Author: greengalaxyent

DCDC Takes Cinemacon by Storm | Box Office Insider

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Have you seen the blizzard of coverage about DCDC at CinemaCon? If not, then you may not know what Digital Cinema Distribution Coalition is, but they’ll be delivering digital entertainment via satellite across North America to approximately 17,000 screens and 13,000 venues by the summer. Not only will they be delivering movies, they’re also delivering big event programming as well. DCDC was founded by AMC Theatres, Cinemark, Regal Entertainment Group, Universal Pictures and Warner Bros. Entertainment. Subscribers to the DCDC network include Sony Pictures, Disney, Lionsgate and Fox as content providers and lists exhibitors such as National Amusements and Southern Theatres as DCDC customers.

Randy Blotky is CEO of the Digital Content Distribution Coalition and appeared on a panel discussing satellite delivery and DCDC’s capability of simultaneously delivering four separate live HD streams to four separate movie screens. Formats for the content include 3D and 4K. DCDC’s flexibility of the system can even allow exhibitors to stage massively-multiplayer videogames across different screens, and at separate sites. If that’s not enough to snow you over, they also announced they’re acquiring Deluxe/Echostar, the delivery system used by DCDC for satellite distribution, along with DCDC rival network which was owned by Deluxe/Echostar.

via DCDC TAKES CINEMACON BY STORM | Box Office Insider. Guest Blogger, Nicole Hansen


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Power in Pink

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Originally posted at Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angelesdb897-pinkhardhatThree years ago, I was recently divorced, had just sold my own home at a massive financial loss, and was renting for the first time in 14 years. That’s when my friend and fellow single mom Eda Benjakul invited me to a Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles (HFH GLA) fundraiser. I went, hoping it might take my mind off my own troubles. I was first taken in with the positive spirits of leaders Erin Rank and Alison Treleaven, and knew I wanted to be involved. When I heard from the single mom recipients, who dreamed of owning a home for the first time, I was humbled. I hadn’t realized that instead of being given homes, they had to help build their own house as well as build for others in need. The Habitat philosophy of “teach a [woman] to fish” was empowering them to make their home worth working for, and they were paying the mortgages too, something I had since been unable to do for myself.

A few months later, I was invited to participate in a Hollywood for Habitat for Humanity (HFHFH) “Power Women Power Tools” event, and to be honest, I was terrified. I had supervised the design and building of my dream home when I was married, but that was the easy work of picking out faucets, hinges, tiles and doors. I had never hammered in any nails or sawed any wood; that was left to the construction guys. My own husband didn’t know how to use a power drill to hang the curtain rods. I had seen firsthand how precise each cut of wood must be to make the house sturdy and how dangerous a construction site can be. I wondered: how was I going to put on a hard hat and operate power tools? What if I screwed up, sawed off a finger or swung a hammer and accidentally hit someone? I’m known for being clumsy. But I remembered that these homeowners were building houses for themselves and others without any experience either. So I mustered up my courage and went for it.

(l-r) Carey Usher, Nicole Hansen and Eda Benjakul

On the day of the build, I rounded up my then 10 and 12-year-old boys to come with me. Believe it or not, these Habitat people had thought of everything when it came to putting power tools in the hands of moms, even babysitting. My boys complained the whole way down to the site. “Can’t we just stay home and play video games instead?” But then we got there, and during the meal before we started building, two gentlemen from the HFHFH board got up to speak. One was Tom Shadyac, the director of Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, which was one of my youngest son’s favorite movies. He made the boys laugh and psyched them up. The other was screenwriter and director Randall Wallace, an HFHFH founder, who introduced the women whose homes we were building that day. My older son, who wants to write and direct stories that move people, was himself moved by Randall’s mission to serve. As the mothers spoke of how much it meant to them and their children, my kids finally got it. They happily went off to the kid’s tent and didn’t make another peep.

