, with beautiful flowers provided
by Organic Bouquet.
It was boys against girls in a race
to see who were the champions of
environmental factoids. Well, almost
boys against girls. The boys had the
assist of graduating senior and EMA
Futures Awards winner, Cody Horn. Of
course, the girls held their own with 17
year-old EMA Futures Award winner,
Cassidy Horn! Our contestants were:
Hayden Begley, Juliette & Jon Cornet,
Isabella & Max Damon, Francesca
Eastwood, George Eckelberry, James
Haggis, Audrey & Teddy King, Brianna
Lear, Arya Nabazian, Maia Scalia, LuLu
Shamberg, and Harrison & Nicholas
Sheinberg.
The questions included challenges like:
“By what age have millions of children
ingested up to 35% of their entire
lifetime dose of carcinogenic pesticides?”
(Answer – 5 years old). And some
common sense: “What type of bags
should you use at the supermarket?”
(Answer – canvas bags). We had a few
speed rounds: “How many gallons of
water does a toilet flush?” (Answer – 8
gallons). “How many gallons for a load
of laundry?” (Answer – 50 gallons!).
“What percentage of smog pollution in
America is caused by cars and trucks?”
(Answer – more than 50%). “How long
does it take for a 6-pack plastic holder
to biodegrade?” (Answer – 400 years).
You get the idea. Not only was this so
much fun for the 300 guests to watch,
but I hear from the parents that the kids
really boned up on their “E-knowledge”
the weekend before. Yes, we do give
homework at EMA!!
Record-setting crowds visited more
than 3,000 exhibits at this year's Natural
Products Expo West/SupplyExpo,
produced by New Hope Natural Media,
a division of Penton Media, Inc. The
nation's largest natural, organic and
healthy products trade show, held
March 23-26, exceeded past attendance
records and provided a forecast of the
top healthy food and lifestyle products
for an audience of retailer buyers, media
and industry members. Already one
of the top 100 largest trade shows in
the U.S., according to Tradeshow Week,
the Natural Products Expo West could
climb in the rankings this year, as more
than 43,000 industry attendees learned
about the newest products for healthseeking
consumers.
Actor/Activist/EMA Board member,
Daryl Hannah gave the keynote address
on Sunday morning. In front of a packed
house, Daryl was charming, insightful and
extremely knowledgeable about her own
sustainable lifestyle and the role it plays
as a public persona. A staunch supporter
of solar, bio-diesel and organics, Daryl is
the perfect spokesperson for healthy
food and lifestyle products.
Earlier in the conference, author of
Home Safe Home, Debra Lynn Dadd
moderated a panel on household toxins
with panelists, Ed Begley Jr., Daryl Hannah
and Debbie Levin. Debra “quizzed” the
panelists on their toxic “IQ.”
EMA and the Campaign for Safe
Cosmetics co-hosted a Hollywood
Forum on Safe Cosmetics to a packed
audience at the lovely Fairmont
Miramar Hotel in Santa Monica on
June 25th. Hosted by Amy Smart, the
gathering brought together concerned
entertainment industry makeup artists
and hairstylists to learn about the issue
of chemicals in cosmetics and personal
care products.
The Sunday afternoon forum began
with a panel of guest speakers followed
by questions and discussions. Guest
speakers from the scientific community
and personal care product industry
included: Jane Houlihan, Environmental
Working Group (ewg.org); Andrew
Jacobson, President, Hain Celestial
Group Personal Care (hain-celestial.
com); Janet Nudelman, The Breast
Cancer Fund (breastcancerfund.org);
Charlotte Ross, Health Care Without
Harm and Commonweal (commonweal.
org); and Tricia Sawyer, professional
make-up artist (triciasawyer.com).
During the discussion period, guests
described their own health issues relating
to their craft. They also talked about the
lack of safety awareness among their
peers and in the guild safety classes (e.g.
regarding exposure to and ventilation
of air brushing products), and the need
for more performance testing of safer
cosmetics that hold up well under hot
lights and other TV & Film conditions.
