Howdy

Until now, the only environmentally friendly activity I took any interest in was recycling, and that had more to do with not wanting to get fined by my township than wanting to save the environment. It’s not that I didn’t care; I was hesitant. To be honest, I still am to an extent. My greatest fear is that the green movement becomes a lot of media hype about a topic that really needs public debate and education. And to be honest, it wasn’t something I thought I would be involved in until I saw a job posting on the Philadelphia Film Office website.

The thing that grabbed me about Jenny’s passion for her project is that it comes from an “I’m learning too” standpoint. She’s not pretending to have a solution but, when it comes to the film, she’s at least trying to find ways to shoot it as consciously as possible. My job is to document that here. As I’ve mentioned before, I know very little about how to “be green.” So as we do the research in pre-production, I’ll share it with you here.

Topics will range from how to get rid of used CDs and DVDs to interviews with people who are making an impact in their communities. We’ll demystify things like green certificates, carbon neutrality and fair trade and hope you'll join in on the discussions with your own questions and expertise. But please keep one thing in mind. We’re filmmakers first, environmentalists second. We’re learning, too. Mistakes will be made. We look forward to, and encourage, those heckles.

So sit back, drink some tea brewed in unbleached manila hemp teabags (or bourbon aged in recycled oak barrels, for you Hemingway types) and prepare yourself for what will hopefully be a fun and informative way to not only watch the mechanics of a how a film goes green, but how to be environmentally conscious without being preached at. Scout’s honor.