I put on both my pink T-shirt and pink hard hat to scurry off with my team. First, construction supervisors briefed us on how to measure wood, use the power saw, which pieces go vertically in a door frame and where to put the nails. I tried not to panic as I feared I wasn’t strong enough or man enough for this task, but then I turned and saw the woman we were building for. I found my resolve, so I operated the power saw and actually used a nail gun! If we messed something up? No problem. Nothing went to waste; it was recycled or reused elsewhere. I was feeling pretty darn macho after a while. After we framed a few windows, we got to the plywood, and it was starting to look like an actual house. As the walls went up, the construction crew handed us all sharpies to sign our well wishes to the future occupants. I found this part to be the most moving of all. Even when covered by paint, our messages of love would always remain in this home with the family.

When it was time to leave, I walked by all the women I knew on the other teams who were working 6f9cc-habitatjoyand laughing together, and I felt quite satisfied. We actually had fun challenging ourselves and delighted in getting to know the homeowners. I went to the kid’s tent and found my boys didn’t want to leave. Smaller kids were surrounding them as they supervised the building of toys and kid’s furniture for the new home’s children. The babysitters told me that my boys were natural leaders. When we started to head out, the youngsters trailed behind them. Were they really the same boys who had been complaining the whole way there? On the ride home to our modest rental house, my kids told me how proud they were of me for helping those families. Tears streamed from my eyes. I was proud of them too and grateful that we had a roof over our heads, by whatever means we had.

I have volunteered for Habitat for Humanity ever since, helping to build new homes for these incredible and inspiring single moms that I have the utmost respect for. They have stepped up to the challenge of owning their own homes, by taking an active stake in their construction and responsibility of ownership. By working together, both the builders and recipients each share in a very rewarding experience. That’s why each year, you’ll find me revving up the table saw with a little more confidence, as we enthusiastically challenge ourselves with power tools to be empowered women.

Video of Nicole at her first Power Women, Power Tools in 2010


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Cool Ride for a Hot Planet

greengalaxyent 6 Comments

Charging My Chevy Volt

Lately, I’ve been talking an awful lot about my car. My pride in my ride is the kind most men have with their fine set of wheels. At grocery store parking lots, heads turn, and perfect strangers grin curiously. I park and eagerly invite them to take a peek inside. When I spark up the engine, they smile with awe and wonder at the technology as it boots up around them. When it comes to my car, you’d think I was a teenaged boy with his first hot-rod. But the truth is I’m a middle-aged mom who’s an “eco-preneur.” It’s probably not the picture you envisioned, is it?

Being a renewable energy advocate is never a smooth ride. I found this out when my son Nikos directed his global warming PSA “Save It” four years ago and suddenly everyone was asking me for my expertise regarding clean technology. Either that or they accused me of – god forbid – being a “hippie environmentalist” or “brainwashing” my kid. But I had been neither. I was just a divorced, stay-at-home mom just trying to honor the concerns of my children and the effects our polluted air and water is having on them.

My children worried about their future. And when your child is having nightmares to the point that he creates a PSA to let the world know of the terror he feels, you try to soothe those fears. The least I could do was buy a Prius. Big step for me, but a good way to begin to address his concerns about the world he and his brother will inherit. It was a great move then, but alas, cool is what matters when a teenaged boy is ready to drive. According to my son, our Prius was “just plain embarrassing” and he “didn’t want to be seen” driving it. So a year ago last week, when it was time to trade it in, I knew I had better consider the “cool” factor.

53 weeks of driving and I’ve used less than 103 gallons of gasoline

I called my local Chevy dealer and I asked if they had any Volts left. I was dubious, because General Motors had just cut down on production due to slow sales. They had only one, so I got there immediately. By the time I test drove this awesome vehicle, which reminded me of the thrill I had driving my 2002 Saab 9-5, I was sold – or rather leased. I brought my sexy, red machine home and my teens loved it. It was agile, powerful, and when we switched into “mountain” mode, the engine went from an almost silent whirring to a macho sounding muscle car. My boys thought it was even better than the Chevy Camaro because it hardly uses any gas.

