1953 - Stanford Research Institute

In July 1953, Walt Disney hired the Stanford Research Institute to scout a location in Southern California for Disneyland.

By August a site in Anaheim was found.

Snow White mementos

Snow White was the first film ever to have a complete merchandising campaign ready to roll on the day the movie opened! Movie fans were able to purchase Snow White mementos from Sears and Woolworth's.

The League of Nations

In 1935, Walt Disney was presented with a medal by the League of Nations (whose goals included disarmament, preventing war, settling disputes between countries, and improving global welfare)

in Paris, France.

1787 & The Hall of Presidents

The year 1787 over the entrance to The Hall of Presidents (at Walt Disney World) refers to the date the United States Constitution was completed.

The United States Constitution was adopted on September 17, 1787 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Walt Disney World Railroad

The trip around the Walt Disney World Railroad is 1 1/2 miles or about 20 minutes.

Click here to see amazing pictures from Disneyland's photographer, Paul Hiffmeyer,and his point of view of the Disneyland's Railroad.

Disneyland's only residents - Owen & Dolly Pope

Disneyland's only residents were Owen andDolly Pope. They were hired in 1951 to put together some livestock for Walt's future park. They first lived in a trailer at the Disney Studio where they raised and trained horses. Three days before Disneyland opened, they moved into the park to run the Disneyland Pony Farm

 Located on the side of the Car Barn

"In 1951, Walt hired Harper Goff to begin drawing up plans for the little park he was visualizing being built on the Studio grounds in Burbank. Walt also hired horse trainer Owen Pope and his wife Dolly. He wanted the couple to begin training horses for the western section of his new park. Being close to the livestock was necessary for the amount of training that was to ensue so the Pope’s moved into a trailer on the Studio lot. Besides teaching horses and mules how to behave, they also helped build wagons and coaches for the new park. 

As plans for Walt’s dream changed and grew, the location of his park moved from the Studio to Anaheim. Eventually the Popes needed to move to Anaheim as well to be near the horses. 

Before construction began on Disneyland, something had to be done with the houses that belonged to the former owners of the land. Walt told the Popes they could choose any one of them to live in. Their selection was soon moved to a ten acre area behind what would eventually become Fantasyland. This area was known as the Pony Farm and at one time, the Pope’s cared for as many as 220 animals. The Popes are also the only people to actually ever live at Disneyland. Walt may have had an apartment above the Fire Station, but he never lived there. This honor belongs to the Popes alone. 

The Popes continued working and living at Disneyland until 1971. It was at this time that they moved to Florida to help open the Magic Kingdom. They created the Tri Circle D Ranch at Fort Wilderness where it still stands today. They retired in 1975 and it’s due to their efforts here in Florida that they earned a window at the Magic Kingdom – and it is appropriately located on the Car Barn."

- Posted by Jack Spence on April 17, 2009 5:00 AM

 Click Here to read the entire post at allears.net

Scrap Metal and Wooden Pallets

The Fact: Disney World recycles over 1 million pounds of scrap metal and 1.5 million pounds of wooden pallets each year.

To know more:

Disney Sustainability

Sustainability is the ability to maintain a certain status or process in existing systems. The most frequent use of the term “sustainability” is connected to biological or human systems in the context of ecology. The ability of an ecosystem to function and maintain productivity for a prolonged period is also sustainability. 
 

Living a sustainable lifestyle is one way to help. In this series pages we will go into what sustainability has to with ecology, recycling, water, and more. We will also reveal what some companies (like Petsmart and Disney) are doing to make a difference by operating their businesses in a sustainable way.

Disney Sustainability / Walt Disney Cares

Walt Disney, the largest media and entertainment company in the world, has shown great commitment for the environment. It strives hard to conserve the environment from its ill effects. Disney has been included in Global 100 Most Sustainable Companies (G100) list announced at the World Economic Forum (WEF) from 2007 to 2009. Enormous concrete steps are being taken by the Corporation to ensure sustainability, as mentioned below.

Disney Sustainability / Cutting Emissions

The foremost step is that Disney plans to cut carbon emissions by half by 2012, reduce electricity consumption by 10 percent, reduce fuel use, halve the garbage at its parks and resorts by 2013, and ultimately achieve net zero direct greenhouse gas emissions and landfill waste. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has designated eleven resorts at the Walt Disney World Resort as Florida Green Lodging certified

Disney Sustainability / Recycling and More

Next, The Disney Harvest program founded in 1998, distributes nearly 50,000 pounds of food to the Second Harvest Food Bank each month by collecting food which is prepared and not served from restaurants and convention centers.

