Environz

• Better systems for better outcomes
• RMA on the road
• Fiordland Marine Guardians release annual report
• Environmental Protection Authority is born
• Tui Mine – two years on
• Waste Minimisation Fund criteria released
• LUCAS 2009 – a space odyssey
• Greener future for NZ film
• We can’t manage what we don’t measure
• Electric vehicles catch the eye of the Kiwi motorist
• National Environmental Reporting Forum
• In brief & For your diary

Greener future for NZ film

The ‘Greening the Screen’ project that was funded by the Ministry in 2005 started with a boom but has unfortunately lain dormant for the past couple of years due to a lack of industry funding… until now.

In August this year, Film New Zealand re-launched the Greening the Screen website and toolkit to reignite sustainable practice in the New Zealand film and television industry.

The web-based toolkit is targeted towards maintaining New Zealand’s unique environment and minimising the film industry’s impact on it. An impressive aspect of the toolkit is the sustainable production services and resource guides that are tailored to each of New Zealand’s major cities with information on where to buy sustainable resources. It also offers an abundance of advice on recycling paper from scripts, energy efficient lighting and practices, and sustainable options for transport when on location.

Film NZ is also looking into developing a benchmark for the amount of carbon that is used by the film industry in New Zealand. “At the moment we are working with Landcare Research and Green Fox Consulting on the initial research into a Carbon Survey of the New Zealand Screen Production Industry. This could be a project we activate in the coming year, and from that we may develop an industry specific carbon calculator and standardisation or certification,” says Sandra Clark, project coordinator of Greening the Screen for Film NZ.

“It’s great to be involved in an industry that wants to make a difference to the way business approaches the environment. We’re hoping the toolkit gets picked up by individuals, companies and larger industry bodies.

“There are now many other international film offices presenting outstanding environmental initiatives and using an environmental leadership stance to huge advantage. New Zealand has lost ground in recent years and it’s time to act now and reassert our position,” says Clark.

One business which is making a greener difference to the film industry is Auckland based production company Curious Ltd. Curious is a full service production company that represents some of New Zealand’s most dynamic commercial directors on location in New Zealand, and it has been CarboNZero® certified since 2007.

Curious producer Matt Noonan says Curious is committed to devevloping sustainable productions because of their strong commercial focus. He says the New Zealand film industry has an obligation to be environmentally responsible because of our 100 per cent pure reputation. “We wanted to address both our own environmental conscience, personally and as a business, and also to anticipate the expectations of our clients right now and in years to come,” says Noonan.

For more information on the Greening the Screen project go to www.greeningthescreen.co.nz/ or contact Sandra Clark from Film New Zealand at sandra@filmnz.org.nz

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