Cool it was. When I pulled up to the world famous Polo Lounge an entire platoon of valets swarmed my car, and I was inundated with questions: “How do you like it?” “Do you mind if I take it for a spin around the block?” When I would walk back out to retrieve my Volt, it wasn’t in the garage out of sight –oh no – it was parked in the No. 1 spot, usurping the Rolls Royce, which moved to spot #2, and the Bentley to #3. This happened whenever I valet-parked in Beverly Hills and the greatest part was that the public parking structures had installed EV charging units in the most preferential spots, too. Driving a Chevy Volt in Beverly Hills made me feel like an actual VIP.

At home, I forsook the tax incentives and never installed a level 2 charger, since I’m currently renting. Instead I just used the provided 125V charger and would plug my car in overnight like I do my cell phone. At first I wasn’t sure if this was a good idea. Would my electric bill skyrocket? Surprisingly, it hasn’t. My energy bill has actually stayed within the same range over the year. Because of the Volt, I was finally able to convince my environmentally conscious kids, who somehow couldn’t seem to remember to turn off the lights when they left a room, that this was important for keeping our car off of fossil fuels. So now, they’ve gotten in the habit of doing what I nagged them about for years. Mission accomplished.

After 6 months, my gas consumption was 188 mpg – yes that’s right – ONE HUNDRED eighty-eight! Then I took it on the road twice from Los Angeles to San Francisco. In my late-model Volt with lower charge capacity, I could only go 35 miles on the lithium-ion battery, so I used gas for the rest of the trip. At the truck stops along Interstate-5, guys in muscle cars and trucks would say it’s a fine looking car and maybe they should get one because they’re sick of spending a fortune on gas. There’s definitely a pattern here.

It’s now been just over a year and I’ve driven 11,024 miles, used only 103 gallons of gas and I’m averaging 107 mpg. Even my Prius couldn’t come anywhere close to that! I love that it’s environmentally conscious, but can behave like a macho car when you need it to. It looks super sleek, saves a lot of money on gas and you get movie star treatment just for owning it.  So, next time my Volt pulls into a parking lot don’t be surprised if it’s my image-conscious son who’s driving it. Hmm, I wonder where he gets that from?


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CHANT

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Green Galaxy Enterprises handled the PR for Daniel Morrell’s Chant kick-off at the COP 18 for The United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), mobilizing 30,000 youth groups across the globe for CHANT.

 

CHANT gives voice to a global movement for positive change and built around giving your vocal signature to be mixed with others and published to generate funding. CHANT was founded by Daniel Morrell, the environmental entrepreneur who coined the term “carbon neutral,” and Youth (Martin Glover), supported by principal trustee Craig Sams, founder of the organic chocolate company, Green & Black’s, that launched the fair trade movement.

GGE helped to coordinate global media PR and a VIP Salon in West Hollywood following a global event including surfers holding a note for 7 seconds at Surfrider Beach in Malibu and added to a global choir mixed in London by top UK producer Youth (Martin Glover) all in support of cleaner oceans and cleaner air.

 

Global Chant – Malibu

The placement of these organizations as part of our portfolio does not imply an endorsement by Green Galaxy Enterprises nor its partners.


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LA Fisker Karma Soiree

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• GGE assisted with outreach to our high-net-worth individuals and celebrity contacts for attendance at Steiner Network’s event at Lisa Ling’s residence in Santa Monica, CA

 

 

The placement of these organizations as part of our portfolio does not imply an endorsement by Green Galaxy Enterprises nor its partners.

 


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Remembering Brian Gerber | The Nation

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Remembering Brian Gerber | The Nation.

Remembering Brian Gerber

September 11, 2012

On the night of Tuesday August 28, I came home from a birthday party and opened my Facebook page to the shocking and dismaying news that Brian Gerber was reported missing on Monday, August 27 around 4pm. He was last seen driving a silver 2004 Toyota Prius.

I found myself thinking the most outlandish things. A father of two doesn’t just disappear. Brian’s profile picture for years had been a black and white “ABIDE” poster, not the kind, bespectacled face of this intelligent, sweet and funny man. With a witty and liberal take on current events, he regularly posted provocative and not always popular commentaries. I worried there had been some sort of confrontation or misunderstanding regarding his posts. My kids and I hoped that he would be found alive and well.

