I knew instantly that my friends were talking about Away We Go. I’ve known about the film and its green initiatives for a while, but had not known it was documented in the DVD bonus features. After having a few non-industry friends make the above comment to me, I decided it was about time I see what had caught their attention and made them think of me. I’m glad I finally did so I can continue to spread the word, and encourage anyone that has not yet seen the bonus feature to do so.

 

I had actually planned on discussing this topic at a later time, but as it turns out the featurette complements my introduction to green film perfectly and gives a great overall perspective of what it means to film green. Many of the areas I brought up in my previous post are highlighted: The Executive Producer discusses recycling and composting on set; the Director of Photography brings up the issue of plastic water bottles and the obscene waste that results from disposing of them; and the Production Designer explains that eco-friendly building materials were used and sets were not just thrown in the dumpster at wrap. While the featurette doesn’t go into great detail, it does give a good overview and sends a positive message about greening up production (which we like very much). 

 

There is more to the story of course. The bonus feature exists due to the teaming up of the film’s producers with Earthmark/ Green Media Solutions. They conducted a pilot study to assess ways in which productions can reduce their carbon emissions and other negative environmental impacts. The featurette highlights the resulting green initiatives implemented on Away We Go; however, the full report details the approach taken, provides a third-party verified carbon analysis (the first ever done for a film), and discusses the lessons learned. Most importantly, this study has paved the way for future productions wanting to go green, and has already stimulated dialogue among the major Hollywood studios and industry professionals.

 

The study’s achievements are just the beginning and show us what work there is to be done. I have had this report for the past year, and credit it with being a large part of my inspiration to work on greening the film industry. While the bonus feature has now exposed many movie viewers to the topic, I hope it also inspires them to research the issue further (see the resources below).

 

 

Download the full report here

Learn more about Green Media Solutions 

Read this featured article on Away We Go going green