Green Options

This column highlights the top economic stories of the week.

One way in which today’s corporation is becoming enlightened to the fact that green manufacturing CAN equal more profitable manufacturing is through a new concept called “lean manufacturing“.   In the 1980’s, JIT, or just-in-time techniques became all the rage in management circles as they shaved costs from production by eliminating the need for high levels of inventories by focusing [...]

Greening Hollywood Guild by Guild’s founder, Paige Donner, interviews Rachelle Carson Begley on the importance of using clean cosmetics.

The iconic image of celebrities emerging onto red carpets from stretch limos may become Hollywood history, and while flickering flashbulbs and expensive outfits may endure, ever more Hollywood elites are favoring a green carpet rolled out instead.

You can’t help but “see green” when you look at Shrek, but that’s green in a friendly ogre green coloring sort of way.

However, scratch the surface at Universal Studios theme park in California and you’ll see there’s a refreshing priority toward going green that both enhances the traveler’s experience and makes a statement on what a company the mega-size of NBC Universal can do in the green direction.

When we see the big Hollywood players like Universal Studios going green, it is easy to quickly write them off as playing in the big cash flow leagues that come with the size of mega corporations like NBC Universal. Because of the size and resources involved, it is easy to write-off any efforts Universal Studios is doing as way beyond the scope of Joe and Jane, average ecopreneurs with more dedication than dollars.

Sure, Universal Studios sells in green with Hollywood style and pizazz, but scratch the surface on some of their efforts and you’ll see there are simple, tangible tactics any business can model at their own level and needs. Here are three tips from their “green is universal” program to draw inspiration from, no Access Hollywood required:

1. Add Signage
Granted, people flock to Universal Studios theme parks for entertainment other than eco-tips.

Since it’s Thanksgiving Day, the thought of another big dinner might make your stuffed belly groan a little. Fortunately, this dinner is a few weeks away, so surely you’ll have digested your turkey by then. Plus, it’s a dinner worth planning for, because it’s hosted by The Organic Center in Los Angeles.

On December 9th, the Center’s For Our Children fundraiser will feature an organic gourmet dinner by Chef Domenica Catelli, one of the judges on Iron Chef who is also famous for her ability to get kids to eat their vegetables, without hiding them. Dessert by Chef Akasha Richmond, owner of the Culver City restaurant Akasha, follows. In addition to her restaurant, which is dedicated to sustainable, local and organic ingredients, Akasha is the author of Hollywood Dish and the spokesperson for SILK soymilk.

Before being ‘green’ became fashionable, and terms like ‘eco-chic’ were coined, being environmentally conscious was synonymous with words like ‘granola’ and ‘treehugger,’ generalizing the eco-conscious crowd as a free-spirited-Birkenstock-wearing-Grateful-Dead-loving bunch of Liberal hippies chanting ‘Peace, man.’

But being green has definitely gone mainstream, and from celebs like Julia Louis-Dreyfus with her lavish, multi-million dollar solar-powered home, to Pierce Brosnan, aptly named the ‘Best Dressed Environmentalist’ by the Sustainable Style Foundation, the stereotype of the gritty, unkempt nature wanderer that once dominated the category no longer applies.

Recently, MSN posted a list of the ‘Top 14 Green Celebrities,’ which contained some long-time environmental advocates and a few surprising new additions, all echoing a commitment to championing this important cause through various initiatives like Leonardo DiCaprio’s documentary film about global warming, the 11th Hour, featuring interviews with green leaders and a companion website where everyone can sign up to take action in their local communities, and George Clooney’s Oil Change, a campaign aimed at ending America’s independence on oil.  

Hollywood is doing their best to promote green living. Not surprising since going green is all the rage these days!

Getting in on the act, Universal Studios, will celebrate Earth Day 2008, again this year,by hosting a free Eco Fair. On April 26th from 10:00-4:00, guests can attend this free event filled with interactive displays and featuring “The

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All together now, “How green were they?”

Despite this year’s shortened Hollywood award season and last minute preparations, organizers managed to up the green cred for entertainment’s premier event, the Oscars®.

During the telecast, host Jon Stewart mentioned that the Oscars® had gone green, but didn’t go into any details…I was left wondering, “How green?” A quick trip to the Oscars website revealed a lot of detail. Some initiatives were simple prerequisites for any greening program, such as:

• Recycling collection for glass, paper, metal and plastics
• Use of low-VOC paints in the green room
• Reuse of anything and everything possible after the show, including plants, furniture, and set pieces
• Purchase of paper products containing post-consumer content

Other elements were a bit more interesting:

The Writer’s Guild of America’s strike is coming to an end. That’s good news for the writers and others who work in entertainment, of course, but it’s also good news for the planet. Why? Because Hollywood biggest night - and thus its biggest opportunity to use its influence for good - is just around the corner. The Academy Awards® are to be held on Sunday, February 24th.

To capitalize on the event, Global Green is hosting a pre-Oscar party. To be held on Wednesday, February 20th at super-club Avalon in Hollywood, the event just might provide celebrity gawkers with their fill of ogling…the Los Angeles committee includes such A-listers as Orlando Bloom, Penelope Cruz, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Charlize Theron.

The moviemaking business has a very large environmental footprint. Idling production vehicles, construction of elaborate sets, extensive lighting needs and a crew of hundreds who all need to be fed and transported are just a few of the contributing factors to the un-enviromentally friendly aspects of the film and television industry.

The UCLA Institute of the Environment's annual report last year found that when compared to other top industries in

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