Expo’s Star Shines Bright And Green

The IMAX theater’s cool, dark auditorium was empty except for a few men who, 21 years ago, had a hand in building the big screen.

They didn’t step as lightly as they had in that summer of 1974 when the finishing touches were being applied to the IMAX and other attractions at the site of Spokane’s world’s fair.

“We all used to go down once or twice a day and be sidewalk superintendents,” recalled Ed McWilliams, president of the Spokane Area Chamber of Commerce in 1974.

“The park didn’t seem very big then. But wow, when I walk it now, it’s really long.”

McWilliams arrived at the IMAX a few days ago with two recently added braces to his shoes.

The braces allow McWilliams, now 75, to better cope with a disorder that alternately deadens his nerves and makes them hypersensitive.

Oddly, King Cole, who served as president of the fair, suffers from the same illness. He too, was taxed by the effort to walk up the ramp and through the IMAX doors.

“We kid about it being something the Russians put in the water,” McWilliams joked of his and Cole’s shared nerve damage.

But the two men, and others from the Expo era, were at the IMAX on Friday to write one more chapter of the long, still open book about Expo ‘74’s remarkable legacy.

When Expo ‘74 opened, the IMAX became an instant must-see pavilion. Tourists from the around the world were enthralled by the avant-garde environmental film entitled, “Man Belongs to the Earth.” The film’s breath-taking opening tour through the Grand Canyon and its wise pronouncements by Chief Dan George about a clean environment became a lasting trademark of Spokane’s world’s fair.

In the last 21 years “Man Belongs to the Earth” has been shown more than 5,000 times at the IMAX theater.

But a few months ago, “Man Belongs to the Earth” was quietly pulled from the IMAX rotation. The film was scratched, faded and in danger of simply coming apart.

No one might have noticed if the legacy of Expo hadn’t worked its magic once again.

This spring, Mike Murphy, president of an Inland Northwest business trade association known as Associated Industries, began looking for a place to hold an event to promote the association’s program to help businesses save money and cut red tape by adopting environmentally sound business practices. The program is called Green Star.

“I remembered the film from Expo,” said Murphy. “I wanted to rent the IMAX, show the Expo film, and promote Green Star.” When he learned that “Man Belongs to the Earth” was too fragile to be shown, Murphy shifted gears.

“I began to realize that restoring the film would be a great way for Associated Industries to do something for the region,” Murphy said.

“And, by sponsoring an event to show the rejuvenated film, I think we can give the Green Star program an even bigger boost this fall.”

So, Associated Industries invited McWilliams, Cole, and others who worked on Expo to come once again to the IMAX.

They watched the old, faded version of “Man Belongs to the Earth” and then King Cole accepted a $4,800 check from Associated Industries to pay the cost of refurbishing the last copy of “Man Belongs to the Earth.” In October, the repaired film will return.

Associated Industriies will use the showing of the updated version to explain the virtues of Green Star.

This too, represents something of the Expo ‘74 legacy.

For the environmentalism that so inspired Expo 21 years ago has become both institutionalized and bureaucratized.

When Associated Industries polled its membership to find where businesses most needed help the answer came back: Help us solve our environmental problems.

Associated Industries believes the Green Star program offers businesses a way to begin to both track and cope with common environmental concerns.

Green Star began in Alaska as a voluntary program to help businesses reduce waste, conserve energy, and comply with environmental rules and regulations. The first chapter in the lower 48 is now launched in Spokane.

Any business may enroll in Green Star for a small fee. The business then names a coordinator who helps identify and achieve 12 standards for environmentally sound business practices.

The 12 standards might include everything from conserving office paper to devising energy conservation strategies or finding better ways to handle of hazardous materials. Once the 12 standards are met, the company earns a Green Star award and in the process may learn how environmentally sound business practices can save money and materials.

For example:

Spokane’s Central Pre Mix, an early Green Star member, used the program to develop a system to recycle 15,000 gallons of water and 40 yards of concrete materials per day.

Tidyman’s grocery stores have saved $86,000 under Green Star by implementing an employee incentive program designed to cut waste.

Key Tronic saved $75,000 by adding pollution control systems that have paid for themselves within one year.

The legacy of Expo ‘74 lives. In Spokane, 21 years later, this city is still touched and inspired by the work of the men, and the issues, that brought us a world’s fair.

For more information on the Green Star Program contact Associated Industries, 326-6885.

, DataTimes