25th Annual SAG Awards® Partners with American Forests to Enhance and Restore the Environment Through the Planting of 25,000 Trees

LOS ANGELES – The Screen Actors Guild Awards®, as part of its commitment to sustainable practices, today announced an environmental partnership with nonprofit conservation organization American Forests, which will salute the SAG Awards’ Silver Anniversary by providing 1,000 trees for each of the ceremony’s 25 years. These 25,000 trees will be planted in the spring, in locations across the United States, and will benefit everyone by improving the quality of air, water and wildlife habitat.
 
The two organizations first joined forces in 2017 when American Forests planted 1,250 trees—one for each of that year’s SAG Awards’ attendees—in the fire-damaged Angeles National Forest. “The SAG Awards is proud to be joining with American Forests once again to make a positive impact on the world we all share,” said Kathy Connell, SAG Awards® Executive Producer. “We welcome this opportunity to help offset the carbon footprint of the 25th SAG Awards production. The devastation wreaked by the recent tragic fires is a timely reminder of how important it is to be good guardians of our environment. Trees, like the art of acting, sustain and inspire us.”
 
Jad Daley, President & CEO of American Forests, said, “We are pleased to expand our relationship with the SAG Awards and to be part of their 25th Anniversary show. American Forests is honored to partner with the SAG Awards to bring attention to the growing climate crisis, and the role that healthy, resilient forests can play in slowing climate change and protecting our communities. Together we will replant trees on forestlands damaged by climate change, using tree species selected to maximize natural carbon capture and resilience to climate threats like wildfire.”
 
The 25th Annual SAG Awards ceremony will be nationally simulcast live on TNT and TBS on Sunday, Jan. 27, 2019 at 8 p.m. (ET) / 5 p.m. (PT).
 
The SAG Awards: A Leader in Sustainable Production Practices
The Screen Actors Guild Awards is committed to reducing its environmental footprint. Since the 15th SAG Awards in 2009, each annual ceremony has been honored with the Environmental Media Association (EMA)’s Green Seal, recognizing progress in sustainable production. The SAG Awards is the only televised special event to have received this honor for ten consecutive years. In October 2013, the SAG Awards received the EMA’s prestigious Green Production Award, honoring the Awards’ ongoing outstanding efforts to implement green initiatives and promote environmental awareness.
 
Conservation Makes a Difference
The SAG Awards early adoption of online credentialing, submissions, and voting; and recently, its required mailing specs and digital delivery of “for your consideration” and media materials have saved nearly seven tons of paper per year. Impact on the environment has also been reduced through a production-wide recycling and reuse program; conscientious selection of green decorative materials and use of zero-emission, hydrogen fuel cell-powered red carpet power and lighting.
 
American Forests: Enhancing Life from Cities to Wilderness
Founded in 1875, American Forests is the oldest national nonprofit conservation organization in the country and has served as a catalyst for many key milestones in the conservation movement. Since 1990, American Forests has planted more than 60 million trees in all 50 states and 44 countries, resulting in cleaner air and drinking water, restored habitat for wildlife and fish, and the removal of millions of tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
 
The Why and Where of These Trees
From climate change and equity to biodiversity and water availability, forests are at the center of our most important environmental challenges.
 
The specific trees being planted through the partnership between the SAG Awards and American Forests will be species native to the ecology of their new home.

• California
  • 2,500 Jeffrey pine (Pinus jeffrey)
  • Forest Lawn Boy Scout Reservation, San Bernardino County
  • California’s native mixed conifer forests are being ravaged by fire, as well as by drought and pests. This project is an ongoing demonstration of scientifically developed strategies to repair damage and to develop forests that are more resilient to changes in climate.
• Michigan
  • 12,500 jack pine (Pinus banksiana) and red pine (Pinus resinosa)
  • State-owned land, Northern Lower Peninsula, Foster Township, Ogemaw County
  • These forests are a unique habitat type, essential to diverse flora and fauna including the endangered Kirtland’s warbler. This project preserves existing habitat and supports the habitat’s northward shift due to climate change.
• Montana
  • 2,500 whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis)
  • Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, Madison Ranger District, at the headwaters of the Ruby River in Madison County
  • This project provides protection, scientific development and educational programs addressing high-elevation pines, which are under substantial attack from pest infestations, fatal diseases and intense wildfires.
• South Carolina
  • 5,000 longleaf pine (Pinus palustris)
  • James W. Webb Wildlife Management Area
  • Palachucola Wildlife Management Area, Manchester State Forest. Hampton County, Sumter County
  • Less than 3 percent of longleaf pine remains in its historical range. This project is helping bring back these biologically rich forests, to create intact habitat areas for iconic wildlife like the red-cockaded woodpecker and gopher tortoise.
• Texas
  • 2,500 thornscrub trees, like honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa)
  • Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, Willacy County
  • One of the most biodiverse areas in North America, the Texas thornscrub ecosystem has been fragmented by agricultural use and rapid development. This project will help restore critical habitat for migratory birds and butterflies, as well as for endangered mammals like the ocelot.

Learn more about the work of American Forests at americanforests.org.

About the  25th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards®
The 25th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, presented by SAG-AFTRA with Screen Actors Guild Awards, LLC will be produced by Avalon Harbor Entertainment, Inc. and nationally simulcast live on TNT and TBS on Sunday, Jan. 27, 2019 at 8 p.m. (ET) / 5 p.m. (PT). Nominations will be announced on Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018.
 
One of the awards season’s premier events, the SAG Awards annually celebrates the outstanding motion picture and television performances from the previous calendar year. Of the top industry honors presented to actors, only the SAG Awards are selected entirely by performers’ peers in SAG-AFTRA. The SAG Awards was the first televised awards show to acknowledge the work of union members and the first to present awards to motion picture casts and television ensembles. For more information about the SAG Awards, SAG-AFTRA, TNT and TBS, visit sagawards.org/about.
 
Thumbnails of the photos and graphics available for the 25th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards are at sagawards.org/media/newsinfo/photos-and-artwork.