I hadn’t seen Brian in a few years, but he played an important role in my, and my son’s, life. I met him through an email introduction about five years ago. My then-10-year-old son Nikos, who struggles with learning disorders, had a chilling vision for a global warming PSA that eventually became “Save It,” a popular video warning against the impact of climate change starring Tony Goldwyn and his 9-year-old brother Dimitri which debuted on You Tube at #2 for non-profit videos and appeared on CNN and MSNBC during the 2008 presidential debates.

My friend Marshall Herskovitz who had created Thirtysomething and produced Blood Diamondoffered to help. He called his friend Leila Conners who had just co-directed the climate change-themed documentary The 11th Hour, starring Leonardo DiCaprio. The next thing I knew, I received a call from her partner on the film who enthusiastically offered to help get my son’s vision translated into a full-blown short.

When I finally met Brian, he went way above and beyond. He graciously found stock footage of polluters, climate disasters and endangered species affected by oil spills, all to include in Nikos’s childhood vision of his dire future. He was generous with his time, advice and his invaluable production tips.

Brian took great joy in sharing pictures of his newborn first child and he always had a twinkle in his eye delivering an ironic comeback for any climate change naysayers. The time we spent with him was brief, but his contribution to my son’s message was significant and helped to bring my son’s nightmare of the future into a full and frightening vision for others to comprehend and hopefully halt. Nikos, now 15, remembers him as “a really nice, kind person. He helped me a lot and never asked for anything in return. I’m very sad and will always be grateful for his help.”

On August 29, Brian’s body was found in his Prius at the bottom of a ravine off the Angeles Crest Highway in the Angeles National Forest. He had apparently committed suicide. I couldn’t believe it, neither could countless other friends who posted on his Facebook page. They too had memories of how his generosity had contributed to their artistic pursuits, and as with us, how he never expected anything in return.

His modesty too was apparently legion. I did not know until after his death that he was a board member of IDA and that with his business partner, Thomas Riegler, had spearheaded the 2008 relaunch of documentary.org. I was also unaware that Brian was a founder of Digital Hollywood and had collaborated on videos with R.E.M. and Elvis Costello.

His biggest production credits included The 11th Hour, Leonardo DiCaprio’s global-warming documentary, and The Dungeon Masters, a celebrated look at the Dungeons & Dragons sub-culture. Brian also worked with numerous nonprofit organizations, producing multimedia projects for the International Fund for Animal Welfare, Heal the Bay, TreePeople, Bioneers, and the Scripps Oceanographic Institute, among others.

I can only say that in my memory, Brian most closely resembled the sweet, lovable, humorous, and caring guardian angel Clarence, played by Henry Travers in Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life. I only wish that he had been saved by an angel of his own – an angel who could have shown up at the moment of this generous man’s deepest despair and shown him how many people had been touched by his kindness, how many lives had been changed by his generosity, and how many friends he had whose most fervent wish was to have been there to give him the support he needed.

Please join me in contributing to the Brian Gerber Memorial Fund, which will help the financial needs of Brian’s wife, Arabella Field, and their two young sons in the wake of his tragic passing.

About the Author

Nicole Hansen
Nicole Hansen is the Founder and President of Green Galaxy Enterprises (GGE), a renewable energy consulting business…

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Energize Your Patriotism

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2011 Year End Blog
By Nicole Hansen

Here it is the end of 2011, a year and a half since Congress’ disheartening abandonment of climate change legislation, and it’s been quite a ride on the clean energy roller coaster. Last December, many renewable energy advocates such as myself had almost lost heart — which was evident at the 2010 “Cleantech Roadshow Seminar” sponsored by Clean Tech Los Angeles. The message there was that fewer large clean tech deals were contributing to a quarterly drop in investment dollars. Many of us were concerned that maybe renewables were going to go the way of GM’s EV1.

Lately though, it’s evident that slow and steady progress is being made. At GGE, more clients are starting to call again, our partners are busy, and the word “green” is back – and it’s the color of money. That message was clear at this December’s events, also co-sponsored by CTLA, “Fostering Clean Tech in Los Angeles” and “Accelerating Innovation in the Clean Energy Economy.” Exactly one year later and the conversation has focused on money flowing into renewable energy, rather than out.

