02-19-2008: Next Generation of Hollywood Goes Green at First 'Chevy Rocks the Future'

Education can be entertaining: Jonas Brothers perform while L.A.-area students pledge to help save the environment in Chevy's 'Promise to Live Better!' initiative

BURBANK , CA – As Hollywood and the rest of the nation embrace a greener way of living, Chevrolet is rolling out the green carpet for celebrities and young influencers at the first-ever “Chevy Rocks the Future” event, Feb. 19 at The Walt Disney Studios.

The event features a live performance by recording artists the Jonas Brothers, the teen sensations from the Disney Channel series “Hannah Montana,” and U.S. tour, who have joined forces with Chevy to share their commitment to the environment with young people. Kevin, Joe and Nick Jonas own their own Chevrolet Tahoe 2 Mode Hybrid SUV, recently named “Green Car of the Year” by Green Car Journal. It boasts the same city fuel economy as a much-smaller, four-cylinder Toyota Camry.

The event will celebrate promises that have been made to preserve the environment, and will introduce attendees to Chevy’s lineup of gas-friendly to gas-free vehicles, and GM’s advanced green technologies, providing them with an insider’s view of how they actually work.

More than 150 LA-area children, as well as a parent, won the opportunity to attend Chevy Rocks the Future online at Disney.com/RocktheFuture, through call-in contests on Radio Disney, and through Chevy’s “Promise to Live Better!” educational campaign, an environmental outreach and awareness initiative to inspire schoolchildren in grades 4-8 in Los Angeles and Ventura counties to promise to make important changes in their daily lives that will help improve the environment and their world.

“Not only is Chevy leading the industry in providing vehicles that deliver fuel solutions ranging from gas-friendly to gas-free, it is engaging tomorrow’s leaders – one student at a time – to play their own role in protecting and preserving the environment,” said Susan Docherty, GM Western Region general manager.

Principals and teachers are encouraging students to do their part to conserve resources, too, by making simple promises, including turning off unneeded lights and water, and bringing canvas tote bags to the grocery store when shopping with their parents. Students will post their individual promises on classroom “promise tree” posters as daily reminders to stay committed. So far, more than 11,700 students have made promises in the classroom, and more than 26,000 people have made promises online. Furthermore, students who make promises will have the opportunity to win tickets to attend the Feb. 19 “Chevy Rocks the Future” event and see the Jonas Brothers perform.

Through a partnership with Disney, students who pledge to make promises could also enter online at Disney.com/RocktheFuture through February 10. A total of 9,347 entries were received, and 50 were chosen as winners. Although the sweepstakes to attend “Chevy Rocks the Future” is closed, people can still go online to make promises to better the environment. So far, more than 26,700 people have participated online, with 38% promising to recycle paper, plastic or cans; 34% promising to turn off the lights when leaving the room; 22% promising to turn off the water when brushing their teeth; and 6% promising to take a canvas bag to the grocery store to avoid using plastic.

The cumulative impact of the thousands of promises is significant. For example, switching off one 60-watt light bulb in an unoccupied room for an hour a day conserves nearly 22,000 watts of electricity a year, enough energy to power a month of evening TV viewing.

At “Chevy Rocks the Future,” kids will be treated to an interactive, insider’s look at how environmentally friendly technologies work through engaging “biosphere” areas as the science behind the cars is brought to life in unexpected and engaging ways. From a car that pops popcorn using biofuel technology to a “hybrid” laboratory that mixes chocolate and peanut butter for a winning combination, the exhibits introduce children to new and emerging vehicle technologies aimed at reducing petroleum dependence and greenhouse gas (CO 2) emissions.

The event will spotlight eight of Chevy’s most innovative new fuel-efficient vehicles that are leading the way for the brand’s “gas-friendly to gas-free” campaign. Other vehicles on the green carpet and at the event include the Aveo5 subcompact, the all-new Malibu Hybrid and the Camaro “Bumblebee” from the “Transformers” movie.

Other vehicles on display in the “biosphere” area include the Equinox Fuel Cell, Tahoe 2 Mode Hybrid, the Avalanche featuring E85 FlexFuel capability, the Impala with Active Fuel Management engine technology; and the Chevy Volt featuring the E-Flex extended-range electric propulsion system. (Please see accompanying fact sheet for a deeper description of the technologies.)

The Jonas Brothers recently drove the Equinox Fuel Cell vehicle and became enamored of Chevrolet’s green lineup.

“Being eco-friendly is important to us,” said Nick Jonas. “We worked with our record label to come up with the first-ever CD-VU+ format, a 100-percent recyclable package.”

“Chevy Rocks the Future” is part of Chevy’s “Driving Hollywood Green” campaign, which kicks into overdrive as awards season approaches, and features Chevy vehicles on both red and green carpets across Hollywood.

As the official vehicle of the 50 th Annual Grammy Awards, Chevy provided more than 100 gas-friendly vehicles to transport celebrities and entertainment industry influencers to Grammy Week events. Chevy vehicles transported some of Hollywood’s biggest stars to the NAACP Image Awards on Feb. 14 and will do so at the Academy Awards on Feb. 24.