Here are some basics for production and postproduction facilities and practitioners seeking to improve the sustainability of their media work. Check out the recently-updated international resources on right for more resources and check out our posts about green media technologies, practices, and vendors.

Start off "Green from the Go"

Educate and engage your team. Bring in an outside resource to accelerate learning and work through cultural issues.

Have the team establish baselines and meaningful but achievable objectives.

Recruit and support a senior person as the projoct or facility's green champion.

Educate your stakeholders and supply chain in advance about what you're doing and why. You'll tap unexpected support and resources, as well as clear out questions up front.

Consider equipment with the most sustainable product life-cycles when purchasing new gear.

Leverage the digital world

Establish an online collaborative workspace for each production (virtual production HQ):

Use for all aspects of preproduction, production, and postproduction

Features can include production documentation, online meetings, file sharing, streaming, interactive post sessions, etc.

Reduce travel, paper, courier services, and high-value time for activities like script, location planning, circulation of call sheets, viewing dailies, editing sessions, approvals, etc.

Use digital acquisition, communication, archiving, and distribution:

Capture images in digital media to reduce the use of chemicals, film base, and storage of film elements.

Recycle and reuse digital acquisition stock and postproduction drives after content is transferred to asset management.

Share assets digitally. Where not possible, minimize energy/carbon impact of transportation and use recycled/recyclable packaging.

Encourage your clients to use digital downloads, rather than physical media, to distribute. Help them use facilities that minimize energy/water consumption and CO2e emissions.

"Sweat your assets" - learn how to redeploy gear to prolong it service life.

Implement sustainable stage and set practices

Encourage/reward suppliers to adopt meaningful sustainability programs.

Use rental houses for props and wardrobe to eliminate unnecessary purchases and disposal. Donate purchased props and wardrobe to humanitarian non-profits.

Avoid using toxic materials and tropical woods (e.g. Lauan board) to build sets. Reuse salvageable materials and set pieces on other productions and/or donate materials to housing non-profits.

Utilize as much energy efficient lighting equipment as possible, including studio lighting products based on fluorescent and LED technologies.

Source sustainably-produced make-up products for talent.

Implement sustainable location practices

Use as many local directors, production companies, and crew as possible.

Encourage/reward crew to use public transportation to travel to location/studio/post house. Provide car pools or bus transportation from a public transportation hub to location/facility. Use as many hybrid and alternate fuel vehicles as possible. No-idling policy at location.

Seek out local service providers with meaningful sustainability programs.

Work with caterers and craft services that use locally or organically grown produce and donate leftover food to local food banks or charity kitchens.

Reduce the use of paper, Styrofoam, and other disposables by encouraging/rewarding crew to bring their own mugs/cups/bottles. Replace plastic water bottles with water dispensers/coolers and individual soda cans with 2-liter bottles.

Provide for recycling on each location. Don't forget e-waste recycling.

Utilize as much energy efficient lighting equipment as possible. Use CFL/LED lighting in trailers, craft areas, etc.

Turn-off as much gear as possible during breaks and all of it after hours. Limit HVAC after hours, as well.

Encourage/reward “take only pictures, leave only footprints” practices at outdoor locations.

Use energy from renewable sources where you can; consider carbon offsets where you cannot.