“Treating sustainability as a goal today, early [adopters] will develop competencies that rivals will be hard pressed to match.” The Harvard Business Review (09/09)
Egregiously wasteful and occasionally toxic practices is the ugly underbelly to New York City’s economically imperative and exciting film industry. Filmmaking does not have to be an environmentally and socially irresponsible disaster and, like all industries (the film biz is hardly alone), a commitment has to be made to address climate change, seek alternatives, reward innovation and ultimately, save money by closing the industrial loop, creating green jobs, reducing waste and ultimately, achieving a carbon-neutral operation.
Founded in May 2008, Film Biz Recycling (FBR) is a niche-market hybrid not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping the entertainment industry address the triple bottom line: profit, people and planet. Its founder, Eva Radke, a 15-year veteran of TV commercials and film, spent countless hours looking for a safe home for items purchased and used for shoots. Items such as carpeting, lumber, paint, furniture, pillows, wardrobe, fabric, subflooring, lighting, partial rolls of tape, rugs, fake flowers, plexi-glass, set paper, vases, dishes, sporting equipment, cribs, etc. sometimes went into a dumpsters if Craig’s List did not pan out, the crew did not want it or the donation centers were closed or had certain hours and requisites. There had to be a better way, but there wasn’t. The film business needed an organization that understood the language, timing, and specialized knowledge that only a seasoned insider can provide. Film Biz Recycling was born and on a mission.
Two years after it’s inception, over 122 tons of materials from over 164 productions have been diverted from landfills. Most of these materials have been laterally diverted to it’s partners in the reuse sector, most of which are in Long Island City and Astoria. Build it Green! a huge building supply reuse center in Astoria sees a lot of raw materials and large items from the productions. Other Long Island City reuse facilities have received, literally, tons of materials via Film Biz Recycling. These include the esteemed Materials for the Arts, Hour Children, Housing Works, Blissful Bedrooms and of course, Goodwill Industries and Salvation Army. Giving away unwanted items saves the production companies disposal costs, keeps them out of landfills and has an immediate public good by creating green jobs in reuse centers who sells them at a lower cost – saving everyone money. This is the triple bottom line we speak of, profit, people and planet.
The crème de la crème of the donations stay in-house for sale and rent to fund operations. Film Biz Recycling Props, located on 43-26 12th street 4 blocks from Silver Cup Studios in Long Island City, is New York’s only not-for-profit prop house and boutique, open to the public and to the trade. It’s a museum-like wonderland of beautiful objects d’art, oddities, furniture, art and everything in between donated by projects such as Sex and the City 2, Doubt, America’s Next Top Model, Salt, 30 Rock and slews of TV commercials in exchange for a tax deduction. Locals, set decorators, eco-interior designers, supermodels, tourists and LIC business owners shop here for home and business and can not believe: that everything came from a production, nobody wanted it, how inexpensive everything is, how gorgeous the shop is and in the past it all ended up in a dumpster.
Long Island City business owners who have discovered this “best kept secret” store have saved time and money shopping here. Next time you are walking down Vernon Boulevard, check out Ethereal, a lovely clothing boutique. The throw rug came from a Dell commercial, the “grass” from MTV’s Making of the Band and they are renting velvet ropes for a special event in May . They paid under a hundred dollars for a Spring makeover and renting the velvet ropes for 90% less than what it would cost to buy and they do not have to store anything they needed for just one day. That’s smart business and green business.
Film Biz Props is an incredible resource for small business owners looking for high-impact beauty with a low carbon impact. Reuse means new materials were not mined, produced, packaged or shipped and it’s easy on the bottom line and the eye! New businesses, particularly restaurants and boutiques can scoop up armfuls of décor on a shoestring budget. For example, when Slice, an organic pizza bistro, opened a second location in the Village, they wanted to stay true to their good and good for you mission by decorating with high-quality, beautiful items with as little environmental impact as possible. Miki Agrawal, founder and owner, has bought 100% of the flower vases, wine carafes, salad plates, bread baskets, and other accoutrement for a fraction of what she would pay retail. “I love the mission, I love the prices and I love the stuff!” Miki exclaims. “It’s right in line with our mission of healthy food and earth-friendly ways…and it all came from films, so customers like to talk about it.”
Reuse centers almost always have a mission that purchases support. Build it Green helps fund Solar One, Materials for the Arts gives free items to schools, and not-for-profits, Hour Children supports children of incarcerated parents, Housing Works gives a second chance to homeless AIDS patients. Support of Film Biz Recycling allows us to support these great organizations with saleable items, be a leader and voice for this industry while informing the crew and production companies of sustainable methods, and disseminating that information to the community.
On a larger scale, Film Biz Recycling seeks to connect the industry with other industries, communities and future-friendly organizations via collaboration, lateral thinking and volunteerism. Our materials can change lives. Our unique skills can move mountains so let’s be a shining light to the rest of the world! Every industry can replicate the impact Film Biz Recycling has had on New York City’s film world in their own realm, it just takes a little ingenuity, persistence and elbow grease. Nothing Long Island City can’t handle.
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