Ontario Green Screen (OGS) has launched a four-year strategic plan with the goal of supporting the province’s film and television industry in reducing its environmental impact.

The 2023-27 Strategic Plan was released on Thursday (July 13) and builds on the initial 2021-23 plan. It is based on four “pillars” which aim to: strengthen partnerships, inform and educate, support best practice implementation and measure impact.

Ontario film commissioner Justin Cutler, who co-chairs OGS alongside FilmOntario managing director and counsel, Cynthia Lynch, tells Playback Daily that “all of those pillars are aimed at two goals, which is to increase circularity on set — so the reuse of materials — and also the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions … those two goals are critical for the industry and for the environment, and we’re facilitating changes in those two spaces.”

Lynch says information gathered as a result of OGS’s strategic goals will be the most impactful for producers learning “how to fulfill their [sustainability] plans, and how to implement plans on set” and looking to meet their targets, adds Lynch.

The group also wants its program to be consistent with other jurisdictions so producers can “adopt those sustainable best practices with ease,” says Cutler.

OGS has set out goals and tactics on how it will implement its plan. It aims to build collaborative partnerships, maximize the impact of the ambassador program, and identify external funding sources to support industry-led initiatives.

To achieve this it wants to establish a regular meeting schedule with local and international prodcos and Ontario municipalities, promote OGS at schools with film programs, and also host Green Table meetings. The meetings will bring targeted stakeholders together, in “a face-to-face setting,” where they can share learnings, says Lynch. OGS is also building its network of ambassadors who can help advance sustainable action on set.

“So far, we have over 50 ambassadors that are part of our program, but we want to work with studios and partners to ensure that key decision-makers are a part of that ambassador group as well,” says Cutler.

The plan is also focused on informing and educating — through courses, industry forums and communication plans to reach key stakeholders — and supporting best practices that will reduce GHG emissions and material and food waste, and promote circularity within the industry by engaging vendors and suppliers. Finally, it aims to measure impact by consolidating data collected from partners such Second Harvest and Partners in Project Green, determining which carbon calculator tool is best suited for the industry and aligning the provinces with future national and international certification programs.

“We’ve tried to build our plan to be as inclusive as possible for the maximum range of productions and content,” says Cutler, citing two programs indie producers can take advantage of.

The first is a partnership with Partners in Project Green, which launched as a pilot program in the initial 2021-23 plan. “This company rescues materials and resources from sets that could be reused by other companies or agencies,” says Cutler. “We piloted this program with two productions, and we saved 9.8 metric tons of materials. The total value of those goods was $33,000. That also meant that the production did not have to pay for the disposal fees, just the transportation fees to get those materials offset. So, in some ways, there actually may be a cost savings here, that would help with independent production.”

The second program is run through food rescue charity Second Harvest. “Since 2019, Second Harvest has provided nearly 40,000 meals to local agencies within the range of their service operations, mostly in the GTA. That saved $146,000 in food that those local agencies would have had to purchase, and quite a lot of GHG reductions from those meals being saved. So there’s a lot that production can take advantage of that is free and accessible,” he continues.

To better sync with the evolving industry, the strategic plan will be reviewed on an annual basis.

Cutler also has three tips for producers transitioning to green sets: “Start small; look for sustainability ambassadors on set and enable them to make change; focus on cost neutral, or cost saving initiatives, like rescuing food from set, or using electrical grid tie-ins, that can drastically reduce the carbon footprint of a production; and connect with sustainability consortiums like OGS, or Reel Green in B.C., that can connect you with all the resources you need to succeed.”

Members of the OGS advisory committee, which helped develop the strategic plan, include Ontario Creates, FilmOntario, ACTRA Toronto, Amazon Studios, Cinespace, the City of Brampton, the City of Mississauga, the City of Toronto, the Canadian Media Producers Association, David Mintz Catering, Directors Guild of Canada Ontario, Entertainment One, Entertainment Partners Canada, IATSE 411, IATSE 667, IATSE 873, Invest Durham, MBSE Canada, NABET 700-M UNIFOR, Quadrant Motion Pictures, Pinewood Group, Keslow Camera/Sim, Spin VFX, William F. White International, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Starline Production Rentals, Netflix, the City of Kawartha Lakes, Corus Entertainment and the Motion Pictures Association – Canada.

Photo: Unsplash