 EcoSecurities partnering with EMA to offset emissions for the 2009 EMA awards
 EcoSecurities has partnered with EMA to offset the GHG emissions associated with the 20th Anniversary EMA awards. The event footprint was calculated by EMA and estimated at 40 MtCO2e (metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent). EcoSecurities will be providing offsets from a Geothermal project in Guatemala that is verified to the Voluntary Carbon Standard and will be retired on behalf of EMA.
This geothermal power project, with an expected installed capacity of 25 MW is located in Guatemala. The project will harness the power of heat stored beneath the earth's surface to generate a clean, sustainable and reliable electricity source for the local communities. Increasing electricity capacity, specifically renewable energy, is an integral part of Guatemala's development strategy. This project will help to diversify the electricity portfolio of Guatemala and provide greater stability to consumers and the national economy, whilst meeting Guatemala's increasing electricity demands.
Some key social and environmental benefits are as follows: The project will directly generate approximately 500 temporary jobs during the construction phase and 20 permanent operational jobs. Geothermal-derived electricity is relatively free of seasonal or fuel-driven supply fluctuations, therefore the project increases stability of power supply to consumers and to the national economy. The project includes a program to reduce flooding of the local area through the repair of road infrastructure and the reforestation of hillsides with over 5,000 trees.
EcoSecurities has spent the last 12 years focusing on climate change mitigation activities and is now one of the world's leading organizations in the business of sourcing, developing and trading emission reductions.
EcoSecurities' emission reduction portfolio is one of the largest in the industry covering a wide range of emission reduction standards (Gold Standard, CDM, VCS etc), technology types and geographical locations. In addition, EcoSecurities provides clients with carbon management services, helping them to understand and deal with an increasingly carbon constrained world.
EcoSecurities Group plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange AIM (ticker ECO). Additional information is available at www.ecosecurities.com.
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| Help Fund a Garden Today! |
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Over 77 percent of students in environment-based education programs, such as school gardens, scored higher than their peers across all standardized tests and had higher grade point averages
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 There are hundreds of school gardens within Los Angeles that are neglected due to inadequate funds and resources. Budget cuts within the state have left school gardens severely underfunded. EMA is seeking your help.
With your donation, children from all walks of life can learn in an outdoor classroom, getting tangible life-lessons while getting their hands dirty.
Your donation of $15,000 will fund all of a school's gardening needs for an entire year - tools, plants, soil, mulch, compost bins, and much, much more.
To honor your generosity, a special school event will be held during which the school garden will be rededicated in your name or names for the 2010-2011 school year.
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EMA Green Seal Status Update
As mentioned in our last newsletter, EMA has partnered with Green Seal Inc., the Washington D.C. based environmental certification organization to carry out our EMA Green Seal program. Over the past few months our two organizations have worked closely together to create new requirements for our recognition of environmental filmmaking and set up the protocols for the Green Seal site audits of the production locations.
Between EMA's knowledge of the industry, and Green Seal's experience in science-based environmental certification standards; a comprehensive and environmentally beneficial program took shape. This program covers all aspects of the production, and when carried out will reduce the overall environmental footprint of any production.
Thanks to the support and feedback from many, both inside and outside the industry, the new criteria and methodologies were peer reviewed and critiqued before being finalized. Moving forward this quickly has allowed us to move into the pilot phase of our program much sooner than anticipated.
We have accepted our first EMA Green Seal application and the third party site visits have been scheduled. Both EMA and Green Seal are confident that at the conclusion of the audit we will announce the first EMA Green Seal recognition award under the new partnership. We look forward to many more to come. |
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Peruvian Ceviche
 Tuna is back! After much research and debate, we are so excited at the prospect of using tuna in our favorite ceviches again. Of course, we always proceed with caution and information, choosing sustainable, low-mercury, pole-caught albacore. And when it is in season, there is nothing that can beat the flavor of impeccably fresh albacore in our Peruvian Ceviche. A signature dish at Ciudad in Downtown L.A. and on the Border Grill Truck, this ceviche is enhanced with South American aji amarillo chiles, fresh ginger, and lime. Serve it as an elegant appetizer in chilled martini glasses or create a platter of tostaditas by spooning ceviche onto mini tortilla rounds and topping with finely chopped pickled onions and a sliver of avocado.
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 Serves 4
- 1 pound fresh albacore tuna*, cut in 1/4-inch dice
- 1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1/2 red onion, diced
- 1 aji amarillo chile, stem and seeds removed, minced
- 1/2 to 1 jalapeño, stem and seeds removed, diced
- 1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced or grated
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
- 1 1/2 teaspoons aji amarillo paste
- Salt, to taste
- Plantain chips or tortilla chips, for garnish
- Pickled Red Onions (see recipe below), for garnish
- Sliced California avocado, for garnish
In a large bowl, combine fish and enough lime juice to cover. Allow to marinate for 20 minutes. Drain fish, reserving 1/2 cup of lime juice.
