Think about the movies this year that were nominated for Academy Awards. Now, think about all the mess made during these productions. We love our movies, but we also love our planet, and there has to be a better way to make these epic productions without such high carbon emissions and using so very much of our natural resources.
All movies are not created equal in their footprint, of course, but they all have one. From diesel generators on set to all those airplanes flying talent and crew in and out, all the vehicles moving people to and from the various sets and even in post-production. The energy used to power the cameras and lighting, the sets that are made for one-time use and discarded. The wood used once for a set and either blown up or thrown out. Then there are the cars and buildings that get blown up, the furniture destroyed, and all that catering. Think about all the food that is not eaten in the production buffet line and all those plastic water bottles and paper or plastic plates and utensils, cups, cans, glass bottlesâŠthe list goes on and on.
All of that produces a lot of waste and uses a lot of energy and water, and puts CO2 into the air. The Green Production Guideâs 2021 Carbon Emissions of Film and Television Production report says that a feature film produces on average 3,370 metric tons of CO2 emissions, for example.
Hollywood is starting to wake up to its impact with more and more producers, directors and actors requiring that their environmental impact be taken into consideration in the production planning. One approximately 12-year old female-founded company is tackling Hollywoodâs environmental impact and winning awards â and celebrating their clientsâ awards, including Brendan Fraser of âThe Whaleâ who won Best Actor at last nightâs 95th Academy Awards. Earth Angel. Founder and CEO Emellie OâBrien combined her film degree with her passion for saving the planet and has been making a huge impact ever since.
You probably watched movies and television shows theyâve reduced the impact of, in addition to âThe Whale,â such as âAmazing Spiderman-2,â âThe Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,â âSpiritedâ with Ryan Reynolds and Will Farrell, âMadam Secretary,â and many others.
What can other productions learn from them? One key thing OâBrien told me on my Electric Ladies Podcast a while ago is to bring them during the planning of the production, not later, to save energy, water, waste and money. She said their solutions also reduce costs and Doug Belrad of Columbia Pictures said the same to the Hollywood Reporter, which wrote that, âDoug Belgrad, president of Columbia Pictures, estimated that the teamâs sustainability practices saved more than an estimated $400,000.â
Earth Angel won an award from the Environmental Media Association for their work on âAmazing Spiderman 2,â with EMA president Debbie Levin telling the Hollywood Reporter that, âThey had so many great, cost-effective ways to be greener during Spider-Man. Thatâs such an unbelievably huge task because of the scope of the film that itâs amazing.â
Covering the Environment â Social â Governance (ESG) factors
Clearly, Earth Angel is addressing the âEâ in ESG, for environmental impact. They are also addressing the âSâ â for Social, which is people â by donating the productionsâ extra meals to the community. Earth Angel reports that in 2022 they donated 45,239 meals, and in their approximately 12 years of business, they have donated over 241,000 meals to people in need and food banks.
Earth Angel addresses the âGâ â for governance, or transparency and accountability â by tracking their impact and the impact of each of the productions they work on, including with corporate clients.
ImagineâŠ
Imagine what a difference all the movie and television productions â not to mention the corporate productions such as commercials â could make if they all prioritized their environmental footprint and serving their local communities with the unused food?
Now we just need all those talented producers, directors, crew and actors to prioritize it too. They can turn to the Green Production Guide, which is a joint effort between the Producers Guild of America (and their nearly all-female PGA Green committee) and the Sustainable Production Alliance, an alliance of major studios.