Sustainability Committee Mission Statement
We are living during a pivotal time in our industry. The Producers Guild of America has issued a Call to Action Letter to the film and television community with a goal of reducing carbon emissions by 50% by 2030.
To achieve this, the Local 600 Sustainability Committee hopes to raise awareness of the stressors our industry places on the environment and help implement sustainable production practices within our union. Transforming creative visions from script to screen consumes resources, generates waste, and produces carbon emissions. As leaders in art and entertainment, Local 600 members have a responsibility to lead the way in clean-energy solutions.
By organizing sustainability panels at industry events; hosting cleanup events nationwide; creating content for ICG publications; and building coalitions with sustainability-focused organizations, our mission is to empower our brothers and sisters to reduce, reuse, and recycle as we move toward living and working more sustainably.
Committee Members
National Chair: Allison Elvove
aelvove@gmail.com
Eastern Region Co-Chair: Katie Greaves
katiethomasgreaves@yahoo.com
Central Region Co-Chair: Paige Thomas
kpaigethomas@gmail.com
Cynthia Pusheck, Western Region Director of Photography
Alex Coyle, Western Region 2nd AC
Agnes Rodriguez-Sebek, Central Region 2nd AC
Nihal Dantluri, Central Region Digital Utility
Looking Back on 2023...
In 2023, the Local 600 Sustainability Committee engaged with members across the country, hosting several panels on Sustainable Production at NAB Las Vegas, NAB NY, Cine Gear Atlanta, and Filmscape Chicago. The committee had a huge turnout of Local 600 volunteers to plant trees as part of Plantlanta, and in Albuquerque, Atlanta, Brooklyn, Chicago, and LA, the committee hosted electronics recycling. In LA, at the IATSE Members Yard Sale, 1,960 lbs of electronics and 202 lbs of clothing were recycled.
If you'd like to volunteer or are interested in learning about the Committee, email 600sustainability@gmail.com. To learn more about the “In Memoriam” charitable donations in honor of Local 600 members, in partnership with One Tree Planted, please read this ICG Magazine article.
News & Articles
Script to Screen: Advancing Sustainable Entertainment Products, A Deep Dive into the SXSW 2024 Panel Discussion (September 16, 2024)
At SXSW 2024, an insightful panel titled "Script to Screen: Advancing Sustainable Entertainment Products" brought together industry experts to discuss the challenges and opportunities of integrating sustainability into entertainment production. Sponsored by the United Soybean Board and moderated by Tony Mellenthin, a Wisconsin farmer and director of the board, the panel featured Todd Holland, producer and leader of the Sustainability Group at the Directors Guild of America; Danica Vallone, founder and CEO of Red Hen Industries; and Ty Walker, SVP and head of physical production at Hartbeat. Read more.
Getting to Net Zero Production: Part One (September 16, 2024)
Given the climate emergency, getting to net zero in the production of entertainment events must be a top priority. This is the first in a series of articles that map a path to zero-emission production of movies and live events. Read more.
The Climate of Insurance (September 16, 2024)
Recent weather-related headlines punctuate an accelerating economic trend: the climate of the private insurance industry is rapidly changing and risk-averse. As such, Local 600 member communities and the wider IATSE family of unions are being impacted by national insurance trends that are already augmenting cost-of-living expenses and financial risk. Read more.
IATSE Local 44 Sustainability Committee Summer '24 Update (Jul. 12, 2024)
The Local 600 Sustainability Committee wants to spotlight another Sustainability Committee that is doing important work within the IATSE community. Since its inception in fall 2023, the Local 44 Sustainability Committee, led by Chair Sarai Sosa and Vice-Chair Amy Wallenberg, has been actively working to address environmental challenges in the film, television, and commercial production industry. Read more.
Chicago Green Panels with Local 600 Members (Jul. 12, 2024)
Recently, Local 600 Chicago-area Sustainability Committee Representative Stephanie Dufford hosted a panel at Filmscape to shine a light on two Chicago-based companies bringing sustainability practices to film productions in town, and participated on Sundance Institutue X's green panel. Read more.