Combine fish with remaining ingredients and reserved lime juice to taste and stir gently to combine. Chill thoroughly. Serve in a chilled martini glass, garnished with plantain chips or tortilla chips, Pickled Red Onions, and slices of avocado. |
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Pickled Red Onions |
Place the onions in a medium saucepan and pour in enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and remove from the heat. Strain and set the onions aside.
Combine all the remaining ingredients in the saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook 10 minutes. Add the blanched onions and simmer an additional 10 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a container, cover, and refrigerate at least a day before serving. Pickled onions will keep in the refrigerator up to a month. |
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Makes 5 1/2 cups
- 1 pound red onions, thinly sliced
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 1 teaspoon roughly chopped cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 4 cloves garlic, sliced
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 beet, trimmed, peeled, and cut into 8 wedges
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*According to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch, when it comes to sustainability, pole-and-line caught, canned U.S. Pacific albacore tuna is a "Best Choice". For more info on sustainable seafood, go to www.seafoodwatch.org.
Copyright © 2009, Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, www.marysueandsusan.com
"Too Hot Tamales" Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger are Chef/Owners of Border Grill Santa Monica, Border Grill Las Vegas, and Ciudad restaurants, as well as the Border Grill Truck. For more information, go to www.bordergrill.com. |
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| Ed Begley Jr.'s Guide To Sustainable Living |
 (Clarkson Potter/Publishers) is full of practical, straightforward advice and how-to guidance, answering all of your questions about greening your home and your lifestyle.
The book is divided into three sections: Conserve, Produce, and Manage. Ed says, "The first thing any good climber knows is to lighten their load before they take the first step. Likewise, before you even consider your first solar panel or wind turbine, you must lighten your energy load. This book is a simple guide to the three steps to energy independence that really MUST be done in the following order: Conservation, Production and Management."
1. CONSERVATION: The first step involves taking a look at the resources you're using and drawing up a game plan for efficiently using them. Chapters included are: The Green Home Audit, Electricity, Lighting, Insulation, Windows and Doors, Water Usage.
2. PRODUCTION: Having done all of the conservation work possible, the next step to sustainability is producing your own energy. The chapters cover: Solar Power, Wind Power, Building and Remodeling, Garden and Compost
3. MANAGEMENT: The final section helps readers make informed lifestyle choices by providing information on some of the most recent advances in home maintenance, and more.. Chapters cover: Heating Your Home, Cooling Your Home, Heating Water, Decorating and Cleaning Your Home, Babies and Nurseries.
Printed on 100 percent recycled paper using soy-based inks, ED BEGLEY, JR.'S GUIDE TO SUSTAINABLE LIVING is environmentally conscious from beginning to end. With Ed's personal accounts of his own experiences greening his home, instructive diagrams, sample costs and paybacks sidebars, and illustrative photos, ED BEGLEY JR.'S GUIDE TO SUSTAINABLE LIVING will be a helpful guide and an exhaustive collection of ideas, advice, and information to make an eco-friendly lifestyle attainable for you and your family.
"If you follow the suggestions in the book, and do the cheap and easy stuff first, you will quickly join the effort to clean up our air, lessen our dependence on foreign oil and put money in your pocket! The equation is quite simple: For every dollar you spend on conservation, you will save five dollars on the cost of your alternative energy system" notes Begley.
To purchase Ed's book and for more great tips, please go to:
www.livingwithed.net
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This month, one of the most beloved Halloween experiences from the Northeast comes to Los Angeles for the first time. The Gillette Ranch in Calabasas, CA is host to the first-ever LA Haunted Hayride. The night features a classic tractor-pulled hayride with terror at every turn, followed by ghost stories, s'mores, and hot apple cider around the campfire. And if those weren't enough scares and thrills, there are carnival games, a hay maze for the kids and performers at the Haunted Carnival.
At only 20 minutes from LA, it should be a frightful night for the whole family.
You may be asking yourself, how does this relate to EMA? We are the charitable partners of the event, and they are donating a portion of every ticket to EMA to support our programs. We are working with them on making this event as environmentally sound as possible. They have included on-site recycling, reusing and repurposing of sets and locally produced food as they also ensure their production preserves the environmental integrity of the Gillette Ranch.
So come out in October for a frightening night that also benefits EMA's program work. Please note it is not recommended for children under 10 years old.
Check out the website for tickets and hours of operation:
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Green Seal Recognition – 2009
Congratulations to all of our 2009 EMA Green Seal recipients for utilizing sustainable practices in their productions. Below is a list of the 2009 recipients who have accomplished everything from utilizing power drops so as not to use generators to donating set materials to charity, and everything in between – using hybrid vehicles, eliminating water bottles and ordering organic catering!
