Monday, June 4---------Festroia 2007 is the first CarbonoZero® international film festival. The environmental organization CarbonoZero will quantify the greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions produced by the festival’s activities, and will offset these emissions by the creation of an equivalent amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) by a new indigenous forest area in Portugal, thus compensating its effect on the climate. Festivals are becoming more environmentally conscious of the energy consumption they utilize to print catalogues, ship film prints, bring in filmmakers and guests, and run the multiple events that surround a film festival.

For Festroia, the CarbonoZero organization will quantify the emissions associated with energy consumed in theatres and other spaces where the festival is taking place; treatment and disposal of waste; freight transport; and trips of the festival’s team, guests and audience. Once the amount of energy used before, during and immediately after the Festival is determined, there will be a comparable planting of indigenous trees in the Herdade da Gâmbia, a nature preserve near the city of  Setúbal, which will produce an equal amount of carbon dioxide to that which is used for the running of the Festival. Integrated in an area of extreme landscape beauty and biological richness, Herdade da Gâmbia is partially classified as Natura 2000, and is also a part of the Natural Reserve of the Sado Estuary (RNES). The Festival is sponsoring a tour of the nature preserve for visiting filmmakers and guests on Tuesday morning.

Festroia has been involved in creating greater environmental awareness through many different programs, most especially its film competition section MAN AND HIS ENVIRONMENT, one of the first such film programs in the world. In addition, Festroia 2007 printed its official catalogues and booklets using recycled paper and green inks, and even its new official website is hosted by a company that has gone carbon neutral. In this sense, Festroia is clearly a leader in bringing environmental awareness to its own practices....a commitment that we hope other Festivals will duly note and follow.

Sandy Mandelberger, Festival Online Dailies Editor