First Entertainment Sustainability Certification for Workers Launches from USGBC-CA (Jul. 12, 2024)
The entertainment industry is about to receive a first-of-its-kind environmental certification for professionals. The U.S. Green Building Council California (USGBC-CA) – along with the film and TV, music, and live sports segments of entertainment – is excited to announce the Sustainable Production for Entertainment Certification (SPEC), a workforce-centered certification uplifting individuals through cutting-edge professional development, with application across the industry – from executives to operations crew, tentpole producers to music engineers and art directors to live event personnel. Read more.
Every Day Action Celebrity Gala Fundraiser (Jun. 4, 2024)
On April 27th Every Day Action held their 2nd Annual Celebrity Gala at Intercrew LA. The ICG was represented at The Recycle Ball by Lisa Guerriero and Mark Weingartner, who were surrounded by a bevy of TV stars, stage actors, producers and other industry and community business folk who turned out to support the Every Day Action organization. This is the second year that the Sustainability Committee has supported this cause. Read more.
Earth Day 2024: Recapping Events Nationwide (Jun. 4, 2024)
Local 600 members joined their IATSE kin in various Earth Day cleanup and recycling events across the country:
IATSE Sustainability Committee Updates (Jun. 4, 2024)
The Local 600 Sustainability Committee welcomes IATSE Local 44 and IATSE Local 80 into the Sustainability Committee inter-guild community. Read more.
Director of Photography Philip Dillon Talks Sustainability On Set (Jan. 24, 2024)
Local 600 member Philip Dillon writes about the sustainability efforts made by the camera department.
Read his article here.
E-Waste and Office Supplies Recycling at the IATSE Members Yard Sale (Oct. 28, 2023)
The E-Waste and Office Supplies recycling collection at the IATSE Members Yard Sale in October 2023 was a huge success. Local 600 Sustainability Committee volunteers diligently sorted materials and talked with IATSE members who stopped by the booth about ways they can recycle special items throughout the year. Read more. 600LIVE! photo gallery by Still Photographer Bonnie Osborne.
"Lights, Camera, Plastic?" Campaign
Read about the "Lights, Camera, Plastic?" campaign here.
Greening of New York
Local 600 Director of Photography Stephen Thompson reflects on how some NYC-based productions are opting for having smaller batteries run the truck and charge some of the batteries so the AB battery chargers on set are drawing less power. Read Thompson's piece here.
Videos
Building a Culture of Sustainability on Set
An interguild & unions discussion with leaders of Producers Guild of America, IATSE Local 600, Directors Guild of America IATSE Local 728, and Art Directors Guild Local 800 Unions and Guilds are working together to create a culture of sustainability in film & tv productions. Join us for an inter-departmental conversation to learn how creatives and crew are rallying around Clean Energy, Climate Storytelling, and Circularity, Materials & Waste reduction.
Watch the panel
"Achieving a Unified Approach to Sustainable Production" Panel Hosted by Local 600 at NAB New York
Moderated by the ICG’s production technology specialist and business representative Michael Chambliss, panelists included Local 600 Director of Photography Declan Quinn, ASC, Local 52 Green Committee Co-Chair and Rigging Gaffer/Best Boy Electric Meg Schrock, Founder and CEO of Earth Angel Emellie O'Brien, and Founder and Chairman of Triode Media Group Ltd Peter Scudner. Watch the panel.
Local 600's 2023 NAB Show Panel on Sustainability
Moderated by the ICG’s production technology specialist and business representative Michael Chambliss, panelists included Green Spark Group president & founder Zena Harris, MBS Group’s senior director of sustainability Amit Jain, Local 600 Director of Photography Cynthia Pusheck, ASC, and Koerner Camera Systems rentals manager Sally Spaderna. Watch the panel.
IATSE Goes Green! Webinars
IATSE members can view these webinar recordings and much more at any time on the IATSE Education for All GoToWebinar Channel.