Series Television: Mad Men
Mathew Weiner, Executive Producer
Heading into their production season, the team met and decided how to implement new sustainable initiatives. In addition to using hybrid vehicles and recycled set pieces and continuing their recycling program, the production this year upgraded to B99 biodiesel in all their generators. The crew also ditched bottled water this year in favor of reusable's, switched to biodegradable craft service wares, and began a new program encouraging the use of and paying for crew members' mass transit passes.
Series Television: Living with Ed
Ed Begley Jr., Executive Producer; Bud and Joseph Brustman, Co-Executive Producers
The crew uses hybrid cars, carpool wherever they travel, and they shun bottled water in favor of reusable bottles and filtered water. The production employs comprehensive recycling, uses renewable energy and offsets its carbon footprint. If any wood is needed it is FSC certified, and all materials are eventually reused or recycled by Ecovations. Unique to this production is the charging of all batteries and equipment using the solar arrays found on location.
Feature Film: 2012
Roland Emmerich, Producer/Director; Ute Emmerich, Mark Gordon, Michael Wimer, Executive Producers
Renewable materials were used during construction and if other materials were needed they were repurposed from old productions or built from FSC wood. The sets were designed for disassembly and if they couldn't be repurposed elsewhere they were donated to Habitat for Humanity. Power drops were used in place of generators, and where they had to be used on location, biodiesel fueled them. The craft services department was fully biodegradable and the production even ran a food drive over the holidays for a local food bank. The production's environmental footprint was fully documented and carbon offsets were purchased to make the film carbon neutral.
Feature Film: Angels & Demons
Todd Hallowell, Dan Brown, Executive Producers; Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, John Calley Producers; Kathleen McGill, Associate Producer
Shot in multiple locations, the production minimized air travel with smaller crews during location shoots. While on the set the production provided bicycles for the use of cast and crew; electric vehicles were also extensively used at the main location. For such a large set build, the production found ways to limit consumption and waste. Pipe scaffolding was used to cut down on lumber use, walls and set pieces were reused and repurposed for multiple shoots, and when necessary, FSC wood was used. The sets were disassembled and either revamped for use in other productions, donated to charity, or recycled. For the production, over 82 percent of show waste was recycled.
Feature Film: Fair Game
Mari Jo Winkler, Executive Producer
The production implemented a comprehensive recycling program, carpooling programs, emphasized public transportation, and hybrid vehicles wherever possible. Biodiesel was used at the base camp and the office was enrolled in a renewable energy program. The production used the digital RED camera, and all leftover food was donated to food banks through the Rock N Wrap It Up program.
Feature Film: Jennifer's Body
Diablo Cody, Executive Producer; Daniel Dubiecki, Mason Novick, Jason Reitman, Producers; Brad Van Arrogon, Co-Producer
Organic and locally grown food was sourced and organic waste was composted rather than thrown away. Power drops were used as much as possible and, when necessary biodiesel was used in auxiliary generators. The production incorporated green sourcing, transportation policies intent on saving fuel and miles traveled, as well as comprehensive waste reduction strategies.
Feature Film: X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Richard Donner, Stan Lee, Executive Producers
Through cooperation with local groups the production diverted 92 percent of its waste from the landfill. Aside from the obvious environmental benefits, it's estimated that such action saved the production approximately $55,000 in waste disposal fees. In addition to its efforts with waste reduction the production followed the Fox green guide, used CNG generators on location in Australia, provided bicycles to staff, and reused sets from previous productions.
Feature Film: The Day the Earth Stood Still
Paul Harris Boardman, Gregory Goodman, Erwin Stoff, Producers; Warren Carr, Production Manager
Sets were reused from previous productions and the production scheduled extra days into the calendar to disassemble and either sell, donate or recycle the set materials. Organic and locally grown food was sourced and organic waste was composted rather than thrown away. Steps were put into place to reduce paper waste and consumption dropped 75%. The production also collected and sold all recyclable waste and used the proceeds to purchase computers for a local school in the area.
Feature Film: Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
Thomas M. Hammel, Josh McLaglen, Executive Producers
The production utilized the area's hydro-electric power by using power drops in place of generators, incorporated both biodiesel and CNG to reduce emissions, and implemented comprehensive waste reduction practices. Set pieces were reused and when finished almost all set materials went on to other productions. Thanks to the creativity of the construction department, less material was needed, and when it was necessary, the production sourced recycled, FSC certified, or pine beetle-kill lumber.
