Ryan Doucette is the manager of transportation compliance for Warner Bros. Studio Operations, Canada, and while that title might not immediately bring to mind a job at the forefront of the studio’s efforts at creating ever more sustainable productions, that’s precisely where Doucette finds himself.

“This is probably not as exciting as talking to a cinematographer,” Doucette joked when we spoke, “but it’s really important, and it’s not something we have a choice about.”

Doucette was part of the team that helped Warner Bros. Television’s popular series Kung Fu implement renewable diesel into the production of season three in an effort to make positive impacts on the series’ carbon footprint. More productions at Warner Bros. are gearing up to follow Kung Fu‘s lead, with both the economics making increasing sense and the moral and ethical responsibilities becoming ever more apparent.

Read the interview with Ryan Doucette on The Credits. 

Prom Pact, a Disney+ Original movie from Disney Branded Television, went completely green on set earlier this year. The Vancouver-shot production worked together to decrease their environmental impact through several ways, including working with Reel Green™ for support and consultation.Reposted from Disney’s Impact Stories series. View the original here.

Line Producer Warren Carr and Sustainability Steward Noah Rogers have championed sustainability from the earliest moments of production prep for Prom Pact. “Production managers look at their budgets and may not have a department that says sustainability. I say, put one in!” Warren shares. Creating a sustainability department, he says, can help put sustainability at the heart of important production decisions from the very beginning.

With the help of other departments from transportation and locations to construction and catering, Warren and Noah sought ways to reduce emissions, minimize waste, and engage the entire crew to create a greener production. By the time the cast and crew gathered for their first day on set, the production already had several sustainable practices in place, including electric vehicles for crew shuttles, refillable water stations (which have already served the equivalent of more than 25,000 single-use plastic bottles of water!), and other behind-the-scenes strategies for reducing the production’s environmental impact.

Sustainability Steward Noah Rogers with a mobile waste management center and signage on location in Vancouver.

On the Prom Pact set, sustainability is a team effort. Signage across the set builds awareness of the small yet powerful actions anyone can take, such as composting leftovers from lunch or turning off appliances when not in use. Noah partnered with each of the production’s departments on tailored sustainability practices that match their needs and priorities and shared a “carbon calculator” with crew members so they could learn more about their day-to-day impact. “People have really bought into it,” Noah says. “People share comments, concerns, and ideas, too…more and more people have sustainability in the forefront of their mind.”

Prom Pact’s comprehensive waste reduction plan, created in collaboration with the construction and locations departments and the production’s waste management vendors, focuses on both the production office and the set. While on location in Vancouver, the production provides mobile waste management centers with compost and recycling options. In the office, the production selected a waste vendor that could also process materials such as lightbulbs, electronics, and metals, to divert these items away from landfills and give them new life.

When it comes to feeding the crew, Noah worked with the catering staff to prioritize environmentally responsible options for preparing and serving meals. The production prepares estimates of how many cast and crew will be on set each day for the catering team, so they can meal plan more accurately and with less waste. Their daily menus feature sustainable choices such as Ocean Wise-certified seafood and plant-based options. And in addition to limiting single-use plastics, the production has sourced compostable food ware for use on set and provided reusable cutlery kits to office staff.

With the entire movie filming on location, powering the production while reducing emissions requires creativity and care from everyone on set. The production ties into the grid where possible to reduce the reliance on generators and has found opportunities to use electric vehicles and emission-free battery electric generators, rather than gas- or diesel-powered alternatives. For example, the team uses mobile battery units to power the catering truck during off hours and added an update to their production report on generator use, creating more awareness for crew members making important decisions about how to meet the energy needs of the production.

With the support of the entire cast and crew of Prom Pact, Warren and Noah are helping the production make environmentally responsible choices on set each day. They both say that this is just the beginning – “this is the baseline and something we can build on,” Warren says, noting that there is more to learn and more ways for our entire industry to help productions become greener and more sustainable.

Read the full impact report here.

Diesel fuel is a leading contributor to overall greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by the motion picture industry.  As British Columbia works toward substantial GHG emissions reductions by 2030, the motion picture industry can support these goals by utilizing clean alternatives to diesel fuel where available.

 

The Benefits of Clean Energy

Clean energy incentives offered by industry partners encourage productions to consider environmentally conscious alternatives to diesel generators.  In addition to tangible benefits such as savings on the cost of fuel and labour, making the switch demonstrates the film industry’s commitment to environmentally friendly solutions.  The benefits to this include:

 

City of Vancouver | Clean Energy Incentive

City of Vancouver introduced their Clean Energy Incentive in 2020.  Productions that can demonstrate they eliminated at least one diesel generator with clean power can take advantage of a 50% discount on their daily permit fee.  The incentive has been well received by industry with a number of productions eligible for the discount.

To further support their incentive, the city is developing a power kiosk network that will expand access for industry to grid power tie-ins.  The first kiosks are expected to open in the second half of 2022, and the city aims to have a power kiosk within 10 minutes of any film location in the city over the next five years.

 

 

Metro Vancouver | Clean Energy Discount

Metro Vancouver launched their clean energy discount at the beginning of 2022.  The discount is available to crews filming in Metro Vancouver regional parks and properties.  Similar to City of Vancouver, productions must show they replaced at least one diesel generator with a clean power alternative.  Clean power alternatives include a grid power tie-in, battery technology, or other non-fossil-fuel sources of energy.  Eligible productions can access a $500 per day discount for up to two days for a total of up to $1,000 discount.

 

 

How to Source Clean Energy Alternatives

The Grid Power Access Map is an interactive tool designed to share the availability of grid power tie-in sources in the Lower Mainland.  Crew can search the map by address to find clean power options available near their filming and parking locations.  The map also identifies high priority locations for clean power infrastructure – sites that frequently support filming or circus parking.  The map is updated regularly with new properties sourced by industry.  Crew and location representatives can submit new tie-in locations directly through a form on the map to be vetted and added.

The Green Vendor List was developed to highlight businesses that demonstrate sustainable operations and practices.  The list includes several studio facilities and equipment vendors who offer green solutions.  Every business has been vetted by Reel Green™ and given a sustainability rating.

 

 

For more information about work being done in B.C. to support clean energy solutions, learn about the Clean Energy Committee.