#11 The Eco Set
I first found out about Eco Set in 2009. My (ex) sister-in-law Ashley, who has been working in post-production for nearly two decades, told me about this workshop she wanted to attend about "Eco-Solutions in the Entertainment Industry." She knows how much I love learning and invited me to accompany her. At the time, I was working freelance doing client services for a few post-production companies. So, I saw firsthand all the different stages involved in creating commercials and music videos. From the auditioning of extras to the actual shoot, editing and sound mixing - so much effort to make a 30 second spot or a 3 minute music video. Unfortunately, a whole lot of waste is generated along the way. Ashley knew I was frustrated by all the junk I saw and would appreciate this discussion, and she was right. It was inspiring to think that there was a woman-owned company out there that was dedicated to reducing waste in our booming entertainment industry. After this workshop, I was hooked! I made small changes anywhere I could at every post-production company I worked for. I unsubscribed from catalogs so I would have less junk mail to sort through, switched the printer paper to one made with post-consumer recycled content, set the printer to print double sided and switched the plastic water bottles in editing bays to a pitcher and glasses (which totally elevated the office vibe, BTW). I gave the PA reusable bags to use while running errands and added a recycling bin to sort out bottles and cans for the cleaning crew to take home. Making these small changes and seeing how they transformed our day-to-day operations was empowering. Making these changes to my workplace gave me my first taste of what it meant to be a consultant and inspired me to start my own company to help make my client's operations more sustainable.
So thank you, Ashley and thank you Eco Set, for planting the seed and making me want to start my own company, one focused on helping clients work towards achieving zero waste.
So back to Eco Set, seeing how much they have grown over the last ten years has been really fun. Check out this video about the amazing decade-long partnership Eco Set has had with Target.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPHZsFXlGjw
Since 2009, Target has partnered with EcoSet Consulting to minimize the impact of its advertising production process.
Now this video is about five years old, but when it was made, Eco Set diverted more than 300 tons of material from the landfill and worked on over 170 commercials with Target. For those of you really into math, that's 600,000 lb. of useful material being recirculated back into the community rather than ending up in a hole in the ground for the rest of eternity.
That's a lot of stuff. A lot of really good quality stuff too!
Teachers, theater groups, and various other non-profits are putting to good use all kinds of material that would have otherwise been thrown away. This is just so cool.
Michelle and I invite you to check out EcoSet's Materials Oasis to see just how much, and the variety of materials that are given another chance thanks to Eco Sets' mission. Tha saying "one person's trash is another person's treasure" is so true. We're grateful for all the work that Eco Set does and know that once you learn more about what they do - you’ll love them too!
Instagram: @EcoSet ReDirect
