Not even Tinseltown gets a hall pass from Mother Earth.
At long last, major Hollywood studios have adopted a handbook for reducing their environmental footprint., the Motion Picture Association of America announced Friday.
A 2006 UCLA study reported that the entertainment biz - with its special effects explosions, idling vehicles and massive sets built for one-time use - accounts for more of Los Angeles' pollution than any other industry studied: hotels, apparel, even aerospace manufacturing.
Since then, serious strides have been taken toward more environmentally-conscious movie-making. Disney reduced the plastic content of its DVD cases by 30 percent and became the first studio to release feature films on iTunes, eliminating the need for packaging. Fox produced an Emmy Awards show with low-energy LED lights in the press tent and a red carpet made from 95,000 recycled soda bottles. Sony Pictures even donates its sets to Habitat for Humanity for use in the construction of new homes.
Now a written guide offers tips for taking their efforts a step further: reducing waste, energy use and pollution in every area of studio life, from wardrobe and make-up to parties and post-production.
Viewers may not notice behind-the-scenes changes, but they'll see more and more eco-entertainment as Hollywood attempts to neutralize its environmental impact with "green" programming (and no, the cloud of upcoming stoner-themed movies like Pineapple Express" and "Harold and Kumar" don't count).