Used cooking oil at the Walt Disney World Resort is recycled into bio fuel and other products, which are used by local companies.  Food scraps are combined with horticulture clippings and leftovers from Disney’s Animal Kingdom and other degradable items to create compost which is used locally as rich fertilizer.

The Walt Disney Company Healthy Cleaning Policy has been launched this year with the aim to minimize the environmental impact of its cleaning products, including their toxicity. It is made possible by using chemicals that both protect health and embody desirable environmental properties. A further goal is to minimize the amount of chemicals needed to accomplish cleaning tasks.

Disney's Hydroponic Approach to Gardening is another giant step in this direction. This space-saving agricultural approach allows crops to be grown in areas where they can't be grown by traditional methods. Foods grown hydroponically have the same nutritional value and flavor as those grown in more traditional ways.

The majority of props, vases and containers used by the Disney floral team for events are made from reusable glass and plastic. Many of Disney’s floral suppliers have received the "VeriFlora" seal of approval, which certifies that the flowers have been grown without harmful chemicals.

Furthermore, there is a concentrated focus on monitoring energy and water use throughout the Walt Disney World Resort. Because of its extensive efforts, the Walt Disney World Resort has received the EPA’s “Energy Star Partner” designation.

Every day, 10 million gallons of wastewater is reclaimed and used in irrigation systems and other applications. Recycling is a major part of waste management and more than 18,000 tons of materials are recycled every year.

Disney Sustainability / Preserving Our Wildlife

Disney made a stupendous contribution to the wildlife conservation habitat by setting aside more than one-third of the planned resort/theme park property (8,700 acres) during the time Walt Disney World Resort was being built. The Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park is focused on educating Guests on the importance of conservation and preserving nature.

As part of those efforts, the Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund enables Guests to contribute to the protection of endangered species worldwide through 650 projects from 160 organizations in more than 100 countries. Over $11 million has been earned through the fund since the park’s opening in 1998.

Disney Sustainability / Trees For Everyone!

Adding another feather to its cap, Disney committed to plant a tree for everyone who sees their nature movie titled “Earth” on opening weekend from 22nd – 28th April, 2009. With more than 5, 00,000 tickets sold so far, half a million new trees are already committed.

Disney’s aim is to plant trees in critical areas of biodiversity. The company will supervise the planting of the trees in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, which is considered one of the most endangered rain forests in the world at present.

Finally, Disney’s 2008 Corporate Responsibility Report is a major step in the direction of conservation of the environment. The long-term environmental goals outlined in the report are:

1. Zero waste
2. Zero net direct greenhouse gas emissions from fuels
3. Reduce indirect greenhouse gas emissions from electricity consumption
4. Net positive impact on ecosystems
5. Minimize water use
6. Minimize product footprint
7. Inform, empower and activate positive action for the environment.

Therefore, Disney has set high standards when it comes to protection of environment. The interminable efforts being made for the cause of environment truly makes Disney stand apart in the crowd sending a strong conservation message.

Captain EO 3D

Captain EO (a 3-D Sci-fi musical film starring Michael Jackson) ran at EPCOT for nearly 8 years in the Imagination pavilion. It featured 2 new songs written by Jackson - "Another Part of Me" (which later appeared on his Bad album) and "We Are Here to Change the World" (which was not officially released until 2004 as part of Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection).

Put you 3D glasses on and enjoy the original movie:

Patriot Day

Patriot Day occurs on September 11 of each year, designated in memory of the nearly three thousand who died in the September 11, 2001 attacks.

 We have to protect our future

The Walt Disney World Visitors Center

The Walt Disney World Preview Center (at one time located near the intersection of Interstate 4 and State Road 535) became the first building on WDW property to open to the public in 1970.

The Lion King & Frank Wells

Disney's 1994 animated classic The Lion King is dedicated to the late Frank Wells - Disney's President and Chief Operating Officer (1984-1994).


At the Matterhorn Bobsleds attraction at Disneyland, Wells' love of mountain-climbing is honored with skiing expedition boxes emblazoned with the words "Wells Expedition."

 Wells and Eisner

Tron

Disney's Tron was the first film in motion picture history to make extensive use of computer imagery.

On July 24, 2008 Disney surprised San Diego Comic Con attendees with test footage from a sequel to Tron.

This year they came with this beautiful replica: