August 28, 2007
Contact:
Jena Thompson, The Conservation Fund, 954.456.4055
David Gardner, NBC Entertainment, 818.840.6591
Kristy Chan, NBC Universal Media Studios, 818.777.0545
Alexis Rouse, NBC Universal Television Distribution, 818.777.2702
New York City, NY – The executive producers and cast of NBC’s Emmy-nominated hit drama HEROES announced today that it will join The Conservation Fund to help fight climate change, restore wildlife habitat, and enhance recreation areas by planting trees. The Fund, through its Go ZeroSM program, worked with executive producers Tim Kring and Dennis Hammer and NBC to calculate the carbon footprint of the “Heroes World Tour,” which includes air and auto travel, hotel stays, and promotional visits in eight cities across the globe. To ‘zero out’ the carbon footprint that will result from the tour, the Fund will plant 188 trees at the Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge in East Texas. As the forest grows, it will provide habitat for bald eagles, bobcat and deer, and trap more than 250 tons of carbon dioxide, one of the most potent greenhouse gasses.
“The theme of HEROES is about people from all over the planet coming together to do great things,” said executive producer/creator Tim Kring. “Nothing is more important for the future of our planet than all of us joining together to save it. We are doing our part here on set, where we recycle and keep it green. We are happy that through our World Tour we can join with The Conservation Fund in planting trees and taking a responsible position as temporary residents of planet Earth.”
“The cast of HEROES, along with NBC and Universal have become ‘Heroes of Go Zero,’ and we are incredibly grateful for their support,” said The Conservation Fund’s director of Go Zero, Jena Thompson. “The new forests that will be planted at Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge are just the beginning. Together, we can work to inspire the next generation of conservation ‘heroes’ to help us restore our planet’s land and water legacy, and at the same time, help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by planting trees.”
In addition to a donation from NBC Universal to offset the tour, 10 percent of the proceeds from the sales of HEROES merchandise on August 28th will benefit the Fund’s Go ZeroSM program. NBC will also donate 50 percent of the proceeds from a special organic T-shirt created in conjunction with the tour, with art designed by renowned graphic novel artist Tim Sale (“Batman: The Long Halloween”).
To commemorate the larger plantings, cast members Noah Gray-Cabey (Micah), James Kyson Lee (Ando), Zachary Quinto (Sylar) and Dania Ramirez (Maya) will join with artist Sale, co-executive producer/writer Jeph Loeb, and members of the Fund and the New York Restoration Project (NYRP) for a ceremonial tree planting at 30 Rockefeller Plaza outside of the NBC Experience Store in Manhattan at 11:15 AM. The trees will be donated to NYPR and added to Swindler’s Cove Park.
During Aug. 26-Sept. 2, 12 cast members collectively will be on the “Heroes World Tour” with personal appearances in eight cities to promote the debut of Season One DVD and HD DVDs, the successful, continuing international rollout of the series, and the return of Season Two on Sept. 24 at 9 p.m. ET. Members of the “Heroes” cast participating in the tour include: Jack Coleman (Horn-Rimmed Glasses), Noah Gray-Cabey (Micah), Greg Grunberg (Matt), Ali Larter (Niki), James Kyson Lee (Ando), Masi Oka (Hiro), Hayden Panettiere (Claire), Sendhil Ramamurthy (Mohinder), Zachary Quinto (Sylar), Adrian Pasdar (Nathan), Milo Ventimiglia (Peter), and Dania Ramirez (Maya). These cast members will travel to a variety of international destinations, including Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore, Munich, Paris, London, New York City and Toronto.
Through Go Zero, the Fund restores only native tree species, which are planted in protected areas with long-term management plans and independent, third-party verification to ensure accuracy and reliability of carbon sequestration. All donations from NBC Universal will provide additional environmental benefits including restored wildlife habitat, improved air and water quality and enhanced recreation areas.
Since 2000, The Conservation Fund has pioneered a market-based approach to conservation by restoring nearly 20,000 acres and planting 6 million trees through its carbon sequestration program. Over their lifetime, these trees will capture an estimated 7.2 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent from the atmosphere. For more information and to calculate your own carbon footprint, visit www.conservationfund.org and www.gocarbonzero.org.
Note: This release has been updated since its original publication.
NBC Universal is one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80% owned by General Electric and 20% owned by Vivendi.
Your backyard is bigger than you think. From the park down the street, through distant forests and fields, and all the way past the water’s edge, America’s outdoors is yours.
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