PMs and LMs this is for you! Are you getting 50% off your City of Vancouver, Metro Vancouver Parks, and City of Surrey film permits? You could be!

If you can demonstrate that 50% of your on-site energy is coming from clean sources – like electric batteries, a tie-in to a private building or a City of Vancouver power kiosk, you will get a $500/day discount for up to 2 days – that’s a cost savings of $1,000! Not to mention nearly a metric ton of carbon per day you’re NOT emitting by ditching the stinky, noisy diesel generator, and the cost of filling that generator full of toxic fume-spewing diesel. It’s an all-around win for people’s health, the planet AND the budget!

It's been estimated that as of August 2022, the City’s clean energy incentive had helped replace 623 generators, saving approximately 184,000 litres of diesel and avoiding 486 metric tons of carbon emissions! That translates to savings of nearly $350,000 in fuel costs and even more than that in discounted permit fees.

Speaking of the City of Vancouver power kiosks, there are now officially three - all of them along Pacific Blvd, where circuses and units often park for filming downtown. The Vancouver Art Gallery North Plaza (aka šxʷƛ̓ənəq Xwtl’e7énk square) also has tie-in capabilities, and two more kiosks are coming soon: one on The Crescent at Shaughnessy Park and another on East Boulevard. If you have insights and ideas for more locations that would serve the Motion Picture Industry around the Lower Mainland, the city wants to hear from you. Their goal is to have a power kiosk within ten minutes of any film location in Vancouver within five years. Have a look at their generator data map and fill out their quick survey here.

For a great summary of the clean power options available, download Reel Green’s free Clean Energy Toolkit. Here you’ll find maps to known locations that offer grid tie-ins, with an easy-to-understand one-sheet on what that involves, plus a terminology guide. There’s also an Electric Vehicle resource sheet and more info on the various municipal clean energy incentives.

Decarbonizing our film sets is the biggest contribution we can make to fighting climate change – if it saves money to boot – there’s no excuse not to!

Annabelle Wilczur
Assistant Business Agent and Sustainability Lead