For most facets of American life, a person can opt to go green – yet film sets, although starting to make the shift towards sustainability, are only in their beginning stages of green production regardless of the costs savings.
In every entertainment budget there is a line item for waste, but not for sorted waste management that accounts for compostable materials and recycling. Budgets don’t account for crew members who assess production plans and prevent waste. Yet using less materials, reusing more, and repurposing used materials costs less money than purchasing new resources.
Take energy – purchase new batteries for every Comtek, or purchase a set of rechargeable batteries and a charger to use for multiple shoots?
Sets are physical, hard-working environments. What do people need? WATER. Purchase hundreds of small plastic bottles or provide reusable water bottles and set up water refilling stations?
What makes a set wasteful?
Wasteful Production trends –> Sustainable solve
Unnecessary electrical usage –> Rechargeable batteries, solar energy
Single-use water bottles –> Reusable bottles and refilling stations/filters
Plastic utensils, non-compostable dishware –> Compostable, plant-based products
Discarded set lumber –> Donations, reusing
Standard Lighting –> LED lights
Inefficient transportation and gas usage –> No-idling policy, carpooling
Film sets are rife with waste. MovieMind Green is an environmental consulting company that aims to ensure that every production makes sustainable decisions that also help the bottom line.
Let’s take it a step further – look at the production company overall. Tax credits can be taken for energy efficiency, reduced emissions, solar energy, and a few other green efforts.
I live in Venice Beach, California. I walk down to the beach every morning and there is plastic in the sand, floating in the water. Create a product that supports that image, or get behind a product that prevents that from happening in the first place while cutting costs? The answer is obvious.