Green Options » Disney

Disney Admits Baby Einstein Does NOT Increase Intelligence

Jennifer Lance — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 17:20:56 +0000

For parents who were suckered into Disney’s Baby Einstein concept, the company has announced they will give full refunds on up to four videos. The basis of the refund is to compensate parents who actually believed the videos would make their children smarter. UPI reports:

The move comes after Disney’s Baby Einstein Co. last month announced “enhanced consumer satisfaction guarantees” after lawyers had threatened a class-action suit for false advertising. “The Walt Disney Company’s entire Baby Einstein marketing regime is based on express and implied claims that their videos are educational and beneficial for early childhood development,” a letter from the lawyers reportedly said.

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Greening Hollywood: The Method Behind ESPN’s Madness

Paige Donner — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 20:37:19 +0000

X Games3D: The Movie opens wide in theaters across the nation Friday. Pumped by The Crystal Method’s soundtrack, the movie’s tempo conveys just how amped these Top-of-Their-Game athletes are when they show up to play.

July saw back-to-back bonanza sports weekends with ESPN’s X Games following on the heels of the annual ESPYs. Both took place at downtown L.A. Live’s entertainment campus which includes the Staples Center, Nokia Theater, and the Conga Room.

View the 3D Trailer Here, with The Crystal Method’s Drown In The Now: [X Games 3D: The Movie marks the first sports-based full-length feature film in 3D. It's in theaters for one week only.]

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WTF?: Win a Trip to Disneyland from Mama Bite

Jennifer Lance — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 15:58:08 +0000

I’ve long been a fan of Ideal Bite and was excited when they introduced Mama Bite!

From family road trips to eco-friendly sunscreen to DIY crafts, Mama Bite gives you bite-size ideas for living light green this summer. Fun, healthy, eco-friendly tips are served up in a daily email each weekday.

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Disney Dumped Toxic Chemicals Into Groundwater, Lawsuit Alleges

Cate Nelson — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 11:45:59 +0000

The world is not such a magical place when chemicals, including the carcinogen chromium 6, are being dumped into groundwater.

A lawsuit filed in Los Angeles alleges that Disney has been dumping the waste from their on-site cooling systems since 1998. According to the suit, brought by Environmental Worldwatch, Inc and local residents, the company,

supplied, dumped, released and deposited and continues to supply, dump, release and deposit vast amounts of chromium 6, air cooling water and residues, and other various toxic waste materials.

The Disney corporation has so far declined to comment on the specifics of the case but are denying any wrongdoing.

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Rumors That Disney Will Build New Park in Peru Spark Debate

Levi Novey — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 18:25:29 +0000

Earlier this month, one of Peru’s major newspapers reported that Disney might open a park about an hour south of Lima on Peru’s coast. Would a Disney theme park be good or bad for Peru?

That’s the question that is now on many peoples’ minds. Comment threads on popular Peruvian and expatriate websites show a diversity of opinions. Some people think a Disney theme park would be great for providing jobs in a country that needs them, while others think it would amount to exploitation.

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Disneynature Giveaway: Celebrating Earth Day With James Earl Jones

Jessica Gottlieb — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 05:07:12 +0000

Earth Day is a fantastic holiday. I’ve heard folks say that it’s the most celebrated secular holiday ever.

This year to celebrate Earth Day Disneynature, Disney’s new independent film label, will release their first film, Earth. Earth is narrated by James Earl Jones and tells the remarkable story of three animal families and their amazing journey across the planet we all call home. Earth combines rare action, unimaginable scale and impossible locations by capturing the most intimate moments of our planet’s wildest and most elusive creatures. Directors Alastair Fothergill and Mark Linfield, the acclaimed creative team behind the Emmy Award-winning “Planet Earth” series combine forces again to bring this epic adventure to the big screen, beginning Earth Day 2009. To celebrate the film’s theatrical release, Disneynature will be planting a tree in the endangered Brazilian Atlantic Rain Forest in honor of every person who sees the film during its opening week!

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Economic Crisis Wake Up Call: End Childhood Commercialization, Commodification, and Consumption

Jennifer Lance — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 04:44:28 +0000

$17 billion a year is spent by the advertising and marketing industry to shape our children’s desires and identities.

Now that the economic recession gripping the world is causing free market ideals to be questioned, it’s time to examine its effects on our children. Henry A. Giroux writes:

While the “empire of consumption” has been around for a long time, American society in the last thirty years has undergone a sea change in the daily lives of children - one marked by a major transition from a culture of innocence and social protection, however imperfect, to a culture of commodification. This is culture that does more than undermine the ideals of a secure and happy childhood; it also exhibits the bad faith of a society in which, for children, “there can be only one kind of value, market value; one kind of success, profit; one kind of existence, commodities; and one kind of social relationship, markets.”(2) Children now inhabit a cultural landscape in which they can only recognize themselves in terms preferred by the market.