Our guests were not only informed
but motivated to take a closer look
at the issue, connect with concerned
peers and take action together. It is
our hope that this segment of the
entertainment industry will help increase
the demand for reformulations and the
overall use of less toxic cosmetic and
hair products. The Campaign for Safe
Cosmetics is a national coalition of
health and environmental groups. The
Campaign’s goal is protecting the health
of consumers and workers by requiring
the health & beauty industry to phase
out the use of harmful chemicals and
replace them with safer alternatives.
This year, longtime EMA supporter,
Henry Simmons hosted the A+ For
Energy Celebratory luncheon honoring
the winning California teachers. EMA
Board member, Amy Smart attended
for the second time, assisting with
the afternoon’s honors. The response
to the 2006 grant program had more
than 1,980 teachers receiving cash
grants of either $5,000 or $10,000,
benefiting 65,600 students. The program
was developed to meet the needs
of California teachers who want to
supplement their core curriculum with
energy education activities.
BP once again encouraged applicants to
think outside the box and the creative
submissions ranged from energy fun
camps, to lessons focusing on how
to create an energy-efficient home
and classroom. The A+ for Energy
applications were reviewed and selected
by an independent panel of California
state educational and environmental
non-governmental-organization leaders.
Both Henry and Amy were thrilled to
be a part of this wonderful program that
EMA has been integrally a part of since
its inception. The excitement in the room
from the teachers was so wonderful to
experience. Renewed confidence in the
future of our children’s education was
palpable within the passion in the room.
California government and community
leaders and BP representatives joined
Henry and Amy to help the teachers
celebrate.
Who says all Young Hollywood celebrities don’t care? Who says all
Young Hollywood celebrities just wanna
hit the clubs, gossip and shop? Well,
they do like to shop. So EMA decided to
give them a few tips on just how to…
well… shop… and other stuff.
Hosted by Mary-Kate Olsen and her
friend, Carlos Lopez, EMA held an
intimate dinner party for a few of
their friends. The evening’s purpose was
to introduce the guests to the very
manageable ways of living a sustainable
lifestyle. As our media seems to be
consumed with the images of these
very young talents, their every move is
documented in the pages of magazines
and on tabloid TV. It’s harder than ever
before to “be famous.” We, at EMA,
understand that the media can be used
to promote positive messages as well
as … let’s just say “the other kind of
messages.” Since role modeling a green
lifestyle is our message, these young
people are the perfect messengers.
If Mary-Kate and her sister, Ashley are
seen at a fashion event and they tell
reporters that their clothing is made of
organic cotton, their fans will rush to
the stores to emulate them. Just like if
Nicole Richie gets out of a Prius looking
fabulous, her fans will want a hybrid as
well. Celebrity friends joining host Mary-
Kate included: Nicole Richie, Mischa
Barton & Cisco Adler, Lance Bass, Joshua
Jackson, Brody Jenner, Maggie Kayne, and
Jesse Metcalf. Amy Smart represented
the EMA Board as the very young “elder
stateswoman” of the group. Superstar
stylist Rachel Zoe and her husband
Roger Burman attended as well. Rachel
completely understands how fashion
can contribute in an enormous way
to a change in visibility for non-toxic/
naturally processed sustainable fabrics.
EMA Board members acted as “mentors”
for this group in our informal dinner
roundtable dialogue. Along with Amy,
Ed Begley Jr., Hart Bochner, Soleil Moon
Frye & Jason Goldberg, Bill & Eve
Gerber, Kevin Reilly and Larry Winokur took the lead and gently spoke about
the urgency of changing our lifestyles.
That change, however, can be achieved
without sacrifice with the increase in
corporate responsibility that companies
are clearly embracing. The EMA
Corporate Advisory Board boasts many
of these important corporations that
are jumping at the chance to increase
their bottom line as they increase their
green practices and products. We look
forward to working collaboratively
with these amazing young people in
harnessing the power given to them to
motivate millions of fans to understand
that their daily actions can and will alter
the future they will live in. Teen Vogue covered the event for their December
issue featuring Mary-Kate and her sister
Ashley.
As always, your support for EMA allows
us to continue our work putting the
power of Hollywood to use on the
broad spectrum of crucial environmental
issues, helping us affect positive change.
Copyright © 2007 Environmental Media Association
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