3 minute read
SUSTAINABLE SCREENS AUSTRALIA STEPS UP TO LEAD
Sustainable Screens Australia assumes a leadership role
THE LAUNCH OF Sustainable Screens Australia (SSA) in mid-June felt like a significant milestone after nearly three years of principally behind-the scenes effort.
SSA’s vision is to work with anyone and everyone in Australian film and television production and distribution to significantly reduce the negative impact on the planet.
It’s not the first time this has been attempted over the years but success hovers this time around. That’s because the SSA has been so diligent at engaging and consulting with industry, assuming a leadership role, gathering formal support including those already seen as industry leaders, positioning itself as a central hub for all, and acting on the need for a framework and standards to work to.
The official launch was held as part of the Sydney Film Festival on June 13 at the Sydney Town Hall. Many showed up.
The SSA website gives a sense of what the SSA brand is, provides a taste of what’s to come, and offers a few resources aimed at starting the big task of changing people’s thinking and behaviour.
Sitting behind all this local activity is We Are Albert, the BAFTA-backed organisation that’s been leading the charge in the UK. SSA signed a partnership agreement with albert in April that will allow SSA to adopt and administer the albert carbon calculator for Australia, as well as customise all the associated training programs, support materials and resources.
Version two of the SSA website will include access to the albert calculator, a database of vetted suppliers that service all areas of the production industry, as well as department-by-department checklists, Australian case studies and training opportunities open to all.
SSA’s origins go back to Anna Kaplan, Jennifer McAuliffe and Tanzy Owen –and others at times – getting together because of their shared interest in sustainability. All then worked in screen production, Kaplan as a producer, McAuliffe in art departments and Owen in sustainability. One of their first formal acts as a group was writing to Screen Australia to ask for support in mid 2020.
In time, these three women, Dreamchaser Entertainment chief operating officer Sara Horn, WildBear Entertainment executive producer Kate Pappas, Endemol Shine Australia business and legal affairs executive Alex Wasiel and producer Tamasin Simpkin became the inaugural SSA management committee. The committee will transition into a board as part of SSA’s governance structure.
Many others have contributed voluntarily in working group and subcommittee meetings and in many other ways since the vision of the SSA was pitched at a virtual round table involving 50 stakeholders.
It’s impossible to know exactly when the calculator will be available for Australian productions because the SSA has only just appointed two learning designers, Zachary Lurje and Georgina McClements on short-term contracts, but it will be early in the 2023/24 financial year.
SSA members are now being trained to use the albert carbon calculator. Free training and support will be open to all Australian productions in 2024, thanks to member fees.
