I was at Universal Studios in Orlando last week representing The Daily Green during their first ever eco-week "Green is Universal." A week long celebration of the programs that Universal is implementing to help the park "...focus on becoming the greenest resort possible," according to President and Chief Operating Officer Bill Davis. The week concluded with a GreenFest at CityWalk an area of Universal with shops and restaurants. Various eco-vendors and agencies were invited to attend, including The Daily Green, to speak about their programs and create awareness.
I had seen all the shows on Universal's television station, NBC, with their green messages (wasn't 30 Rock fantastic?!) but, I wasn't sure what sort of initiatives the park would be taking. Obviously, I had to get into the park to do some eco-sleuthing (and ride the Superman ride of course). One of my favorite areas of the park was Dr. Seuss Landing which is, just as you might imagine, a place where Dr. Seuss's characters come to life in a bright colored world of Recycled Materials. That's right, much of the park is constructed out of recycled materials, and this area of the park was built a few years ago which makes me think the environment has been on the minds of Universal for a while. Universal recently announced it has started to use alternative or "green" fuels in 100% of it's service vehicles. The average visitor might not realize that all of these great eco-initiatives are going on but, what you would notice is the increased amount of recycling bins. At you average theme park I'm always stuck with an empty drink bottle looking desperately for a recycling bin, but not at Universal.
Universal's programs made me think of a category we have in Weird Weather Watch "Signs of the Times." All about signs, billboards and protests for eco-causes that really are a sign that the world is coming to realize it's time for a change in how we treat our environment. And theme park making this eco leap is certainly a sign of the times.
Email me with any questions or problems uploading
Gloria@TheDailyGreen.com
Your Fellow Weather Witness
Gloria
Green is Universal sign at Universal Park
Dr. Seuss Landing partially made of recycled materials.
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