The first event was held in LACI’s La Kretz Innovation Campus, where GGE client 350Green has an office. The panel discussion included Fred Waiti, Executive Director of LACI, and Ron Nichols, General Manager of LADWP. Although it was held in a cocktail party atmosphere, the stunning take-away was that Los Angeles is becoming the country’s clean tech capital. Ron Nichols also matter-of-factly stated that there’s more than enough money to fund clean tech projects and innovation. It can be done through grants for testing and pilot projects followed by venture capital investment and/or bank loans to scale up.

The second event was held at UCLA and co-sponsored by PEW Charitable Trust. Colonel Mike Naylor of the US Marine Corps presented “DoD Driving Energy Innovation,” in which he emphasized that the greatest loss of life for US soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq occurs when escorting fuel convoys, which provide fuel to power generators. In battle, radios, phones, computers and equipment must be powered – just like here at home. Col. Naylor showed a portable solar blanket, closely resembling our client FTL Solar’s Power Fold, which provides a safe alternative to generators. He stressed that renewable power installations are also needed stateside, because the US military bases are vulnerable to failures of our domestic energy infrastructure such as the San Diego blackout earlier this year affecting Camp Pendleton.

Brandon Hurlbut, Chief of Staff of the US Department of Energy, also made points that brought out my patriotic spirit. He asked: Do we in the US want to be buyers or sellers of this clean tech market? Do we want to develop, sell and use our own technologies? Are we willing to lose the market to other countries that are competing for our business? The US lags behind in clean energy investments except from venture capital. The DoE’s grant program and loan guarantees are expiring at the end of 2011. Tens of millions of dollars are about to become unavailable for start-up pilot projects. Where does that leave us?

As I remarked to the panel, this information needs to get out to the public at large. In addition to investments in the technologies, money must be allocated for publicizing them as well. We at Green Galaxy Enterprises are among many like AREDAY’s ACELI cooperating to get the word out. Some here in Hollywood, like producer Marshall Herskovitz, are working to employ effective marketing strategies as well. Nick Allen of Spring Ventures agreed that public awareness is absolutely important. All panelists emphasized that we must find ways to communicate the accurate price of all available energy without politicizing it. The public needs to be aware that clean technologies can change our lives, provide good jobs, and secure our status in the US as leaders and innovators. Isn’t that the place we American’s most want to be in the future?



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FTL Solar Tents to Haiti

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 Corporations and Non-Profits Team Up to Provide Haiti Relief with Solar Powered Tents 

Los Angeles Oct 1, 2010 – It’s never easy to provide relief . After the earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12th, several non-governmental organizations (NGOs), individuals and corporations have and come together to provide both an immediate fix and long term solutions to impact the devastated areas of Haiti.

One week after the earthquake, a clean energy advocate and President of Green Galaxy Enterprises,  Nicole Hansen decided to take action. She put out a request to her wide circle of contacts in the renewable energy arena to help provide relief and deliver sustainable solutions for Haiti to organizations she knew, like Global Green that have a reputation for integrity in the face of disaster and put them to the best possible use.

Tony Saxton (CEO of FTL Solar) responded to her call and quickly offered to donate three PowerMods® solar tents, thereby helping the survivors with both shelter and a power source. FTL Solar’s unique patent-pending products are the first and only pre-fabricated, mass-produced photovoltaic (PV) tensile structures in the world. As expressions of practical function and form, FTL Solar structures integrate thin film PV with super strength fabric to create architecturally refined solar canopies, arrays and enclosures that turn sunlight into electricity. These canopies can also provide shelter for disaster relief, communication command centers, medical units, temporary housing, and energy pods for small villages. FTL Solar products can eliminate the need to transport and operate generators, burn kerosene or other fossil fuels – all of which pose health risks to people and damage to their environment.

Since the FTL Solar PowerMods®  are sideless canopies, Classic Party Rentals offered to donate wall panels, so that enclosed areas could be created for medical treatment, shelter and work stations.  Rounding out this important circle is the transportation of the donated tents from Los Angeles to Florida was the shipping company, Champion Logistics Group who delivered the tents to the Miami where Airline Ambassadors International’s media liaison, Ms. Tess Cacciatore, had helped secure transport from their AAI Haiti Relief Center in Miami to Port-au-Prince.

