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“We had a meeting with Emellie at Earth Angel last year and, as we talked with her, we kind of went department by department and heard how much they've been thinking and working to find solutions to empower every single corner of a film set to be greener.”
- Daniel Scheinert, Writer & Director
in the news
How Hollywood art directors are working to keep their sets out of the landfill
According to Earth Angel, an agency that helps productions in the U.S. and around the globe reduce their carbon footprints, the average TV show or movie in 2022 created about 240 tons of waste, with an estimated half of that amount coming from the disposal of props and sets.
Quinta Brunson, Daniels Talk Embracing Environmentalism on Screen and on Set: “We Have to Be Really Precise With What We’re Doing”
Brunson and Daniels then sat down for the conversation, moderated by Earth Angel CEO Emellie O’Brien, as Kwan reflected on how he and Scheinert started their careers in the digital space chasing viral moments before realizing they wanted to do work that was actually meaningful. Brunson had a similar start in the industry, noting, “I also wanted to implement messages without trying, and when I was making shorter content, you couldn’t do medicine in the applesauce. It had to be about that. I wanted to make television where I could slowly feed the message in over time.”
More than retail or hotels, the film industry is destroying the planet. But sustainable sets like Oscar winner 'The Whale' may offer a new way forward.
The film industry has a sustainability problem, and it's massive: The average tentpole production — a film with a budget over $70 million — generates 2,840 tonnes of carbon dioxide, the British Film Institute reported. About 3,709 acres of forest absorb that amount of CO2 in a year.
For Earth Angel, Every Production Is a Chance to Help Save the Planet
The big question — “How can Hollywood help fight climate change?” — gets answered on a daily basis by Earth Angel. The sustainability consulting agency is one of the busiest set-greening companies helping the entertainment industry do its part.
“As storytellers we need to tell stories that inspire. And if we are going to do that, we better practice what we preach,” says Darren Aronofsky, who enlisted Earth Angel’s help on the set of his award-winning film, The Whale.
Making The Movies Eco-Friendly
Think about the movies this year that were nominated for Academy Awards. Now, think about all the mess made during these productions. We love our movies, but we also love our planet, and there has to be a better way to make these epic productions without such high carbon emissions and using so very much of our natural resources.
Are Plastics the New Smoking?
Buzzfeed caught up with Earth Angel, Mark Ruffalo, and many more in support of @HowChangers #LightsCameraPlastic campaign to denormalize single use plastics by eliminating them on-screen.
Actor Jason Momoa Takes a Stand Against Single-Use Plastics in Hollywood
Today, Mananalu and Earth Angel, a sustainable production service provider, announced a partnership that advances the mission of both organizations to protect our planet. Mananalu will provide its aluminum-packaged water to Earth Angel’s film and television production sets, effective immediately.
Beyond The Red Carpet, What’s Hollywood Doing About Fashion Sustainability On Set?
When we talk about sustainability in Hollywood fashion, we usually only focus on the red carpet. But there’s an overlooked piece of the industry that can be even more wasteful: costuming. According to Sinéad Kidao, who’s worked in the costume department of film projects like Small Axe and Little Women, the amount of energy that goes into outfitting actors on a single project can be massive….
Earth Day 2021: How Hollywood Insiders Drive Investment in Green Businesses
The expanding world of green technologies and innovations designed to combat the effects of climate change is drawing plenty of greenbacks from Hollywood players like Amazon chief Jeff Bezos and Robert Downey Jr.
“Earth Angel provides wonderful tools to save our climate and to teach our staff how they can be more environmentally conscious for future generations. Please join us!”
- Lucy Liu, Actor & Director
How CBS Drama ‘Evil’ Keeps Its Set Fully Green
No paper scripts or call sheets. Only hybrid cars for transportation to set. Biodegradable eating utensils. The set of Robert and Michelle King’s new fall drama “Evil,” like many of its CBS brethren, is a fully green production, working with sustainability consulting firm Earth Angel to assess the production’s waste levels and ultimately lower its carbon footprint.
Behind Every Film Production Is a Mess of Environmental Wreckage
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom didn't make much of an impression with critics, but the $300 million blockbuster represented an immense undertaking. Preproduction started in 2015 and included the film’s writer taking a cross-country road trip to hash out story details and a four-week working trip in Barcelona, where director J.A. Bayona and production designer…
The Bold Visionaries Pushing the Culture—and the Country—Forward
From gun control to transgender rights to Standing Rock, here are the pivotal conversations of our time and the people behind them.
68 Climate Leaders Changing The Film And TV Industry
With it’s new Extrapolations show, AppleTV+’s has taken a star-studded peak into our climate future.
As climate stories go, this definitely follows the Frankenstien blueprint I’ve bemoaned before. Set between 2037 and 2070, as things get progressively worse, the hubris of humanity becomes a bigger villain than Kit Harington’s evil billionaire putting profits before planet.
The Environmental Cost of Filmmaking
From an excess of food waste to diesel-run generators, filmmaking in areas of natural beauty can cause irreparable harm to the same land it works so hard to encapsulate.
