On April 28, SAG-AFTRA, alongside the Motion Picture Association and other industry unions and organizations, announced the launch of Green Council initiative. The official announcement was made in Washington, D.C., at a star-studded event attended by high-profile union members and environmentalist groups at the Motion Picture Association’s headquarters during the annual White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner weekend. Founded by SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher, the council is composed of union member leaders and performers well known for their environmental activism: Cate Blanchett, Robert Redford, Meryl Streep, Jason Momoa, Jeff Bridges, Diane Keaton, Kevin Bacon, Kyra Sedgwick, Salma Hayek, Gloria Estefan, Peter Sarsgaard, Rosario Dawson, Billy Porter, Aida Rodriguez, Rachel Bloom, Chris Colfer, David Dastmalchian and Ellen Crawford. The WGA West and the DGA are among those listed as partners of the council, with Drescher’s Cancer Schmancer Movement and eco-advocacy groups such as the Plastic Pollution Council taking on advisory roles.
The council’s mission and top priorities are the reduction of single-use plastics and the normalization of reusable materials and sustainable practices, both within the industry and among audiences.
“The Green Council is a collaboration of show business entities in pursuit of advancement of eco-responsible entertainment,” said Drescher in her keynote address during the launch. “Our industry is unlike most others [in that] we have a capacity of shaping a culture, shifting a paradigm and influencing audiences around the world. Together, the entertainment industry, when paired with the press and social media, can make a difference.”
This item was originally featured in the SAG-AFTRA summer 2023 magazine.