Everyone needs to play their part to reduce carbon emissions and tackle climate change, but people working in film and broadcasting are in a unique position to inspire and educate audiences of millions with this vital message.

To help encourage environmentally friendly filming in the capital, Film London launched the Green Screen initiative, a practical package of support for film, TV and commercial producers including a handy downloadable carbon calculator.

Cemetery Junction, Gervais and Merchant’s directorial debut, tells the story of three working class friends in 1970s England. The film, from Sony Pictures, was largely shot on location in London and the South-East over eight weeks, and it showed a distinctively green attitude to filming. The two key environmentally-friendly initiatives were to offset the production’s carbon footprint - by planting 56 new trees throughout the UK, as many as shooting days - and to replace plastic water bottles with reusable metal containers for all members of the cast and crew.

"Not using plastic water bottles is a really big thing as you can go through thousands a week" says unit production manager Joan Schneider. "We bought everyone a permanent bottle with the crew and cast member’s name on it and the film’s logo as a kind of incentive for keeping it - the bottle also clipped on to belts to make them easy to carry. They became like a souvenir; we even had some go missing. I thought there would be a lot of hassle from the crew but they were actually really pleased."

Schneider went on to confirm how important it is for such schemes to be considered during pre-production, as the initial financial outlay for the bottles is quite high. She continued: "…otherwise people will look at it and then say they can’t afford it… Sony has certain rules (regarding inventory), which is great because it was included in the production budget from the start." The Green Screen guide sets out the core questions production teams should be addressing and goes so far as to suggest writing green policies into contracts.

Other shoots to take on board ‘green’ recommendations include Working Title’s recently released Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang. Supporter Emma Thompson, writer and star of the family favourite, backs the Green Screen campaign and pledges to take action: "I will be making changes in my own working practice to reduce my carbon footprint and fully play my part in helping make our industry greener and cleaner." The production took relatively simple, but effective, measures such as using double-sided scripts, turning off lights and computers, making it easier to recycle, and using local power sources rather than generators.

Among the studios committed to the cause, Disney took measures on Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland and more recently on the animated and live action feature John Carter of Mars to employ green runners and recycle in ever more imaginative ways. Brand new wood for example, used for making scenery and props was reused for fencing, engagement, heating and on children’s education facilities - meaning hundreds of pounds worth of savings for the National Trust. 

"As an environmental organisation we take green issues very seriously. We expect all our partners to reach standards and John Carter of Mars was an ideal opportunity to raise our game even further. We knew from our experience on Alice that Disney would be equally committed," says Harvey Edgington, National Trust’s Broadcast & Media Liaison Manager.

With other key partners such as Ealing Studios taking action, London is continuing to lead the way on tackling climate change. "We realize there is much work to be done in this area but this guide [Green Screen] is a fantastic starting point," says Managing Director of Ealing Studios, James Spring.

Find out more about Green Screen, download a carbon calculator, and start doing your bit for the environment: www.filmlondon.org.uk/greenscreen.

Cemetery Junction is in cinemas nationwide - find your local screening: www.findanyfilm.com.