From ‘About a Boy’ to ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’: inside the push to reuse film and TV sets
This year, Becky Casey mourned the retirement of one of NBCUniversal’s most versatile and under-celebrated stars: a set of faux rock walls originally constructed for beach scenes in the late-1990s sitcom Malibu, CA. Made of foam and wood, the cumbersome walls earned the nickname “grip-killers” among production staff. Still, they traveled from show to show for more than 20 years, morphing into moonscapes, Nickelodeon backdrops, and a mock-up of Central Park.
Hollywood Climate Summit Will Focus on Climate Storytelling
The third annual Hollywood Climate Summit will take place June 23 to 26. It will be the first time the summit will utilize a hybrid model of in-person and virtual events. Co-founded by Allison Begalman and Samuel Rubin, the summit is a call to action for the entertainment community to address the climate emergency. Over the course of four action-oriented days, there will be networking and digital and interactive programming. The 2022 Hollywood Climate Summit theme will be climate storytelling.
Environmental sustainability: Lessons from overseas
The effects of COVID-19 are still being felt in Australia and around the world with unknown long-term consequences. In our attempts to be safe from this virus, I have noticed an increase of waste has occurred. There’s been a return of single use items, particularly plastic water bottles and boxed lunches. Most of this ends up in landfill, as does PPE (personal protective equipment).
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Featurette - Sustainability
Sony caught up with Emellie O’Brien, Andrew Garfield, and more to take a behind-the-scenes look at the sustainability strategy implemented by Earth Angel on The Amazing Spiderman 2 - The first recipient of the “Sony Pictures a Greener World” production end credit.
“Doug Belgrad, president of Columbia Pictures, estimated that the [Amazing Spider-Man 2] team’s sustainability practices saved more than $400,000.”
-The Hollywood Reporter
Jason Momoa: How the 'Aquaman' Star Is Helping Protect the Earth in Real-Life
Mananalu announced a partnership with the food service company Earth Angel last month. Earth Angel provides food, water and other refreshments to TV and film sets all over the world, and it is also dedicated to reducing single-use plastics and finding sustainable processes. In a press release, Momoa said: "Seeing the entertainment industry take meaningful steps toward sustainability is a passion of mine and one of the reasons I founded Mananalu. There is a lot of work to be done, but this partnership with Earth Angel is a big step in the right direction."
Planet Savers of 2020
Have you ever wondered how sustainability plays a role in the entertainment industry? Turns out, there’s a lot of room for improvement. Earth Angel, started by film school graduate Emellie O’Brien, addresses core sustainability issues within the film industry and offers services to help companies change this. Their overall model addresses four major areas: Strategy, Staff, Stats, and Stuff.
Fox 2000 Goes Green Behind the Scenes of Upcoming Drama Film “The Woman in the Window
As part of 21st Century Fox’s company-wide commitment to environmentally sustainable film and television production, film studio Fox 2000 recently led efforts to go green on the set of The Woman in the Window, an upcoming psychological thriller starring Amy Adams and Gary Oldman. By working with the sustainable production experts at Earth Angel… the crew was able to avoid the emission of 390 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents, save more than $71,000, and divert 86% of on-set waste from going to a landfill, one of the highest waste diversion rates in the company’s history.
‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2’ Honored for Environmental Efforts
The superhero epic found ways to be green during production, including saving 193,000 disposable plastic water bottles and achieving a 52 percent diversion rate from landfills.
The Green Goblin isn't the only thing that's green about the upcoming The Amazing Spider-Man 2, as Sony…
An Afternoon with Emellie O’Brien
The sustainability mogul talks about her work as the Founder & President of Earth Angel, life of a green goddess on set and how we all can help make a difference.
For the last 6 years, New York City-based Emellie O’Brien has been tirelessly leading the charge to raise awareness about the importance of sustainability…
Hollywood Knows It Has a Big Carbon Problem on Set
Studios have few options to reduce production-related emissions, even as stars call for change.
Diesel generators. The sputtering, screeching devices were in the back of Emellie O’Brien’s mind during last month’s Golden Globe Awards, and they’ll be there again throughout Sunday’s Academy Awards.
awards
Tory Burch Foundation Fellow
2016 Tory Burch Foundation inaugural Fellowship for women entrepreneurs
30 Under 30 Rising Star
Featured in Inc. Magazine in 2018 “Hollywood Generates Tons of Garbage. This Startup Wants to Clean Up the $40 Billion Industry”
Environmental Business of the Year
The Pace University Small Business Development Center (SBDC) presented Earth Angel the NYSBDC Environmental Business of the Year award in 2019.
Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program
Earth Angel was accepted into and graduated from the Goldman Sachs program to grow America’s small businesses.
B Corporation’s Best for NYC Award
Earth Angel was recognized as an NYC business for good by B-Corporation.
Golden Dumpster Award
Emellie O’Brien received the “Founder’s Award for an Individual Displaying Utter Greatness” by Film Biz Recycling (May 2014)
“When we did NOAH we knew we were making a film about the first steward of the earth, and so we wanted to be good stewards ourselves. There’s so much waste on film sets and because of groups like Earth Angel, we were able to change that a little bit.”
- Darren Aronofsky, Director