Academy Statement on the Green Initiative Announcement

Posted: Monday, February 26th, 2007 by Michael van Poppel at 1.26 am EDT.

During the telecast of the 79th Academy Awards on Sunday (2/25), Leonardo DiCaprio and former vice president Al Gore announced that ecologically intelligent practices had been integrated into the planning and execution of the Oscar presentation and several related events.

The Academy's green initiative, which included a variety of energy-saving strategies, was carried out in collaboration with the Natural Resources Defense Council, a non-partisan environmental and advocacy organization.

"This effort embodies our industry's collective interest in taking responsibility for reducing our environmental footprint," said Academy President Sid Ganis. "We thank our telecast producer Laura Ziskin for encouraging us in this direction."

"In planning and producing the Oscars, we decided to choose supplies, resources and services that would reduce Oscar's ecological footprint," said Ziskin. "I am honored to have collaborated with the Academy and the NRDC to lay the groundwork for a more extensive, long-term program in the years to come."

Among the practices included in this effort were the purchase of energy credits to offset carbon emissions from the telecast and pre-show production units and the Governors Ball, the incorporation of environmentally sound features into the green room design, the promotion of recycling and waste reduction practices, and the use of recycled materials in paper products.