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When Local Isn’t: Deceiving ‘Buy Local Orlando’ Program Supports City Taxes, not Local Businesses

Gina Munsey — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 01:50:49 +0000

Florida’s new “Buy Local Orlando” initiative, set to launch May 1, conjures up pleasing images of farmer’s market produce and goods hand-crafted by local artisans. With the words “buy local” in the program’s title, it makes sense to assume that the participating merchants are locally-based. The widespread locavore movement, after all, is just that: local.

But Orlando’s local program is anything but. The first tip-off? It’s launched in conjunction with the Disney Entrepreneur Center. Not exactly the name that comes to mind when you think of supporting local businesses. But then again, neither is McDonald’s — but according to “Buy Local Orlando” program guidelines, the fast food chain qualifies as a local merchant.

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Disney Is Going Green

Dawn Killough — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 15:22:44 +0000

In a recently released corporate responsibility report, the Disney company has set its sites on going green and reducing its carbon footprint. The report looks at everything from the nutritional content of the meals it serves, to “green standards,” to the working environment of the manufacturer’s that make Disney licensed products.

Disney, which owns theme parks, resorts, a cruise line, and travel tours, has the ability to make a tremendous difference with its sustainability measures. The recent report laid out immediate goals for the coming year, goals for the next three to five years, and long-term goals for the company and its holdings.

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If the Discovery of a Pink Elephant in Botswana is Rare, Why Do We See Elephants Depicted as Pink So Often?

Levi Novey — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 05:04:36 +0000

Last week, a rare occasion occurred in the African country of Botswana: a pink baby elephant was serendipitously spotted with its mother and subsequently filmed. If pink elephants are so rare, then why do we see depictions of them so often?

Before the question is answered, here’s a little more background on pink elephants. The pink elephant found in Botswana is more accurately described as a rare albino elephant, one of only three to have been officially recorded in Africa. More albino elephants are thought to have historically existed among Asia’s elephant species (also sometimes referred to as white elephants), although this occurrence is also a rarity. An albino in Sri Lanka was the first to be officially recorded among the Asian elephant species, and just recently in 2004. According to Wikipedia, “although often depicted as snow white, their skin is normally a soft reddish-brown, turning a light pink when wet.”

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Disney’s Environmental Goals: Greenwashing or Corporate Responsibility?

Jennifer Lance — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 04:07:10 +0000

We get a lot of press releases from companies big and small touting their green initiatives. I usually dismiss the ones from major corporations like Disney and Barbie as greenwashing, but I still pass them on to our writers. After much prodding and persuading from my online friends, I usually take up the issue myself, as I just can’t help myself. Disney….it’s your turn.

Disney has just issued the company’s first ever comprehensive corporate responsibility (CR) report. For a company that was founded in the 1920s and is the largest media and entertainment corporation in the world, this report is a long time overdue!

The long term environmental goals outlined in the report are:

Zero waste

Zero net direct greenhouse gas emissions from fuels

Reduce indirect greenhouse gas emissions from electricity consumption

Net positive impact on ecosystems

Minimize water use

Minimize product footprint

Inform, empower and activate positive action for the environment

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Disney: Go Green and Chemical Free!

Katy Farber — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 01:58:33 +0000

For the past three years, the Center for Health, Justice and the Environment has been asking Disney to implement a green cleaning policy at their parks, resorts, hotels and restaurants for the health and safety of employees, visitors and the environment.

Some progress is being by Disney, however slow. According to the CHEJ :

“Disney World Parks & Resorts has made progress since CHEJ began its Disney Go Green campaign by introducing some green cleaning products and reviewing current practices. “Disney World absolutely understands green cleaning. Since we began our campaign, they have made progress, but until Disney World shows real leadership and commitment by implementing a written and comprehensive green cleaning policy, their job isn’t done.” said Renée Blanchard, Program Coordinator at CHEJ.”

They’d waited long enough. It was time to act.

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Toxic Disney and the Economy

Jennifer Lance — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 23:35:17 +0000

Editor’s note: The following post was originally published on Green and Clean Mom. “Green & Clean Mom can inspire you to try a little harder, be a catalyst for change and to offer you some new tips and news on how to be the green, sexy and sassy mom…I know you are!”

Vacationing with children – it just about killed me. Our sleeping schedule was wacky, the stuff we had to pack and organize, and my daughter got sick and the money. Oh, my goodness the money to go to Disney and Sea World and shucks rent a car and eat for two weeks – I know why we don’t vacation often. My son got to experience flying and he loved climbing the mountain in Arizona, seeing his grandma (the highlight of our trip), eating some great fondue from the Melting Pot, shaking Buzz Light Years hand and riding his first roller coaster. I just hope he remembers it all. My daughter, well she played and played and enjoyed swimming and being with mom and dad. She won’t remember anything but we gave her some experiences to help her development and best of all (besides seeing grandma) she loved Sea World.

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Disneyland Goes Green with Trams and Rides

Allison Boyer — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 18:13:04 +0000

Disneyland is reducing emissions by greening some of its transportation and rides with natural gas and biodiesel.

