Did you know that the mega-successful movie Valentines Day, directed by the incomparable Garry Marshall, is the first movie ever to go green? Well, it was. Garry said that even in the beginning Warner Brothers and New Line Cinema were both behind the idea of an eco-friendly movie set. Marshall explained that both the studio and production company understood that this might cost more, but that it needed to be done.  However, in the end, Marshall says that it turned out that they were able to break even, in the sense that the addition cost incurred was nullified by the savings that an eco-friendly production like this can yield.

So how did they merge the idea of social responsibility with an eco-friendly focus? It was done in ways both big and small.  Marshall mentioned that they did something as simple as change the plates used by craft services to biodegradable plates. Ashton Kutcher, One of the many stars of the movie, explained to Mother Nature Network’s Ecollywood that “there was a lot of dedication on this movie to using solar panels and clean energy and recycling. The fact that the movie was shot in L.A. actually made that easier to make happen. I think that every opportunity we have in our industry to make what we’re doing a more environmentally conscious effort is a good thing.”

The film utilized reusable set pieces, solar-powered lighting, hybrid or biodiesel vehicles, solar and biodiesel generators to achieve an eco-friendly movie set. Warner Brothers estimates that it reduced the carbon dioxide emissions by 67 metric tons. This all showcases the idea of corporate social responsibility (CSR) because every level of this production understood why they should be implementing these changes. Garry Marshall has been quoted as saying “there are a lot of things wrong with our environment, so to ‘go green’ seemed to be a very good thing. It’s not that big and effort; if we could do it, others can do it”.

This movie has received tons of press because of its all-star cast including Jessica Alba, Kathy Bates, Jessica Biel, Bradley Cooper, Eric Dane, Patrick Dempsey, Hector Elizondo, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Topher Grace, Anne Hathaway, Ashton Kutcher, Queen Latifah, George Lopez, Shirley MacLaine, Taylor Lautner, Taylor Swift, Emma Roberts and Julia Roberts, bringing heavyweight star power to a film with an eco-friendly production behind it. The first ‘green movie’ also has the distinction of being the biggest box office opening of a romantic comedy ever, proving that being green can make serious green. This just might serve as a template for future productions on how to make an eco-friendly movie that is profitable.

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