9-20-07
Dyani is a crew member on The Green Screen, EarthTeamês Environmental Teen Television show and she met Lauren Selman at the EarthTeam sponsored Coastal Clean-Up on Sep 15th.

Dyani: So, Lauren, just to start off, tell me a little bit about your self?

Lauren: My name is Lauren Selman. I am a recent graduate from UC Berkeley where I majored in conservation resource studies and theatre performance studies. I specialize in environmental impacts of the motion picture industry.

Dyani: What inspired you to do this?

Lauren: I have been a part of the film and theatre community since I was 5. As I became more educated about the environment I began to think about the impacts of my lifestyle. When I returned from the Ecuadorian Amazon in 2004, I learned about Indonesian harvesting of wood for movie sets. So I wanted to find out more.

Dyani:: What are some major environmental problems in movie production today?

Lauren: First, we think of the environment as a series of problems that need to be solved, but I like to think of the environment as a series of choices we need to make. The motion picture industry is where it is because of uninformed choices. Our responsibility is to educate them to make informed choices. Secondly, the members of the film community would be the first to admit that there are improvements to be made. So rather than emphasizing land degradation, air pollution, water pollution, and waste production, I like to highlight the environmental benefits and actions being done in the film industry.

Dyani: Is there a local example of what is being done to minimize the impact on the environment?

Lauren: Why yes. During the filming of Matrix Reloaded, which was partially shot in Alameda, over 7,000 tons of concrete was used and an equal number of lumber to create the 8 minute highway scene. After the production nearly 97.5% of the set was recycled due to the efforts of the city of Alameda, the Alameda waste management board, Warner Brothers, and the ReUse people. They successfully diverted 11,000 tons of trash from local landfills, and more impressively much of the lumber was sent to Mexico to construct houses. It took only 18 people 124 days to recycle the entire set. The collaboration between the studio, city, and local non-profits made such efforts possible.

Dyani: What can The Green Screen do to minimize our impact on the environment?

Lauren: Weêve got to start out small. So I invite all members of Green Screen to have their own reusable water bottles, to turn off their computers when theyêre not being used, and to use public transportation as much as possible. The Green Screen team has the power and the resources to bring attention to this important issue. I encourage them to learn more about production studio practices, on site impacts, and perhaps even make a show about it. Find out what it took to get your favorite movie made, what resources were used, where was it shot, and how many people were on the crew. Wouldnêt it be great if The Green Screen were both green on screen and behind the scenes?

Dyani: We would love that!! Thank you so much for your time, and it was great having you here today.

Lauren: Thank you Dyani, I would come back any day!