By Paul Smith •
August 28, 2008
Like this post? Subscribe to our RSS feed and stay up to date.
Advertising. It’s a part of the scenery, just about anywhere you go these days. Like it or lump it, it’s here to stay. But what if it could do something more, or different then sell you things, end of story? What if it educated about the environment, and eco friendly behaviors? What if it went further than that and 50% of proceeds from advertising went to local community greening efforts, the use of which was advised by diverse, knowledgeable green organizations?
It can, and it does, via EcoMedia. The NY based company originally started by an LA surfer turned environmentalist to protect local watersheds from pollution has now expanded to find ways to improve and protect the air, energy, and green space of places across the US. This happens via partnerships with CBS and Worldwide Pants. Between the three of them, they cover national and local markets, online, and also produce original green oriented content such as the Daisy Fuentes hosted TV show The EcoZone Project.
It comes down to this -
“The Grass Is Always Greener” was the theme for last night’s Project Runway challenge in which the contestants were given eco-friendly fabrics to create their designs. Natalie Portman sat in as guest judge and it was obvious she doesn’t lie well. Not necessarily a bad thing, but her opinions of some of the designs were obvious by the look on her face (can’t say that I blame her, many of the looks we’re less than fashion-worthy). In the end Suede, who the mainstay judges (Heidi Klum, Michael Kors and Nina Garcia) were weary about after last week’s challenge won them over with his tutu dress (pictured). This was not my favorite and perhaps he ran out of time, but why is it so baggy up top?
All in all, I commend them for featuring eco-friendly fabrics on the show and if you just can’t live without one of the designs, you can bid on it here.
Did you see the show? If so, which design was your favorite? If you missed it, check out all the designs here.
Image: www.projectrunway.com
I cover a lot of upcoming or future technology, but it’s time to step into the present and aim for the past. Today we’re going to look at a technology available right now that can make some wanton energy waste history. It’s a surge protector that stakes the hearts of vampire electronics without hassling you, the sleeping victim.
Vampire appliances are pretty much anything you can plug in that still sucks energy when it’s supposedly turned off. Some are pretty obvious - the clocks on your microwave or VCR/DVD player burn all day, everyday. We know they’re not “off” because we cans see their LEDs glow. But other electronics, from your television to your cell phone charger also draw power when they’re plugged in but not in use. Check out a handy graph from Good Magazine. Some gadgets are notorious, like your plasma TV. Estimates claim that 5% or more of U.S. energy usage is insidiously wasted by “stand-by mode” or certain misleading “off” buttons. A whopping 5% may not sound like much, but it adds up to about $1 Billion dollars per year - and energy prices will probably continue to rise.
Be honest - how many times would you go around the house unplugging everything before it got old? Smart greenies have been switching off their surge protectors, but it’s easy to forget while watching your favorite late-night TV show or blogging at 4am. So what can we do about these metal-toothed Nosferatu in our midst? How about a surge protector that turns off all your appliances for you?
Crafter extraordinaire and co-host of DIY Network’s Creative Juice TV show - Cathie Filian - also has her own production company. With her fellow executive producers Greg Byers and Steve Piacenza, Cathie is on the hunt for teen/young adult crafters to show off their skills on a new craft show she is working on. Think you got what it takes (CAGW is sure you do)? Then check out the details below from Cathie herself on how to enter!
Casting Notice – Untitled Teen Craft Show
Our production company, Two Bees and a Pea, is casting young adult & teen crafters for a new “untitled” craft show. This show will be guest based - so you could be the star of the show. We produce Creative Juice on DIY and HGTV and this will be a brand new show.
We are seeking crafty guests from all over the USA and will begin the process with DVD submissions. The DVD’s are not for air on TV they are for casting purposes. Fear not if you don’t have access to a video camera. Just send a photo of yourself (big smile) holding or showing off your handmade items.
Here are a few guidelines:
By Jim Gunshinan •
February 8, 2008
Don’t Sweat the Switch from Analog to Digital TV Broadcasting. The Government Will Rescue Your Old TV. Mostly.
What does this have to do with energy conservation? Read on.
Every old TV will be new again–for about $10.Photo credit: Human Productivity Lab,licensed through Creative Commons.When I was still new to the Bay Area, I lived in a one-room apartment near the Gourmet Ghetto in Berkeley. I was working at Black Oak Books and spent many a late night after work
[...]
By Max Lindberg •
January 8, 2008
Here’s a new wrinkle to advertising, photo and film shoots that are tracked and quantified for the amount of pollutants they produce during a shoot.
A London-based environmental engineering firm has created the tracking software, and it’s been used in the production of several TV commercials. Here’s Hoag Levins of Advertising Age with a report.
A link to the original story is here:
By Leah Edwards •
January 2, 2008
Here’s a creative business idea: pair U.S. and British television producers and an environmentalist with a Chinese documentarian and environmental activists and government official to come up with a television series for the Chinese market funded by U.S. investors.
U.S. production company, Landreth Associates, is working with the Chinese CCTV Economic Movie and Television Center and The International Cultural Exchange Audiovisual Publishing House (an agency of the Chinese Ministry of Culture), on what is to be a weekly documentary television show in China called “Seizing the Moment in China” beginning in the summer of 2008.
Actor Neil Flynn — who plays your favorite comic villain on a certain sitcom — lets us know that everyone in the world relies on nature for survival. And when he’s not practicing taxidermy, this bully shows us how climate change is affecting nature and people and… janitors!
By Noelle dEstries •
August 20, 2007
From Environmental Leader…
Imagine and Twentieth Century Fox Television say they will make the TV series 24 the first production ever to save enough energy and reduce enough carbon emissions over the course of a season to render its entire season finale carbon neutral.
Find out their plans (strictly on a want to click basis) here.
I’ve got a whole mess o’ links for you today, most green, a few non thrown in for kicks. Enjoy!
