It's probably a fair guess that the film industry's creative employees are among the most environmentally aware, and it's certainly true that films such as
An Inconvenient Truth have been pivotal in spreading awareness of global warming. But it's also true that the film-production industry itself is a huge resource hog: shoots mobilize fleets of jets, trucks and trailers to transport crews to locations and use huge amounts of energy-intense.
A local initiative called
Toronto Green Screen, led by the
Planet in Focus film festival alongside a
long list of industry partners, is aiming to reduce the environmental footprint of the film biz. Last week, the group
launched two new resources for filmmakers: a calculator to help them see what their environmental impact will be, and a Green Toolkit to help them plan a less harmful production.
Candida Paltiel, who has led the project on behalf of Planet in Focus, says that the tolls are designed to give the local industry a competitive advantage when competing for film productions. Producers such as Gail Ann Hurd (who shot
The Incredible Hulk in Toronto in 2007) have been demanding environmentally conscious initiatives.
After two years as a project funded by the
Entertainment and Creative Cluster Partnership Fund, Paltiel says Toronto Green Screen is in the process of becoming a self-sustaining organization.
Both new resources offered by Green Screen were created by Melissa Felder & Associates following two years of research into the industry's practices and consultations and study about possible improvements. These tools, Green Screen says, build on the earlier report
Environmental Assessment of Film-Based Industries.
Writer: Edward Keenan
Source: Candida Paltiel, Planet in Focus Film Festival, Toronto Green Screen