By Gina Piccalo HOLLYWOOD--Celebrity excess often overshadows the Hollywood green movement, undermining the best of intentions. But, private jet rides notwithstanding, there's lots of cutting-edge environmentalism happening here behind the scenes--and an increasingly urgent, even competitive, interest in doing more.Or at least that's the idea behind the Hollywood Goes Green summit, a two-day conference that starts next week at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. It comes at a pivotal time, with environmental activism fractured into "light" and "dark" green: The light side advocating eco-chic consumerism as a means of gradually effecting change and the dark seeking an immediate paradigm shift. Meanwhile, the entertainment industry is in a state of barely restrained panic as market share continues to plummet and advertising and audiences head to the Internet, leaving executives scrambling to find cost-saving and attention-grabbing opportunities. It's as good a time as any to find some common ground."Living a more sustainable life has been a hot consumer topic for some time now, and businesses have started to figure it out as well," said Lauren Zalaznick, who heads NBC Universal's Green Council. "But it's key that the entertainment industry embraces these issues, as we can use our massive content, marketing and distribution resources to help communicate in an entertaining yet digestible manner how to help effect change."Conference attendees hope it will stimulate a crucial dialogue. As Rich Lechner, a vice president of IBM, points out, Hollywood's decision-makers have the power to shift attitudes globally."To the degree they take a leadership role in becoming greener, they will influence the way the rest of the world goes," he said.Organizers expect about 300 attendees, including TV, film and music executives, eco-entrepreneurs, and environmental and tech engineers. Warner Bros. Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Co., MTV and NBC Universal are among the major industry players involved, all of them driven to find new ways to curb the entertainment industry's vast consumption of resources and make (or, more likely, save) some money in the process."This is the time we need to take action," said Zahara Stroud, president of iHollywood Forum, the company producing the event. "People are bothered by the fact that they're wasting energy and they want to find ways in their day-to-day operations as a company towards making change." A*LATWP News ServiceThe greening of Hollywood
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