From GreenBiz.com:

The Disneyland Resort is using compressed natural gas to fuel its 16 guest trams at the vast property and powering the Disneyland Railroad steam trains and Mark Twain riverboat with biodiesel derived from used cooking oil harvested throughout the complex.

Some of the park’s trains have been using biodiesel since 2007, and the trams already have hybrid engines to reduce fuel usage.

Image via BetacommandBot.

Does Disney Know about Hannah Montana’s Toxic Lead Jewelry?

Derek Markham — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 05:00:02 +0000

If a company that markets to children, Disney for example, licenses its name to a toy manufacturer, (like F.A.F.), and the toy maker makes the toy in China, using lead or arsenic or melamine or bromine, should that company be held liable for the toxic effects on children?

I’m disturbed at the flagrant disregard of our children’s health by big business in favor of increasing revenue through any means necessary.

Let me explain.

I read about toxins in 1 out of 3 toys yesterday. So I went to HealthyToys.org to look a little closer at the findings of their toxic toy rankings. At the top of the list of examples of Worst Toys was a Hannah Montana necklace.

Made in (no surprise) China.

The toxin? Lead.

406,510 parts per million (ppm) of lead.

Is my math fuzzy, or doesn’t 400,000 ppm also mean 40%?

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Disney And Al Gore Help Mobilize Teens To Fight Climate Change

Jerry James Stone — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 07:46:04 +0000

The Magical World Of Disney And Al Gore’s Inconvenient Truth Are Bringing Teens Across America To The Front Of The Line In The Fight Against Climate Change.

About 2,000 teens have signed on with an organization called Inconvenient Youth to tell their friends, neighborhoods, generation and anyone who will listen that the time to take action is now. Why? The founder of Inconvenient Youth, Mary Doerr, believes the young people “can solve it.”

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Breaking the Princess Stereotype: Princess Bubble

Jennifer Lance — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 04:44:54 +0000

The feminist, eco-mom’s lament: What to do about princesses!

For the first two years of my daughter’s life, I shielded her from fairy tales and Disney movies about happily ever after and surrounded her with books about animals and nature. Then, she met a little girl that would become her best friend, who also introduced her to the world of Disney Princesses. I was happy my daughter had formed a strong relationship with another child, but there was no returning to our blissful, royalty-free days.

Breaking princess stereotypes

I’ve read several stories that try to break the princess stereotype, such as Cinder Edna and The Paper Bag Princess. Princess Bubble, written by Susan Johnston and Kimberly Webb, is the story of a princess who is beautiful, a graduate of Royal University, employed by Royal Heir Line, and is happy with her life. As her other princess friends begin to marry their princes, Princess Bubble is pressured by the queen to find a prince.

But, Bubble did not believe just any prince would bring her “happily ever after.” Yet the fairy tales said she must find HER prince! So she put on her thinking crown and re-read the fairy tales for clues on where to find her prince. She soon realized that unlike the other princesses, She was not trapped in a dungeon…She had no wicked stepsisters or stepmother…She did not know any dwarfs…Nor did she live under the sea. But the most confusing part was…She was already happy!

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Jousting with the Princess Factory

Beth Bader — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 03:19:06 +0000

I’ve done my best to keep the Disney Princess invasion at bay. We have none of the movies or, uh, “books” which are just ads for the movies, and none of the merchandise or apparel or personal care items that feature the Royal Threat. Except. We do have one Disney Princess ball. No, not the kind with music and party dresses. The kind you can kick.

It was an Easter egg hunt prize, and as hard as I try to “lose” it, it keeps getting found. Lately, my preschooler has taken to asking me what each princess is named.

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The Seven Dwarves Want Disney to Come Clean

Amy Stodghill — Sat, 14 Apr 2007 12:40:58 +0000

The Center for Health, Environment & Justice (CHEJ) has challenged Walt Disney World Resort to switch to environmentally friendly, non-toxic cleaning products and practices throughout their operations. According to CHEJ, Disney World avoids using toxic cleaners in their Animal Kingdom but not in their theme parks, hotels or restaurants.

The “Disney Go Green Campaign” sponsored by CHEJ and several Florida activist organizations, kicked off the 2007 Florida Environmental Health and Organizing Conference on Friday. Part of the campaign effort uses the animated characters from Snow White and the Seven Dwarves as spokespeople. On the CHEJ website Grumpy says,

“I’m Grumpy that Disney uses certified green cleaning products to protect the health of animals in Animal Kingdom, but not everywhere else to protect children and me!” [Followed by a factoid] Disney uses green cleaning products in Animal Kingdom and three of its fifteen hotels. They know how to do it!

Many chemicals used in cleaning products contain carcinogens, hormone disruptors and respiratory irritants than can trigger asthma attacks and other illnesses. School districts across the country have implemented least toxic policies to protect students and workers because of these concerns. CHEJ wants Disney World to establish a similar green cleaning purchasing policy.

CHEJ is hoping to put a little pressure on the resort by asking people to e-mail Disney. In the end Disney may have to go green anyhow as there is green cleaning legislation pending in Florida’s House and Senate.

Via CHEJ