Going Green In Film Initiative

Films made in this region may be heading in a greener direction. The New York Production Alliance, the Producers Guild of America, and the non-profit Earthmark are hosting a series of events designed to give the entertainment production community the information and tools necessary to “reduce waste, carbon emissions, and encourage recycling and reusing materials.” They plan to cover everything from paint/construction waste to the fuel used in their trucks. Union carpenters, painters, electricians, riggers, etc. that work on large budget films in the Philadelphia area are members of the larger locals of New York, so the changes this series is recommending could impact productions throughout this region.

Last weeks’ topic was biodiesel, with a presentation by Brent Baker of Tri-State Biodiesel (featured in Fields of Fuel). He gave an overview of the biodiesel industry, then highlighted his company’s use of 100% recycled waste fat from New York City restaurants. The New York City Parks Department uses biodiesel for its fleet, as does the Department of Sanitation, and the state has a 5% home heating biofuel mandate by 2012. Private companies are starting to come on board as well, and Tri-State Biodiesel now supplies biodiesel to Whole Foods Markets, and Fresh Direct, an online grocery delivery service.

Setting their sights on the film business, his company also teamed up with CAT Entertainment Services to fuel the Tribecca Film Festival in 2007, and there was a great deal of discussion at the event about running CAT equipment on biodiesel in future film productions. Haddad, an east coast company that provides trailers and trucks to the film industry, has also used biodiesel. And last year, the television show 24 began using biodiesel fuels to power their generators and production vehicles. Hopefully, this trend will continue, and getting the word out through this green film initiative was a great place to start.