The seventh annual  EMA IMPACT Summit drew a sold-out crowd in line with the industry's growing enthusiasm for sustainability. Every year, IMPACT brings movers and shakers from entertainment and beyond to address our environmental anxieties and solutions being made. I am amazed at how each year is better than the last as thought leaders from different sectors (including gaming and government!) come together to discuss what we can do to care for our planet!

 While the event provided many incredible takeaways, I will share five key lessons that stood out to me at the EMA IMPACT Summit 2024, presented by Toyota North America.

Every social movement, including environmentalism, requires leaders to step up and ask, "How can we do this better?" Diamond Spratling, MPH, Founder & Executive Director of Girl Plus Environment, is one of those leaders. Diamond acted after observing a disconnect between the environmental movement and her community's struggles. Today, Girl Plus Environment has established a community of Black and Brown girls, women, and non-binary individuals looking to engage their communities on climate change, racial equity, and health disparities.

We enjoyed speaking with Diamond to learn more about her work and how our audience can get involved!

April is Earth Month, the month when Fashion Revolution Week takes place. It is the perfect time to double down on ethics and sustainability in the fashion industry. Here are some of the top sustainable fashion stories from April.

With the 2024 EMA IMPACT Summit only a few weeks away, we want to highlight a few of our incredible speakers! First is Shelie Miller, Jonathan W. Bulkley Collegiate Professor of Sustainability at the University of Michigan. Shelie will host a "What's my carbon footprint" game show with two of EMA's celebrity Board Members to see who did their homework. 

Everything in this life is interconnected, a poignant reminder for May, which hosts World Biodiversity Day. Just like how every species, from the tiniest insects to the mightiest trees, plays a crucial role in maintaining the balance of our ecosystems, every action we take has a ripple effect on the world around us. It's a time to recognize and celebrate the intricate web of life on Earth, highlighting the importance of preserving biodiversity for the well-being of all species, including our own.

So, you want to focus on sustainability for your next movie or TV production. Great! But where to start? How about from the beginning? Before you put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard), you must educate yourself on sustainable production and seek guidance from industry standards such as our EMA Green Seal and third-party help from a sustainable production company. To help you on your way, we've elicited advice from our friends at Green Eyes Production for a series on sustainable movie making, from pre-production to release. 

We had the pleasure of speaking with Lucy about her project and how young people can play a significant role in combating climate change. 

Who says one person can't make a difference? Less than six months ago, Lucy Clarke launched The Greenify Project from her bedroom in the UK. Clarke is an authentic content creator who focuses on promoting sustainable and conscious choices. She serves as a leading example for media companies committed to making a positive impact. 

We had the pleasure of speaking with Lucy about her project and how young people can play a significant role in combating climate change. 

As April unfolds, we find ourselves presented with an opportunity to explore a collection of films on streaming platforms that resonate with the spirit of Earth Month. This guide will navigate several documentaries and fictional narratives that shed light on environmental issues and our interconnectedness with the planet.

March was a month full of sustainable fashion wins, with online platforms, mainstream retailers, consumers, and Congress all getting on board. The 2024 Green Carpet Fashion Awards, one of the most significant events in sustainable fashion, took place with a star-studded guest list, including Zendaya, Donatella Versace, John Legend, and more. Plus, designer, and creative director Gabriela Hearst was honored in a big way for her moves to revolutionize sustainable fashion.

The new year is off to an excellent start for sustainability and innovation! On February 5th, 2024, we marked a significant music industry milestone with the first (inaugural) Music Sustainability Summit in Downtown Los Angeles. This groundbreaking event, organized by the Music Sustainability Alliance, served as a hub for tools, best practices, case studies, and events to foster relationships for a sustainable future in the music industry. The overwhelming demand for attendance, exceeding capacity, necessitated a move to The Novo at L.A. Live, underscoring the industry's eagerness for sustainability. 

Gayatri Sehgal, a unique voice at the intersection of mindfulness, veganism, and climate justice, brings a distinct perspective to these interconnected issues. As a Yoga scholar-practitioner, artist, and climate justice activist, Gayatri harnesses wellness as a potent tool for empowerment and advocacy. Their work is about amplifying the voices of the voiceless and inspiring others to use mindfulness as a catalyst for activism. Through their initiative, Bodhisattvism, Gayatri empowers ecologically and socially engaged individuals in their biopsychosocial resilience through Yoga and mindfulness facilitation, all guided by the principles of total liberation and climate psychology. We had the honor of chatting with Gayatri to delve deeper into their impactful work. 

February was a fashion-filled month with its fair share of sustainable fashion moments and fast fashion scandals. Everybody is joining the conversation, including Billie Eilish, Lana Del Rey, French politicians, the Kardashians, and Monica Lewinsky. From the red carpet to the Super Bowl, here are the top fashion moments from February 2024.

Storytelling is a powerful force. It shapes cultures, drives conversation, and pushes movements forward. It also reflects the realities of our time. We started 2024 by honoring and paying tribute to all who use their reach to promote impactful storytelling. The 2024 Environmental Media Association Awards saw many environmentally-conscious influencers, celebrity activists, and corporate executives unite to make our planet a place that supports us all entirely and equitably. 

The EMA Awards are all about celebrating environmental storytelling, from feature films on the silver screen to sustainable looks on the green carpet. 

The EMAs are one of the only awards shows where every outfit has a sustainability story: outfit repeats, sustainable brands, thrift finds, and vintage pieces all had their moment on the green carpet. Read on for some of the best sustainable looks from the 33rd EMA Awards.

2023 was a historic year for our industry. The entertainment industry endured two pivotal strikes for better business practices from the Writer's Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA, which have not occurred simultaneously since 1960. Further, this summer saw the phenomenon of Barbenheimer (both films that received our EMA Green Seal) and fellow Swifties coming out in support of the Eras tour, both in concert and at the theaters.

As the industry reflects on what led to success for these narratives and those involved in the filmmaking process, they also looked at how to innovate storytelling moving forward in a world increasingly impacted by climate change. Here are five ways Hollywood drives sustainability forward in 2024 in the latest EMA exclusive.

While many of us were out holiday shopping and hunting for Boxing Day deals, fashion leaders gazed into their crystal balls to determine where the industry would go next. From the world stage at COP28 to local shopping streets, the end of the year showed glimmers of progress and promise, but much left to be desired. As we move from 2023 into a new year, these decisions will shape the fashion industry's future.

As an organization that takes critical climate news and science and turns it into shareable content for the public, we applaud any account doing the same. That's why we connected with Amea, who is doing a fantastic job reaching a broad audience with fun and engaging climate content on social media. 

Read our interview with Mae to learn about the struggles and joys of climate messaging. 

We are excited to share and amplify the advances in cleantech happening in the entertainment industry and how they benefit industries beyond. Earlier this month, the Clean Mobile Power Initiative, an organization dedicated to establishing zero-emission mobile energy at scale in entertainment, launched the Cleantech Demo Days for Film and TV Production at the renowned Sunset Studios in Los Angeles, where we hosted the 2022 EMA Awards. This two-day event showcased all the incredible innovations in cleantech aimed at divesting from fossil fuel energy and greening the entertainment industry.