A Good Guide

Re-Nest recommended this great website the other day where you can find out if the products you are using are, well, good. The Good Guide rates personal care and household products based on health, environmental, and social performance. I was so happy to find it because I've been searching for an organic shampoo that doesn't leave a nasty, cakey residue on my scalp. Hmmm. Yummy!

just another example...

...that we need to be responsible and informed consumers. There's big money in being environmental these days. So, of course, tons of corporations are jumping on the band wagon. Here's a great article on how companies are trying to take advantage of the green market from Time Magazine. The article talks about companies that are greenwashing their products. They use misleading claims to appear environmental. For example, a product can claim that they are "chlorofluorocarbon free." They're in fact just abiding the law that's been in place for years.

In an attempt to rectify the situation, the marketing consultancy EnviroMedia is launching www.greenwashingindex.com, "a website that allows consumers to post ads that might be examples of greenwashing and rate them on a scale of 1 to 5--1 is a little green lie; 5 is an outright falsehood." It's definitely not the most ideal watch dog for corporations, but I guess it's a start.

Consumer Reports also provides a great tool to find out what all that green jargon REALLY means on their site Greener Choices. Use this site to help you sift through all the environmental products that are out there.

She's crafty, She gets around

Red licorice, granola bars, Frito Lay’s variety pack. We’re supposedly artists, right? Creative types? If I have to look at one more value pack from Costco, I’m going to gouge my eye out. I think it’s a huge misconception that it’s cheaper to buy products in bulk. Especially when only half of that food gets eaten. Do I really have to give you the starving children line?

I know it’s sometimes considered a shit job, but Craft Services is one of the most important jobs on set. Let's not forget that the title does indicate that there is an element of craft to it. So, get creative.

1. Buy organic
I know it’s a little more expensive. But if you live in Los Angeles Trader Joe’s is a fantastic resource. They also have stores in several states in the US. I swear that my grocery bill is much cheaper when I buy from there than from a huge grocery chain. You’ll find tastier and healthier options like pita chips and hummus or chips and guacamole, ready to eat. If you’re feeling really ambitious, you can schedule around the multitude of Farmer’s Markets in LA.

2. Buy for the day
Instead of buying for the whole shoot, buy for a few days. This is where you’ll save in the long run for buying organic products. You’ll get an idea of what items are popular and what people are begging for. By preventing from buying too much food you’ll save some bucks at the end of the shoot.

3. Buy biodegradable or recycled supplies
Make sure your plates, napkins, paper towels and trash bags are recycled and/or biodegradable. Seventh generation which is available at most major grocery chains offers 100% Recycled paper products and 80% recycled large trash bags. Chinet also provides 100% recycled paper plates that are also biodegradable. Trader Joe’s also provides their own line of recycled paper goods.
4. Hire caterers with reusable plates and cutlery
If your production can afford Caterers, make sure to ask them if they provide reusable Plates and Utensils instead of disposables.

5. Provide clearly marked trash cans and recycle bins
I can’t reiterate this enough. Sometimes the easiest thing to be eco-conscious is to make it easy for your crew to be. They’ve got enough to worry about throughout the day, so don’t make them use up any of those much needed brain cells to find the recycle bin.
And if you want to be really REALLY OCD, provide a clearly marked compost bin during meals, for any uneaten food.

6. Donate leftovers
There are several organizations out there that will take uneaten catering or non-perishables such as Feeding America and Angel Harvest. If you know of any others in your neck of the woods, please let me know and I’ll post it on the site.

do your homework

In my daily blog-reading ritual, I've come across some really great articles. And I've learned that it's really important to do your homework. So, I'm trying to take a lesson from a couple of veteran bloggers that you guys might be interested in.

Yesterday, this treehugger article was posted by Karin Kloosterman about an "Israeli electric car scheme" called Project Better Place.

Another great blogger, Heather B. Armstrong of dooce linked this article to reference her current opinion on the US Presidential campaign.

I bring this up for two reasons.

1. I'm researching a new post about film vs. digital. There are the obvious reasons, like the chemicals of film, the carbon consumption of transporting and using film, the lesser carbon consumption of hard drives for digital. And there are the not-so-obvious reasons, like the viability of archiving digital files for hundred's of years or the longevity of archiving on film. So if any of you have any suggestions or facts on this issue, I'd greatly appreciate it.

2. I'm tired of having conversations like these:

Friend: What's your blog about?
Debbie: Eco-conscious filmmaking
Friend: Ohhhh, I had no idea you're a tree-hugging hippie.
Debbie: (sigh)

OR

Friend: What did you do last night?
Debbie: I watched the Democratic National Convention.
Friend: Yeah, everyone was watching that last night. What's the big deal about it?
Debbie: (blank stare)
Friend: I was gonna vote for McCain.
Debbie: Why?
Friend: I dunno. I don't really know much about either candidates. I just figured.
Debbie: (sigh)

Friends please do not take offense. I wholly acknowledge that my obsession for things is slightly OCD, and that I can't expect people to care about things as passionately as I care about them.

But, for the record, I'm not a tree hugger, just a realist. Besides, do you want to be responsible for killing this little guy?

That's what I thought.

It is in my research about biodiesel that I discovered the horrible affects that our consuming culture has on the world. This is what made me realize that it takes more than calling yourself an environmentalist, it takes more than recycling, it takes more than buying a hybrid. It's about truly understanding the repercussions of our actions as human beings that are a part of something larger than ourselves. I hate that environmentalism is such a political issue, but it is. So, when all you Americans close that curtain behind you to cast your vote, I implore you to educate yourselves about your decision, regardless of where you stand on the issues. That little polar bear is counting on you.

a blessing in disguise

I was driving down Centinela Ave. the other day, and I was amazed. It seems as if the streets of LA are filled with as many bikes as there are cars. Don't get me wrong. LA has a very long way to go in the way of alternative modes of transportation. But it seems to me that the rising prices of gas has become a blessing in disguise. In a town where people are married to their cars, where we have been long considered a "car culture," where companies like General Motors literally burned down its former railway system, where citizens vote against the light rail from connecting to its neighborhood. One after the other, there they were. Every spectrum of the socio-economic ladder rode their bikes down that street. To work. To school. To dinner. To a concert. To the beach. To their homes. Teenagers, senior citizens, entire families. I have watched my friends get amped about adding new tires to their bikes, finding a peugot frame on craigslist for $50 bucks, or shine with pride for riding 20 miles that day. So these days I am secretly excited about the exorbitant price of gas. Because it's initiating change. It's populating public transportation. It's making friends of carpooling co-workers. It's building a healthy community that wakes up early in the morning for that longer commute on their bikes. That no longer have time to sit on their couches and watch TV because they're riding home from work. That burn off the stresses of their day with a little physical activity. A community of cyclists that sleep a little better at night.

my labor day weekend

night shoots = utter delirium

have a good weekend

I'm checking out for a few days. Going to shoot a student film this weekend. Wish me luck ('cause I'm definitely going to need it). If you happen to have an environmental film, check out the Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival in Nevada City, CA. Their final without a box deadline is coming up (September 30th). Enjoy your bbq parties and the last days of summer. Happy Labor Day and see ya next week.