We ’ re Painting the Roses Red ( And the Grass Green !)
BY BRIAN COLLINS
As a Cast Member , I was
always impressed with Disney ’ s commitment to conservation and the environment while delivering a world-class show . One of the more obscure examples of this was when I worked as a production assistant during a major PGA tournament held on the beautiful Palm and Magnolia Golf Courses . Early one morning , I noticed some brown patches due to some unusually cold temperatures we were having at the time — yes , it does get cold on occasion in Florida .
Given that this was a nationally televised event , the golf courses had to look their best , and one of the ways the ground crew made sure of this was to apply a special environmentally safe and nontoxic green dye to the grass . Not only were we going to have the best-looking golf courses possible , by way of a little Disney magic , but we were going to make it happen in a very safe and controlled way .
Imagineers are as committed as anyone regarding the environment . A few years ago , the Society of Plastics Engineers held its international conference in Anaheim at the Disneyland Hotel . They asked me to speak about WDI ’ s history of maintaining its commitment to conservation and sustainability .
For my keynote , I spoke about how we use sustainable plants , bamboo , grass , wood , and artificial , recycled materials — that can often be recycled themselves .
BETTER THAN REAL For example , take a second look at the thatched roofs covering the massive exterior of Walt Disney ’ s Enchanted Tiki Room . What looks incredibly real is actually artificial material that has been created and painted to resemble the genuine thing . If real thatch were used , the Florida weather and heat would