When the UCLA Institute of the Environment released their environmental report card in 2006, it didn’t paint the movie industry in a very good light. In the report card, they write,

…in watching film – or television – it is easy to overlook the sprawling industry that lies behind the scenes, bringing entertainment to life. Even less obvious are the environmental impacts of filmmaking, which involve energy consumption, waste generation, air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and physical disruptions on location.

This ignorance may have given the industry a get out of jail free card for most of its life, but we hope the UCLA study shed some light on the need for environmental friendliness in the motion picture and television industry. To see what happened as a reaction to the study, to give an idea of the state of green in entertainment, and to provide context for the rest of the writing on this blog, we’ve constructed the following Green Film Industry Timeline. Enjoy!

November, 2006: UCLA IoE releases their annual Environmental Report Card, which breaks out the environmental effects of the Film and Television Industry in Los Angeles.

December, 2006: The state of New Mexico announces a voluntary green filmmaking initiative, which gives filmmakers filming in New Mexico guidelines and resources for environmentally conscious filming.

April, 2007: The Canadian greencode project launches, aiming to “make media with no impact.”

October, 2007: The California Film Commission publishes a Green Resource Guide, designed to “help productions minimize their environmental impact.”

February, 2008: In response to growing interest in filming in the UK, the Mayor of London and Film London spearhead an effort to make the capital city the “greenest place to film.”

September, 2008: American University’s Center for Social Media and Center for Environmental Filmmaking begin writing The Code of Best Practices in Sustainable Filmmaking, a component of which is a survey that can be taken here.

October, 2008: A team including a former Paramount Pictures president announces plans to build “the first all-union built, green, SMART studio facility in the world” in Massachusetts.

To break the champagne bottle over the proverbial hull of this ship we’re calling Film Greener, we thought it would be appropriate to answer the question of why green filmmaking is important. Or rather, why it is more important than green-everything-else. There is no doubt that making every industry, and every aspect of our own lives, a little more environmentally friendly is extremely important. However, we believe strongly that advocating for a greener film industry can not only have direct environmental impact, it can also have an impact on movie-goers, television watchers, and all participants in the entertainment industry. Here are some reasons we believe the film industry is a great target for greening:

It’s highly visible

By its nature the entertainment industry is in the public eye. In America, 70% of people see movies regularly, which equates to over a billion movie attendances each year. Movies made according to green filming best practices and films with environmental themes raise awareness about environmental issues in a way that other media can’t.

It’s a huge polluter

A 2006 study done by the University of California Los Angeles concluded that Hollywood represented a major contributor to poor air quality in Los Angeles. The movie industry was found to produce more emissions than aerospace manufacturing, apparel, hotels or semiconductor manufacturing (which are other major industries in the five-county region surrounding and including Los Angeles). Though some studios have taken steps to reduce their emissions by recycling set materials or, in the case of The Day After Tomorrow, planting trees, the study found that these efforts were the exception and not the rule. All this simply means that the film industry is primed for greening. Unlike other industries that have been hit with heavy regulations and have already taken the easy initial steps towards eco-consciousness, Hollywood can  take some very small steps and see big results.

It’s a role model

For better or worse, people follow celebrity trends. Celebrity endorsements have already had major effects on other causes, such as getting out the vote. Hollywood can also serve as a positive green role model not only to individuals but to other industries. By demonstrating environmentally friendly practices and having characters engage in eco-conscious activities, films can have an effect on how people act in their own lives. Similar to how we now expect characters in films to drive with their seatbelts on, we should also expect them to recycle and take public transportation when reasonable. Clearly we don’t expect James Bond to start riding the bus, but why shouldn’t Moneypenny throw her papers in the recycling bin?

Many celebrities are already involved

Hollywood types are notoriously liberal and environmentally conscious, but not many of them have the power to affect change at a high level in the industry. Those that can have already shown that it’s possible to make successful films that are also green. Syriana, for example, which was produced by George Clooney, was entirely carbon neutral. Those that can’t have such high-level control can still set an example in the way they lead their own lives, by refusing to engage in the conspicuous consumption that is synonymous with celebrity. If the film industry launches more green initiatives, we have no doubt that celebrities will be excited to jump on board.

Now that you’ve read why we feel strongly about greening the film industry, we hope you’ll join our cause. Tell your friends about this blog, and support environmentally friendly films and filmmakers. Let’s get started!

Photo by the JoshMeister on Flickr.