Sustainability is part of the program

Monuments Men, Gone Girl, Black Swan, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes as well as Best Exotic Marigold Hotel 2 are among Twentieth Century Fox’ feature films by which have been produced in a sustainable way. In 2010, Fox Studios partnered with the U.S. Department of Energy through their Commercial Buildings Partnership program to design, construct, and deploy new energy efficient technologies for cooling their office buildings and film stages.  The efforts are saving the Studio an estimated 2.6 million kWh in energy a year – a cost savings of more than $1,000 a day.

But also water conservation is a key component of Fox’s sustainability program, and the Studio is continually working to reduce its water use.  Most recently, Fox has installed cloud connected irrigation systems across the entire campus.  These systems constantly monitor the weather and automatically adjust watering times based on weather, plant type and soil conditions.  This system will save more than 1 million gallons of water a year.  In addition, grass and lawns are being replaced across the entire campus. The current artificial turf installations have reduced water use by more than 500,000 gallons a year.

24 was the first ever television production to go completely carbon neutral and, with the show’s return as 24: Live Another Day, the team at Twentieth Century Fox Television took the opportunity to continue the groundbreaking green production work they had begun five years before.  Sets were constructed using 100% Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified lumber and were either recycled or sold to other productions after filming wrapped. In addition, the team was able to divert 98% of the production’s waste from landfill by donating all leftover food and drinks to local charities, recycling or donating leftover props and costumes, and replacing plastic water bottles with refillable bottles.  Efforts to minimize air travel and replace generators with grid power tie-ins also helped decrease the production’s carbon footprint.

For the tenth consecutive year, FOX Broadcasting celebrated the start of the new television season with the Fall Eco-Casino Party. Over the course of the evening, FOX raised $25,000 to donate to Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles, Heal the Bay, The Nature Conservancy, and the Environmental Media Association.  As in past years, FOX worked to minimize the event’s carbon footprint by using bio-diesel-powered trucks to transport equipment, choosing LED lights over traditional incandescent bulbs, distributing invitations digitally, using casino chips made from recycled materials, purchasing local, organic, and sustainable food products, printing reusable signage, renting furniture and decor, composting all food and beverage waste, and recycling all cans, bottles, cardboard and paper used by staff and guests.

Furthermore, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment and Rio 2 teamed up with Conservation International and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to help raise awareness about the real life Blu and Jewel — the critically endangered Spix’s Macaw — and other native species in the Amazon rainforest.  The Spix’s macaw is thought to be extinct in the wild and there are currently only 79 known Spix’s on Earth. In addition to developing videos and PSAs, which are featured on all Rio 2 DVDs and Blu-Rays, Fox donated $100,000 to WWF to support the organization’s Amazon conservation efforts.