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Hollywood and Air Pollution

Hollywood celebrities are often some of the most visible and influential voices for change when it comes to environmental causes. But a new study finds the television and movie industry is also a big contributor to greenhouse gases.

Outdoor, live-action productions, special effects explosions and idling vehicles contribute toward the 140,000 metric tons of ozone and diesel particulates spewed forth by Hollywood industries each year, according to a report by the UCLA Institute of the Environment. While Hollywood does a top-notch job of recycling and reusing its sets and has been at the forefront of using new “green” technologies, the report found plenty of room for improvement remains.

One problem is that the industry, made of up numerous companies that come and go, lacks consistent oversight or regulations for clean-energy practices. But the report also mentioned several examples of model practices, such as the producers of the “The Matrix” movies recycling 97 percent of set materials and the makers of the 2004 film, “The Day After Tomorrow” spending $200,000 to plant trees as carbon offsets for the emissions generated during film production.

The report’s findings point out that no matter how environmentally conscious an organization (or individual) may be, when it comes to reducing greenhouse gases we can probably all do better.

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To read more about this and other environmental health issues, go to: www.environmentalhealthnews.org, www.ourstolenfuture.org, or www.healthandenvironment.org