IMPACT 2022 Newsletter
When Mike Tripp, Vice President of Vehicle Marketing & Communications, Toyota Motor Sales, said, "all of us are better than any one of us," the proof looked back at him during his rousing keynote. It's safe to say that there are rarely so many good ideas in one room. From saving sharks to 3-D printed garments, the 2022 EMA IMPACT Summit offered boundless evidence that we have the solutions to save our planet. Further, the Summit gave weight to Mike's point that these ideas are better when they work together.
These days, it's rare to spend any time, let alone two full days, talking about the environment and still feel hopeful. Also, many people, especially younger people, struggle with climate anxiety. That's why we doubled down on IMPACT's mission of spreading hope and solutions. As a result, attendees left the Summit with new friendships and a sense that we could fix this. We appreciate that so many incredible people, companies, and organizations share this same approach, and we couldn't have hosted IMPACT without them.
We are so grateful to our incredible partners at The Hollywood Reporter for putting together the Pictures for the Planet series. EMA has worked to green the film industry both in front of and behind the camera since 1989. That's why it was a no-brainer to host a series of discussions with filmmakers, producers, actors, and advocates focused on the power of media and storytelling to help our planet. Pictures for the Planet covered a lot of ground. From saving sharks with Eli Roth (watch his documentary "Fin") to launching our EMA Green Rider with President, SAG-AFTRA, Fran Drescher to sustainable food with Wolfgang Puck, we packed a lot in during our first morning.
IMPACT proved that the power of storytelling isn't limited to Hollywood; companies have a story to tell as well. For example, our longtime partners at Toyota continued their history of innovation, sustainability, and accessibility with a series of discussions. General Manager, Toyota Los Angeles Region Diana Davis, set the tone early by stating, "Toyota's goal by 2030 is to have 80% of our cars electrified." But, as it always is with Toyota, settling is never an option; Toyota has its ambitions set beyond carbon neutrality and envisions sustainable mobility for all. EMA is proud to partner with Toyota on this shared goal.
While the tech-savvy attendees enjoyed listening to Toyota's current and future tech aspirations, our newest EMA Board Member Ronen Rubinstein succinctly summarized the discussion, "fuel-cell technology is awesome." Such technology and craftmanship were displayed in front of the Pendry, showcasing the new bz4x and Mirai. You can learn more about Toyota's electric vehicles here.
Led by Wawa Gatheru, Board Chair of our new EMA Activist Board, our Ethical Climate Storytelling panel discussed what needs to change to make environmental storytelling more equitable. The panel featured EMA Activist Board Members Maya Penn, Kristy Drutman, and Isaias Hernandez. Our four activists offered insights into how Hollywood and corporate America can improve its climate storytelling by including more diverse voices and perspectives. For example, Kristy explained, "brands can't just be sustainable anymore; they have to be ethical if they are to remain relevant to young audiences."
Another aspect of the climate story is health. As we have for the past few years, IMPACT emphasized how climate change is making us sick and how we can use this knowledge to inspire a broader audience to take action. Led by EMA Board Member Dr. Jay Lemery and fellows from the University of Colorado's Climate & Health Program, we focused on climate health solutions during our daily "Climate Docs" series. Since people still trust their doctors, it's critical for medical professionals to know the connection between climate and health and how to communicate that to their patients.
Each year, the fashion industry generates five billion pounds of waste through returns. You read that correctly, five BILLION. So it's no surprise that IMPACT dedicated the final portion of day two to exploring sustainable solutions in the fashion industry. With the help of Livia Firth and the team at EcoAge, our Summit hosted the Green Carpet Fashion Awards Talks (GCFA) kickoff, featuring Aditi Mayer, EMA Board Member Amber Valletta, and Christopher Bevans. The talks focused on what brands and individuals can do to limit the impact of fashion. Amber concisely answered the question of "where's the most sustainable place to shop" with "your closet."
And, as it is with most environmental issues, fast fashion is also a human rights problem. As Aditi Mayer said, "fast fashion is a system predicated on speed and scale at all costs, even human lives. Fashion compounds every other inequality in our system today. The fashion industry is built on the exploitation of labor and landscapes." We must do better to include human rights in the discussion of sustainable fashion.
As we mentioned, sustainable concepts work best when collaborating, and you need a venue to host such ideas. Well, what's a better location than a luxury hotel committed to sustainability? We are so grateful for our long-time partnership with Montage International. Montage's commitment to sustainability spans all its properties. As EMA Corporate Board Member and Founder, Chairman & CEO, Montage International, Alan Fuerstman announced, "every one of our properties has achieved the EMA green seal for hospitality. We are the first in hospitality to receive this distinction."
We can't thank the excellent staff at the elegant Pendry West Hollywood enough. From the impeccable service to the delicious food, you made the IMPACT experience sustainably luxurious.
Putting on a two-day conference is no small feat, so we thank everyone who helped get us there. We'd also like to thank our friends at Clover Sonoma for supplying us with delicious Moon Milk, Santa Rita Reserva Wines for keeping us comfortably tipsy with delectable and sustainable wines, and Tony's Chocolonely for the branded chocolate bars. We are lucky that our partners offer such delicious products.
Further, we'd like to thank our amazing friends at SenovvA, volunteers, sponsors, and attendees. We can't wait to share the panels as upcoming EMA Talks, presented by City National Bank.
