Electronic media infrastructures and gear are important components of global ICT as movies, television, music, and books all go digital. This post offers a global sampling of sustainability in e-media; see much more by clicking on the "Green media" tag, above.

Post magazine reported in 2011 that "Hollywood Center Studios has built two large solar power systems that will generate electricity for its 11 stages…expected to generate more than 350,000 kilowatt hours per year…The studio has an ongoing program to replace the thousands of incandescent light bulbs on the lot with low-power LED units. It also operates a recycling program that salvages material that would be otherwise thrown away." Post quotes a studio executive on the business benefits: "Solar energy also appeals to the environmental concerns [of] many of the production companies that use our stages." (More Green Media from Post magazine.)

NBC/Universal reports that The Tonight Show with Jay Leno "Reduced the show’s paper usage by 16 reams a week (or 1 tree a week, adding up to 50 trees every year) by utilizing digital distributions for paper-related materials." The production also "Transitioned to rechargeable batteries, which is currently saving 120 batteries a week or 5,400 a year."

We've repeatedly noted that ICT core facilities are not limited to data centers. Reports UK's Guardian about a NewsCorp facility, "Harlequin 1…is hailed by owner British Sky Broadcasting as Europe's most sustainable broadcast facility…The company…has worked with architects Arup to ensure that all methods of reducing energy use and generating renewable energy were explored…Harlequin 1 has a calculated CO2 emissions rate of 26.3 Kg CO2/m2 per annum – the lowest achieved for a broadcasting centre in Europe, says BSkyB." Its many sustainability features earned the facility a Sustainability Project of the Year recognition from the BusinessGreen Leaders Awards 2011.

Pixar/Disney's John Lasseter has called Hayao Miyazaki "the worlds greatest animator". Much of Miyazaki's work, especially the now-classic Princess Mononoke, has powerful environmental themes. Miyazaki, a renewable energy supporter, has been inspired by Japan's earthquake/tsunami to call for filming without the use of nuclear power. Hear this and other engaging topics in the three Miyazaki interview videos at CNN International.

WEILANDFILM is a German media company that embraces green production practices.

Canada emerged as a center for global film and video production in the 1990s. Green Screen Toronto is an initiative designed to advance sustainability within that media hub. GST's Resource Guide, while focused on Ontario, gives content creators everywhere an idea of the kinds of options that they can seek out within their own locales or when doing work in the Toronto area.

2010

HP on Avatar's New Zealand render farm: "The HP team worked extensively with Weta Digital to run the system at optimum power efficiency, resulting in dramatic power and cooling savings. Through water-cooled radiators, closed rack space, and passive rooftop heat exchangers, the data center stayed cool while running full time and often at full capacity, with no air conditioning. The cooling cost was equivalent to that of turning on a few electric water pumps."

2009

A Berlin group literally "rode" a music video production's CO2e down over 50% and its electricity consumption down 99%. See "pedal power" in action and the resulting video. Not necessary a technique for everyone, but a playful reminder that creativity knows no bounds in reducing media production impacts.