- Emotional Sustainability in the Face of Climate Anxiety (April 2024) Video I Handout
- The Impact of Climate Change on IATSE Worker Safety and Health (August 2023): Video I Handout
- IATSE Goes Green! A Conversation with the Broadway Green Alliance (April 2023): Video I Handout
- Green Tips for IATSE Kin (April 2022): Video I Handout
- IATSE Goes Green! Sustainable Tips for Workers in the Entertainment Industry (April 2021): Video I Handout
PERG Coffee Break: Sustainability
PERG collaborated with Local 600 and the PGA Green Task Force to bring together a panel of industry leaders to share their thoughts on steps to reduce the size of the environmental footprint of our industry. The presentation featured remarks by Zena Harris, President and Founder of Green Spark Group. Watch the video.
Local 600 Teams with Green the Bid for "Introduction to Sustainable Production Panel
In 2022, Local 600 partnered with Green the Bid to produce a sustainability on set panel. Green the Bid is a non-profit grassroots organization which focuses on shifting the entertainment industry to zero-waste, carbon neutral, sustainable and regenerative practices. Watch the panel on Local 600's Vimeo.
Green Resources
Colour Co. Rentals (Sep. 17, 2024)
At Colour Co. Rentals, sustainability is integral to their mission of supporting underrepresented creatives. They are committed to reducing our carbon footprint by investing in second-hand equipment, minimizing paper and plastic waste through recycling and reuse, and using eco-friendly materials for productions and events. Read more.
BLUESHAPE Introduction (Aug. 20, 2024)
Sustainability means operating in such a way to minimize or eliminate damage to the environment as a part of being a responsible corporate citizen. The BLUESHAPE family is doing what we can to enable our children and the generations to come to have breathable air, drinkable water and edible food. Read more.
EcoSet's Expendables Eco Drop (Jul. 12, 2024)
Have expendables? Drop them off at EcoSet in Los Angeles, located at 3019 Andrita St., Los Angeles, CA 90065. Drop-off times are 8:30 am - 4 pm (PDT), Monday - Friday. View a full list of what items are accepted here.
Free IATSE Course on Sustainability (Jun. 4, 2024)
The IATSE Green Committee has partnered with Green Spark Group – a sustainability agency that provides training for entertainment productions – to provide a free course to IATSE members titled “The Spark: Your Sustainable Production Primer.” Learn more. IATSE members are invited to sign up through the Green Spark Group website. Use the code PIATSE100 for free access. Space is limited.
New Hard Drive Use Best Practice (Jun. 4, 2024)
In a first-of-its-kind response to the advertising industry’s urgent need to decarbonize, ad industry sustainability trade associations the 4A’s, Ad Association, AICP, ANA, AOP, APA, IPA, and ISBA, have all jointly announced support for the adoption of best practices to encourage production hard drive reuse over single use. Read more.
Green Sets in Chicago (Jun. 4, 2024)
Since the start of 2024 Green Sets has been present on an average of 1 shoot per month. The hope is to facilitate a seamless integration with the work already happening to make onset sustainability something that is easy to engage. Read more.
IATSE Local 891's Heat Stress App (Mar. 26, 2024)
The Local 600 Sustainability Committee wants to bring awareness to the Heat Stress App that was developed by IATSE Local 891 in response to growing concerns over climate change.
The App is free, but it is used in conjunction with a hygrometer like this one. After a reading from the hygrometer and a quick questionnaire, the user has a quantifiable measurement about working conditions to determine if they are unsafe based on factors such as temperature and relative humidity. The results can be screenshotted and sent to production to help illustrate unsafe working conditions. It provides a measurable way to alert employers if the weather conditions are too hot and empowers employees to request shade breaks.
To learn more about the App, check out page 127 of the Third Quarter 2023 IATSE Bulletin.
Local 600 Sustainability Resolution (Feb. 4, 2024)
Read the full sustainability resolution as passed by the National Executive Board on February 4, 2024. Read more.
