Green contradictions in Hollywood

E: The Environmental Magazine, August, 1995 by Dana Harris

Hollywood's scripts are becoming increasingly friendly to environmental causes. After all, Murphy Brown recycles, and Universal wagered $175 million on the Kevin Costner film Waterworld, in which centuries of global warming have caused the polar ice caps to melt, leaving the Earth's surface covered in water.

That's all well and good, but did Costner's assistant throw the star's water bottles in the trash can or the recycling bin? Hollywood has often been accused of "Sunday charity" -- putting support behind good causes when the cameras are on, but forgetting all about it after the lights go off.

Hollywood isn't going green overnight, but small signs of a higher environmental consciousness include the recent Nicholas Cage-Dana Carvey comedy trapped in Paradise, which features the announcement, "No rainforest timber was used in the production of this motion picture."

"Lauan" is a tropical hardwood from Southeast Asia, which is often used to build movie sets. The San Francisco-based Rainforest Action Network (RAN) has spent three years trying to stop major Hollywood studios from using lauan. In 1992, the entertainment industry was using -- and rarely reusing -- a quarter-million sheets of it every year. "It's a popular wood because it's cheap and it works well," says RAN's Tamar Hurwitz. "But lauan is becoming endangered."

RAN hopes that trapped in Paradise is the start of a trend. "Batman is also lauan-free," says Randall Hayes, RAN's executive director. "All of the major studios have agreed to stop using or phase-out lauan. Now we're starting to work on the independent studios."

RAN is also making an issue of the $300 million a year that budget-conscious Hollywood pours into the Canadian province of British Columbia for location shooting. The Canadian provincial government permits the clearcutting of Clayoquot Sound on Vancouver Island, one of the largest remaining temperate rainforests in the world (see Rainforest Crunch, May/June, 1995).

It's also not acceptable, say environmentalists, for studios to be so wasteful. The Studio Buying Guide, created by a coalition of the Environmental Media Association (EMA), Green Seal and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, is designed to show any filmmaker how to complete their work on budget and on time, while maintaining a good environmental program. Endorsers include Disneys Michael Eisner and producer Norman Lear.

EMA's Andy Goodman says The Studio Buying Guide offers environmental standards and vendor lists, "right down to who you should call to find non-toxic paint." The guide is available on line, making it easy to update and accessible for location use. Some 17 major film and television studios have become sponsors, but how conscientious they'll be when the cameras are rolling remains to be seen.

Contact: Rainforest Action Network, 301 Broadway, Suite A, San Francisco, CA 94133/(310)287-2803; Green Seal, 1730 Rhode Island Avenue NW, Suite 1050, Washington, DC 20036/(202)331-7337.