The 83rd Academy Awards kick off tomorrow evening — and we’re happy to report that, although not well publicized, there are some sustainability initiatives being put into action on Hollywood’s biggest night.
Once again, the NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is assisting the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in reducing the carbon footprint of the event. It’s irksome, however, that unlike 2007 and 2008, detailed information about the efforts has fallen by the wayside. It’s great to think that it’s all just business as usual now, but I’d love to still see a bit more promotion from the NRDC side of things. But I digress…
Here’s how the 2011 Oscars are going green:
- Just like the 2011 Grammy Awards, the Oscars’ red carpet will be made from recycled water bottles.
- All food served will be local and organic.
- The event will be powered by 100% renewable energy. In 2008, the NRDC did something similar with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power using renewable wind power. Back then, it saved almost 630 metric tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere.
- All food will be served on reusable china and glassware.
- All silverware will be compostable — and all organic waste will be composted. Presumably this will function like in 2008 when compost bins “were placed throughout the area, including at catering and craft services locations, accompanied by picture-based designs explaining proper disposal.”
- All glass, plastic, and aluminum will be recycled.
Efforts to improve the green cred of the Oscars date back to 2007 when Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” was nominated (and later won) for Best Documentary. Allen Hershkowitz, senior scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council, has since been working with the Academy on this — and other awards programs (like the Grammys).
“Will this by itself save the world? No,” Hershkowitz told the LA Times earlier this month. ”Every day we’re pumping 90 million tons of global warming emissions into the atmosphere. Those emissions are coming from millions of sources. It’s not one single source that we can reform to get us out of this mess. We need millions of environmentally intelligent decisions, and that’s what this effort is.”
via LA Times
About Michael dEstries
Michael has been blogging since 2005 on issues such as sustainability, renewable energy, philanthropy, and healthy living. He regularly contributes to a slew of publications, as well as consulting with companies looking to make an impact using the web and social media. He lives in Ithaca, NY with his family on an apple farm.View all posts by Michael dEstries →
