For Immediate Release
Contact:
Angela Bradbery (202) 669-6517
Michael Tacelosky (202) 271-9320

July 27, 2004

Screen on the Green Goes Smokefree

New Policy Follows Smokefree DC Action Alert

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The popular Monday night outdoor movie series, Screen on the Green, is going smokefree following an outpouring of letters prompted by a Smokefree DC action alert.

The alert, sent out Friday, urged moviegoers to write to HBO, the event’s sponsor, and the National Park Service and request the movies be smokefree. By Monday afternoon, 84 people sent letters, many describing how secondhand smoke ruined their experience at Screen on the Green. (The letters can be viewed at http://www.smokefree.net/green/?mode=show_other_letters).

On Monday, an HBO representative said that moviegoers will be asked just prior to the start of the movie not to smoke, just as they are asked to remove balloons and tall chairs. These are courtesy policies by HBO.

“It appears that we really touched a nerve,” said Angela Bradbery, president and co-founder of Smokefree DC. “This represents a victory for everyone who wants to enjoy Screen on the Green without breathing secondhand smoke.”

While Screen on the Green is outside, it is unlike many other outdoor events because people sit so closely together. Outdoor movies in Bethesda and Kensington are smokefree.

Some of those who wrote letters said they wouldn’t return to Screen on the Green until it became smokefree because they had such a miserable experience sitting near smokers. Secondhand smoke “makes me choke, and irritates my eyes to the point that they swell close,” said one D.C. resident. “How can I sit and watch my favorite classic movies in those conditions? You can’t smoke in movie theaters … so why can’t this be seen as the same?”

Added another moviegoer, “as crowded as it is on the Mall for this excellent film series, moving out of the smoke’s way (and maybe near another smoker) is not an option.”

Secondhand smoke has 4,000 chemicals, more than 50 of which are carcinogenic. It causes lung cancer and heart disease and is linked to asthma and bronchitis.

Note: Smokefree DC recently incorporated and has become a non-profit, dues-paying membership organization. Smokefree DC is made up of Washington, D.C.-area residents and employees who believe everyone deserves to breathe clean, smokefree air. We support 100 percent smokefree environments for all workplaces, including offices, restaurants and bars.

Smokefree DC is a group of is a group of Washington, DC residents and employees who believe everyone deserves to breathe clean, smokefree air. We support 100% smokefree environments for all workplaces, including offices, restaurants and bars.