One of the key challenges for greening filmmaking is the time-constraints of production. When you're in the trenches with scads of production personal and high-paid talent on the clock, you'd better have planned well in pre-production. In this respect, the culture of media-making is an apt one for addressing climate change and beyond such as moving toward Cradle to Cradle redesign because without good planning and a great blueprint of a script, your multi-million project will sink at the box office. Universal Studios hopes to float the release of its Steve Carell laugher "Evan Almighty" with the green initiative Get On Board which the studio indicates is a pan-company effort to extend well beyond the film's run in theaters. When you're losing the light and scurrying to get the shot, keeping green is the last thing on your mind as you toss a spent cadmium-ridden 9-volt battery in with the food waste from the craft-service table or use the gas-guzzling picture car because the hero hybrid has yet to show up on set and there's no time to wait. But this frantic pace has been the norm for over a century of motion-picture production, so let's hope harvesting the wisdom of almighty Hollywood can yield better green production models across all business sectors.

Variety reports that roughly $25 million in marketing support is being provided by Universal parent GE (through its Ecomagination campaign and a sponsor of ours), Sheraton Hotels & Resorts, Travelocity, Environmental Defense Fund, Bear Naked, L.A. Zoo, San Diego Zoo, BP Solar and Dell Computers by giving audiences tips on how to help slow the effects of global warming -- while letting them know "Almighty" is hitting theaters.

The "Almighty" campaign includes the Web site Getonboardnow.org, launched by Universal and the Conservation Fund on Earth Day in April, which encourages visitors to reduce greenhouse gases and plant trees, as part of the "Almighty Forest," for a $5 tax-deductible donation. Contributors will have their name included on the pic's DVD. And when you're done with the DVD I would suggest making an effort to at least downcycle using GreenDisk -- info here and here.

More than 15,000 trees have already been planted by the Conservation Fund because of the donations, representing the restoration of nearly 40 acres of forestland.

Thirsty for more? Check out these related articles:

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• Alter Eco: Greening Entourage
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