Airline Ambassadors worked tirelessly for three months getting the shipment passed through Haitian’s complicated and beuerocratic Customs preceedures. Finally delivering the tents into the hands of their partner, Bobby Duval of  L’Athlétique d’Haïti to store and distribute on their behalf until Global Green partner, CineInstitute,  the non-profit, Haiti Street Kids as well as World Vision can collect and then deploy the tents where they have established  their bases and use as office to accommodate such needs such as camp management, and school facilities. The tents not only provide shelter and energy, but also give the non-profits an opportunity in this crisis to raise funds for their relief efforts by setting up charging stations for others who need to power their computers and cell phones in these remote camps. FTL, Green Galaxy Enterprises and Classic Party Rentals hope that this aid and assistance will greatly improve and increase for all in Haiti who are touched by these important organizations.

  • Global Green: A worldwide organization committed to rebuilding Haiti through sustainable and green solutions, as they did in New Orleans after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.
  • Airline Ambassadors: Airline Ambassadors provides international relief and development
  • to underprivileged communities worldwide.
  • CineInstitute: Using the power of cinema, Ciné Institute educates and empowers Haitian youth who seek the creative, technical and business skills necessary to grow local media industries that can provide jobs and spur economic growth needed to improve their lives and the lives of others.
  • Haitian Street Kids, Inc.: (HSKI) HSKI was founded with the mission to protect, serve and advocate for the street kids and runaway restavek slave children of Haiti.
  • World Vision: World Vision is an international partnership of Christians whose mission is working with the poor and oppressed to promote human transformation, seek justice and bear witness to the good news of the Kingdom of God.
  • L’Athlétique d’Haïti: a youth development program that provides underprivileged youth with a safe, clean, supportive environment where they can learn firsthand how the discipline of sports and the structure of teamwork can enhance skills, enrich lives and change futures.
  • FTL Solar: FTL Solar’s Disaster Relief & Humanitarian products division is 100% vertically integrated to offer a variety of products and solutions. A centrally located PowerMod could charge battery-operated, efficient and inexpensive household lights for an entire village, or coupled with a high output water purification system could provide quality drinking water for an entire village.
  • Green Galaxy Enterprises: Green Galaxy Enterprises is a renewable energy consulting business, focused on building partnerships among green technology companies, governments, educational institutions, and nonprofits. Seeking sustainable development with a humanitarian benefit, we help companies and organizations connect to raise their profiles through media, marketing, and event production.

“We are grateful to Green Galaxy Enterprises and FTL Solar, – for helping support Global Green USA’s initiative to provide immediate sustainable aid including solar tenting. In the months ahead, Global Green will be applying the lessons learned from its experiences garnered from rebuilding New Orleans green after Katrina to help Haiti rebuild safer, green homes, schools and communities.”

—Matt Petersen, President and CEO of Global Green

“Airline Ambassadors is proud to be part of this effort to ensure the delivery of 3 solar tents donated by FTL Solar to World Trust Foundation, which JetBlue Airways has agreed to transport at no cost to Miami for AAI to get to Port-au-Prince and the U.S. military onwards to Jacmel. What a team!”

—Joseph Mutti, Director, Haiti Relief Airline Ambassadors

The Cine Institute continues to grow our solar capacity, reducing our dependance on diesel as we remain completely off the power grid. We feel wonderful reducing our carbon footprint and growing a model institute using sustainable resources in Haiti. Our goal is to be 80% wind and solar generated by 2014, and we have a long way to go. As our energy needs adjust, so will our sustainable systems. Its a great comfort to us, knowing we have friends like yourselves standing by! (Photos of the New Campus)

—Andrew Bigosinski, Cine Institute


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LA Get Off Oil Day

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GGE secured GreenHouse’s E-fueler for the mayor’s press conference on the steps of City Hall.

    

 

The placement of these organizations as part of our portfolio does not imply an endorsement by Green Galaxy Enterprises nor its partners.


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