PARTICIPANT MEDIA TEAMS WITH GREENPEACE AND CHEMICAL SECURITY COALITION FOR THE CRAZIES SOCIAL ACTION CAMPAIGN

Key Action Promotes Passage of Chemical Security Legislation in U.S. Senate

For its Social Action campaign in connection with The Crazies, Participant Media has joined forces with Greenpeace and the Chemical Security Coalition to educate, engage and activate people to support the passage of chemical security legislation in the U.S. Senate.  The film, which opened February 26th, deals with the horrifying effects of a mysterious toxin that contaminates the water supply of a small Midwestern town, causing insanity and death for the residents. Although fictional, it vividly portrays the potential result of an accidental release of an ultra-hazardous substance and the disregard for public safety, illuminating the real-world challenge of protecting communities in proximity to hazardous chemical plants across America.
 


More than 100 million Americans are at risk of accidents or terrorism from just 300 of the nation’s “high risk” chemical plants. The House of Representatives has already passed legislation--HR 2868 “The Chemical and Water Security Act”—that would improve security, strengthen chemical regulations and reduce the processing and usage of dangerous chemicals at 107 of the highest risk chemical plants in the U.S. Advocacy efforts are now focused on the Senate to approve a bill that’s equally strong to protect the American public against this serious threat.



At TakePart.com/chemicalsecurity, people can learn how closely they live to the nation’s 300 most dangerous facilities and, through Greenpeace, can automatically send e-letters to their Senators encouraging them to vote for the legislation. There, they can find out about live “Day of Action” events being planned over the next few weeks in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Detroit, Ann Arbor, Las Vegas, Albuquerque, Missoula, MT and Portland, ME.  In addition, there will be a press event in Washington, DC on Environmental Human Rights, followed by a day of meetings with key Senators.
 


John Schreiber, Participant’s EVP for Social Action said, “Through our Social Action efforts for The Crazies with Greenpeace and the 36 other organizations that comprise the Chemical Security Coalition, we are mobilizing the public to lobby the Senate to pass legislation that will close the loopholes that enable  a serious public threat.”
 


Rick Hind, Director of Greenpeace said, “The Crazies is a fictional metaphor for the real life horror that awaits us unless Congress takes preventive action.  Senators should ask themselves what their constituents will do after a terrorist attack or accident at one of these chemical plants, especially after they learn that safer alternatives could have prevented widespread loss of life.”
 


Inspired by George A. Romero’s 1973 cult classic of the same name, The Crazies was directed by Breck Eisner from a screenplay by Scott Kosar and Ray Wright. The film stars Timothy Olyphant (Live Free or Die Hard), Radha Mitchell (Silent Hill), Joe Anderson (Across the Universe) and Danielle Panabaker (Friday the 13th). The Crazies was produced by Michael Aguilar (Constantine, What Happens in Vegas), Dean Georgaris (The Manchurian Candidate) and Rob Cowan (Righteous Kill), with George Romero (Dawn of the Dead, Creepshow) executive producing. The film was presented by Overture Films and Participant Media in association with imagenation abu dhabi.
 


Participant Media is a Los Angeles-based entertainment company that focuses on socially relevant, commercially viable feature films, documentaries and television, as well as publishing and digital media.  Participant Media is headed by CEO Jim Berk and was founded in 2004 by philanthropist Jeff Skoll, who serves as Chairman. Ricky Strauss is President.
 


Participant exists to tell compelling, entertaining stories that bring to the forefront real issues that shape our lives.  For each of its projects, Participant creates extensive social action and advocacy programs which provide ideas and tools to transform the impact of the media experience into individual and community action.  Participant’s films include The Kite Runner, Charlie Wilson’s War, Darfur Now, An Inconvenient Truth, Good Night and Good Luck., Syriana, Standard Operating Procedure, The Visitor, The Soloist, Food, Inc., The Informant! and The Crazies.
 
Greenpeace is an independent campaigning organization that uses peaceful protest and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions for the future. Since 1971, Greenpeace has been the leading voice of the environmental movement by taking a stand against powerful political and corporate interests whose policies put the planet at risk.