Feature Film: Tooth Fairy
Jim Piddock, Executive Producer; Wendy Williams, Production Manager
The producers utilized power drops in place of generators to take advantage of the location's hydro-electric power and utilized the 20th Century Fox green guide to its fullest potential. The production incorporated green sourcing, local and organic foods, transportation policies intent on saving fuel and miles traveled, as well as comprehensive waste reduction strategies. The sets were disassembled and reused in other productions and when lumber had to be purchased it was either FSC certified or pine beetle-kill.
Feature Film: Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
Thomas M. Hammel, Executive Producer; Wendy Williams, Production Manager
Apart from the standard comprehensive recycling, the sustainable sourcing guide, as well as the transportation and energy guidelines followed from the Fox Green Guide the production incorporated other creative steps. Percy Jackson became the 4th production to use the same set materials and disassembled them afterwards so that future productions could continue the trend. The production did not use a single bottle of water during shooting, instead relying on jugs of water and reusable mugs and glasses. In remote locations the production built elevated walkways to keep cast and crew off of fragile vegetation.
Feature Film: Ramona and Beezus
Denise Di Novi, Alison Greenspan, Producers; Brad Van Arrogon, Co-Producer
The cast and crew participated, relying on the Fox Green Guide and enjoyed wonderful results including green sourcing guidelines, designing the sets for disassembly, utilizing power drops in place of generators, and even hiring a catering coordinator focuses on locally grown, organic, and sustainable food sources. Hybrid automobiles were used as was biodiesel fuels, and like all 20th Century Fox productions, a comprehensive environmental assessment was completed.
Feature Film: I Love You, Beth Cooper
Jennifer Blum, Michael Flynn, Executive Producers; Wendy Williams, Production Manager
The production relied on 20th Century Fox's best practices guide that focused on energy, waste, and transportation. The production used biodiesel when feasible, drove hybrid automobiles, relied on power drops in lieu of generators and enforced no-idling policies throughout the shoot's duration. Best of all, the production kept track of their steps through a comprehensive environmental assessment.
Feature Film: Freeloaders
Matthew Pritzker, Executive Producer; Michyl-Shannon Quilty, Production Coordinator
Set materials were reused from previous productions and were recycled and/or donated afterwards. A comprehensive waste management plan was put in place and a production-wide environmental purchasing policy was put in place as well. The production made use of hybrid automobiles and provided access to bicycles for all cast and crew interested. The production even used their green credentials to influence others by ensuring that all office cleaners were non-toxic and biodegradable.
Feature Film: SS: Humanity
Matthew Ladensack, Director
Starting with the EMA Green Production Guidelines, the production created their own ideas for how to make it as environmentally friendly as possible. Crew gifts were given to incentivize good behavior, and the crew responded by not using water bottles and carpooling to and from the shoot. Almost all props and set pieces were recycled from previous productions and if wood had to be purchased, recycled wood was the preference. The production also created its own environmental assessment of its actions.
Feature Film: Sweet Marshall
Artur Kade, Executive Producer; Sarah Foster-Hogg, Andrew Kelly, Producers
Being a local project, the cast and crew carpooled and even took mass transit to get to locations. Comprehensive recycling was put into place and all set materials and props were reused. It's estimated that less than five percent of waste was taken to a landfill.
Documentary: Intelligent Life: Change Your Mind, Change Your World
Brian Malone, Producer
The group set up comprehensive recycling, implemented energy saving practices, and used full use of digital technology in the editing and review process. The filmmakers banked their location shoots with other client productions to reduce overall travel and the production operated with used cameras and recycled film stock when it wasn't using digital cameras. When traveling, hybrid cars were used and whenever else bikes were used, even to transport gear.
Short Film: Three-Fifty
Melinda Augustina, Executive Producer
In an effort to be a fully solar-powered production, the cast and crew used solar powered chargers to power all peripherals and all pre-production was held at The Electric Lodge, a solar powered theater center. All materials used were recyclable and waste diversion was 100 percent for the shoot. When getting around, a hybrid car was used and all transportation miles were kept to an absolute minimum.
Short Film: National Wildlife Federation's 2009 CampusChillOut.org
Melinda Esquibel, Producer
The production used the tapeless RED camera and used LED banks to meet their lighting needs. Organic catering was provided and a solar tent powered the catering truck. The entire production's energy needs were met with solar powered generators. No bottled water was used during the shoot as the catering truck provided filtered water and reusable waters to all cast and crew. The production went paperless and used FTP sites and email to edit and the only tape that was used was the one delivered to the network.
EMA Green Seal Award Recipient for Event
Screen Actors Guild Awards 2009 Mick McCullough, Kathy Connell, Producers
Seeking to immediately reduce the environmental impact of the event producers of the event implemented a comprehensive recycling and composting program, served local and organic foods, reused stage components and red carpets, and purchased materials with recycled content. All set pieces were stored for future use and whatever wasn't reused was broken down and recycled.
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