January 11, 2011

Brita^® FilterForGood^® Film Project Teams up with Environmental Media Association to Inspire Social Change at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival

Through the power of film, the Brita® FilterForGood® Film Project is raising awareness about environmental challenges.

FilterForGood^® Film Project Screens at 2011 Sundance Film Festival

Brita^® FilterForGood^® joined The Sundance Channel and Environmental Media Association (EMA) to launch the FilterForGood^® Film Project. The FilterForGood^® Film Project asked people to share an environmental challenge facing their communities and explain why a short film about it could inspire social change. Submissions were voted on by the Facebook community and the top three most compelling stories were turned into short films directed by veteran Sundance Film Festival filmmakers — Jeremy Konner, Amy Grappell and Destin Cretton — and aired in 2011 on the Sundance Channel.

In January 2011, actress Emmanuelle Chriqui, a member of the EMA Young Hollywood Board, hosted an exclusive Brita^® FilterForGood^® event at the Sundance Channel HQ to debut the FilterForGood^® Film Project shorts. Through EMA’s partnership with FilterForGood, Chriqui shed light about how films can inspire a path toward a healthier planet.

“I hope the Brita^® FilterForGood^® Film Project films elevate the conversation about challenges facing America’s communities and how we can all work together to make a positive difference for future generations,” said Chriqui. “Film is a powerful tool that can be used to educate people about environmental issues and get them to take action.”

Reducing Bottled Water Waste at the Sundance Film Festival

For the third year in a row, with the help of FilterForGood^®, a partnership between Brita^® and Nalgene^®, Sundance Institute reduced bottled water waste by providing Brita-filtered tap water and Nalgene-reusable bottles to Festival attendees. “Each year, we ask ourselves, ‘what steps can we take to make the Festival more sustainable?’” said Sarah Pearce, Director of Operations for the Sundance Film Festival. “Since teaming up with Brita^® and Nalgene in 2009, we have been able to decrease our carbon footprint by reducing bottled water waste. There is no better feeling than seeing returning attendees bring their FilterForGood^® bottle back to the Festival. It reminds us that we must continue to provide festival-goers with every opportunity to make green, healthy choices.”

Through FilterForGood^®’s involvement at the Sundance Film Festival, 40,000 Festival attendees made an immediate difference by receiving a limited-edition FilterForGood^® Nalgene^® bottle and refilling it at Brita^® Hydration Hubs located throughout the Festival.

How to Get Involved

In 2010, the U.S. alone used more than 39 billion plastic bottles of water¹. That’s enough to stretch around the earth more than190 times. Switching from bottled water to a reusable bottle filled with Brita-filtered tap water is a simple, healthy and affordable way to replace as many as 300 16.9 oz. bottles of water. You can participate in the movement by taking the FilterForGood^® pledge to reduce bottled water waste.

Brita^® FilterForGood^®

Each year, Americans purchase billions of plastic water bottles. Aside from the environmental impact of all that waste, Americans are spending a great deal on bottled water. Brita^® partnered with Nalgene^® to launch the FilterForGood^® campaign, which encourages people to reduce their bottled water waste by switching to reusable bottles filled with filtered water. Since the campaign launched in 2007, more than 190,000 people have taken the pledge to reduce their bottled water waste, keeping an estimated 200 million disposable bottles out of landfills.

Environmental Media Association

The Environmental Media Association (EMA) is a Non-Profit 501(c)3 Organization founded in 1989 by Cindy and Alan Horn and Lyn and Norman Lear. EMA is dedicated to harnessing the power of celebrity and the media to promote sustainable lifestyles and believes through positive role modeling the entertainment community can inspire consumers to take action. The organization has grown into a diverse group of industry professionals from film, television and music dedicated to the mission of promoting environmental awareness through the entertainment business and the media. EMA serves as a valuable link between the entertainment industry and the environmental community.

Sundance Institute

Founded by Robert Redford in 1981, Sundance Institute is a not-for-profit organization that fosters the development of original storytelling in film and theatre, and presents the annual Sundance Film Festival. Internationally recognized for its artistic development programs for directors, screenwriters, producers, film composers, playwrights and theatre artists, Sundance Institute has nurtured such projects as Angels in America, Spring Awakening, Boys Don’t Cry and Born into Brothels.