Playback Article: Creative BC Launches Reel Green Five-Year Plan

Creative BC has launched a five-year strategic plan for its Reel Green environmental initiative to establish best practices and green tactics for BC-based productions.

The plan is supported by 13 production sector organizations in the province, including William F. White International, Vancouver Film Studios and the Canadian Motion Picture Association (CMPA).

It identifies four major priorities, each with its own measurable goals. The first priority is education, with the Reel Green initiative aiming to teach stakeholders about the environmental and social implications of film and TV production and to provide solutions. One goal laid out in the plan is to offer a carbon literacy course by 2021, to be designed by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.

Reel Green’s second priority is engagement, with the program aiming to bring together industry stakeholders for a sustainable production solutions roundtable, which will discuss solutions for implementation.

Communicating more openly and broadly about sustainability is another priority, and, lastly, the initiative aims to provide more resources and be at the forefront of sustainable production best practices.

“One thing that people fear when you ‘green’ an industry is that it’s going to have additional costs. What we’re going to be showing here through the strategic plan and through the tactics and best practices is that it actually is going to be a cost-saving measure when you start implementing these tactics and plans,” Robert Wong, vice-president of Creative BC told Playback Daily. 

Last year, Creative BC teamed up with the Vancouver International Film Festival to present the Sustainable Production Forum. It showcased a case study on Vancouver-shot The X-Files, which found that found that, by implementing certain best practices (like a no-idling policy and scouring recycled materials for set design), the production not only diverted more than 81% of its total waste from the landfill, it also generated nearly $41,000 in savings.

Wong said he hopes the plan will speak to the wider industry and demonstrate that parties from across the production community can come together to improve the environmental impact of the industry.

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Written by Regan Reid