Green Piece

April 21, 2009 Picture this: A tabloid prints a paparazzi photo of a canvas-bag-toting celebrity getting into a hybrid vehicle outside a farmers' market. The EMA doesn't snap the photos or place them in the publications, but for the past 20 years it has been subtly setting the stage for such shots by encouraging people in show business to set an environmental example for the world at large through their actions and their work, whether it be by pitching "green" story ideas to writers and producers, arranging for stars to come to awards shows in eco-friendly vehicles (e.g. Meryl Streep arriving at this year's Oscars in a new Toyota hybrid), working with producers to reduce the carbon footprint of their productions or "mentoring" young celebrities on how to live sustainable lives. Lyn's husband, producer Norman Lear, had spurred the national dialogue about such social issues as racism and abortion in the 1970s through his sitcoms "All in the Family" and "Maude."

Subscribe to the Hollywood Reporter and see the entertainment industry from its best angle: the inside looking out. Complete access to real-time news and exclusive analysis that goes behind the scenes from film to television, home video to digital media.

   Subscribe now.