Sustainable Film Production in British Columbia
Sustainable film production is not just a passing trend, and British Columbia is leading the way in this initiative. Beverley Dondale, CEO of Alpha Select Production Services, is at the forefront of a groundbreaking $242 million studio project in collaboration with the Malahat Nation. The goal is to establish a carbon-neutral, zero-waste production facility on Vancouver Island, with 51% ownership by the Malahat Nation.
The planned facility will include a 10-acre backlot, two production offices, a workshop, warehouse, and a double soundstage. Dondale is committed to sustainable practices and has partnered with a building company to ensure that set deconstruction salvages materials for reuse and donates recovered resources to local nonprofits.
“We have composting and recycling capabilities,” Dondale explains, highlighting the importance of making sustainability easy for production teams. By collaborating with companies that offer tax receipts for donations, she is making it financially viable for productions to participate in sustainable practices.
Dondale is confident that by creating a sustainable studio, productions will be attracted to the facility.
Major studios in Vancouver are also prioritizing sustainability goals. Shannon Bart, Netflix’s senior manager for sustainability & productions, points out that fuel is a significant source of on-set emissions, with a majority coming from vehicles and diesel generators. Since 2020, Netflix has been implementing a sustainability roadmap through 2030, focusing on energy efficiency, vehicle electrification, clean mobile power, and renewable energy sourcing.
By transitioning to cleaner energy sources, productions not only benefit the communities they operate in but also gain creative freedom and production agility. For instance, the production of “Virgin River” in B.C. utilized small, mobile batteries instead of generators, allowing for filming in unique locations.
In collaboration with Disney, Netflix launched the Clean Mobile Power Initiative in June 2023 to accelerate the industry’s shift away from diesel generators towards zero-emission solutions.
Yalmaz Siddiqui, VP of environmental sustainability at the Walt Disney Co., emphasizes the importance of developing long-term sustainable solutions that can be replicated globally while engaging local communities to reduce emissions and waste.
Despite challenges such as the post-SAG-AFTRA and WGA strike, the film industry in British Columbia remains resilient. B.C. film commissioner Marnie Gee notes that the province saw an increase in Canadian productions during the strikes, with plans to invest $15.9 million over three years to support domestic productions.
Creative BC is anticipating the availability of 1.04 million square feet of new production space across 50 stages by 2025, demonstrating the continued growth of the industry.
On Vancouver Island, film commissioner Kathleen Gilbert has observed a rise in filming requests, signaling a path towards full recovery for the industry. With ongoing efforts in sustainability and support for local communities, British Columbia remains a hub for sustainable film production.