NYC Renewable Diesel Update (Jan. 23, 2024)
January 11, 2024 is the launch of New York City's first fuel station serving Renewable Diesel. Shout out to Teamsters Local 817 and Mike Devereaux and James Whalen who brought all the necessary parties together to make this happen. Sonomax, located at 278 Greenpoint Avenue, Brooklyn, NY, will service diesel trucks from across sectors, including film industry transportation needs, delivery trucks, and other drivers who seek to power their vehicles with low-carbon fuels.
Recap & Resources from the 2023 CleanTech Demo Days in Los Angeles
The Los Angeles Cleantech Demo Days on November 3 and 4 was a well-produced event as part of the Clean Mobile Power Initiative. It was exciting to see all the options now available for productions to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels. There is a wide variety of battery generators, solar-powered trailers, and electric vehicles. Something for every production. While each production would have to determine their specific needs, this equipment will reduce our carbon emissions on set. The vendors were very forthright with the capabilities of their equipment; how much of a load it can handle, for how long, as well as how to recharge the equipment. Like all new technology, it will take a little more thought in prep to ensure these units are placed in the proper situations and utilized where they will succeed. This technology is growing quickly enabling greater versatility.
2023 CleanTech Demo Days Vendor + Exhibitor List
Ecoship - An Organization in Chicago Leading the Way on Reuse
Ecoship is a sustainability non-profit that is run by volunteers in Chicago. Their goal is to divert waste from landfills that comes from packing materials. Read more.
Every Day Action is Fighting Food Insecurity with the Help of Local 600 Members
See how you can help here.
Saniset Fleets Offers Sustainability Consultation and Equipment for Productions
Find out more about what they offer here.
Electric Owl Studios, "Greenest Studio on Earth," Opens in Atlanta, GA
Read more about the opening of Electric Owl Studios here.
Local 600 Members Attend the 2023 Every Day Action Gala in Los Angeles
Read about the gala fundraising event, written by Local 600 member Mattew Borek, here. Volunteer with Every Day Action.
Green the Bid's Camera & Lighting Department Checklist
“The Complete Green Post Production Manual” as it relates to Local 600 Members (Jan. 23, 2024)
See how you can implement sustainable practices on set here.
Local 600 Teams with Koerner Camera Systems for "Suggestions for a Green Camera Rental House"
From prep work, to office setup, recycling programs, and beyond, read what 600's Sustainability Committee and Koerner have put together to keep camera rental houses green. View the pdf here.
Local 600's Sustainability Committee & Camera Rental Houses Team Up to Support the P-touch Recycling Program
The Local 600 Sustainability (formerly Green) Committee has been contacting camera rental houses across the country to set up a P-touch Recycling Program for our Local 600 members. We use so many P-touch cartridges as members of the camera department, the committee's hope is that recycling these products will have a big impact on reducing waste. Nearly 40 camera rental houses nationwide are participating. If you know of a rental house that might be interested in the recycling program, reach out to us here.
Workplace Sustainability Recommendations from the Sustainability Committee (formerly Green Committee)
The health of the human race is tied to the health of our planet. As Local 600 members, we can do our part to address the climate crisis and other threats to our planet. This document contains a list of Sustainability Practices to consider. Read the document here.
E-Waste and Battery Recycling Resources
View an extensive list of nationwide resources for recycling e-waste and batteries here.
Environmental Impact of Hard Drives (graphic 1, graphic 2)
Zero Waste Cartel recycling tips
Single-Use Plastic Bottles v. Bulk Refill Water Jugs On Set
Set Zero: Focused on Green Energy Equipment
Set Zero is one of LA’s first rental companies solely focused on green energy equipment. Their inventory includes electric generators ranging from 5 kWh up to 80 kWh, EV transportation, and custom solar panels solutions for basecamps and on-location power. They strongly believe that electrification means a better working environment for crews by reducing noise and diesel exhaust on set, while also providing superior technology that can help production companies achieve their carbon emission goals. Jesse Chorng worked as a Producer for over a decade in New York and Los Angeles and was immediately excited by the industry’s transition towards sustainability. He co-founded Set Zero as a way to increase the availability of cutting edge equipment that crews and departments can have access to.
To learn more, check out their website.
