084: Sustainable Filmmaking & Production with Emellie O’Brien of Earth Angel Sets

A Sustainable Mind - environment & sustainability podcast

Since Emellie O’Brien's first days in production, she knew there was a way for the role of sustainability on-set to go beyond basic waste management and recycling. She got her start at the NYU Tisch Film program and not long after graduation she landed her first job as a “Green Steward” with Big Beach Films in 2011. Her early years of dedication to green practices and passion for the environment on-set is what earned her the nickname “Earth Angel” from fellow crew members over the walkie, and to this day is still what production colleagues call her whenever she is on set. By 2013 EOB founded Earth Angel and turned it into a scalable model that has since inspired the entertainment industry and significantly reduced its environmental impact.

Earth Angel has helped films and series avoid 8,500 metric tons of greenhouse gases, divert over 4,800 tons of waste, and donate over 125,000 meals to the local communities. Their client roster includes The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Spielberg's The Post, Emmy-winner The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and Lin Manuel Miranda’s In the Heights. Earth Angel is headquartered in New York with offices in Los Angeles and Atlanta.

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In this episode Marjorie and Emellie discuss:

• What it's like to work on and run a film production with and without sustainability in mind
• The type of research, stats, and projections that are considered when EA works with a production and what numbers are presented to the client at the end of a project
• What happens to the materials that are not used up at the end of the production
• What you should keep in mind when working with a company like Earth Angel and how you can make your production more sustainable on your own
• How Covid has impacted the film industry and the way EA works with productions

Resources mentioned in today's episode:

• Hot Take Podcast and Newsletter: https://www.hottakepod.com/
• Green Production Guide: https://www.greenproductionguide.com/
• The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/us
• Earther: https://earther.gizmodo.com/
• The Book on Awakening:

Connect with Emellie and the Earth Angel Team:

• Website: https://www.earthangel.nyc/
• Instagram: http://instagram.com/earthangelsets
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EarthAngelsets/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/earthangelsets
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/earth-angel-sustainable-production-services-llc

Connect with Marjorie Alexander:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asustainablemind/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/SustainableMind
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/asustainablemind/
• Website: http://www.asustainablemind.com

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