The greencodeproject history

In 2005, Les Productions du Rapide-Blanc celebrated its 20th anniversary, and co-founder Sylvie Van Brabant decided to support the passions of co-producer Marie-France Côté by adhering to environmentalist David Suzuki’s “Nature Challenge” - adopting simple actions to respect the environment. Also in 2005, two Masters graduates in sustainability, Laura MacKay and Mitch Rhodes, formed Treadlight Media with a mission to move both “the medium and the message” toward sustainability.

In 2006, Rapide-Blanc and Necessary Illusions’ Peter Wintonick created the “greencodeproject” to help guide the industry towards better environmental practices. Meanwhile, on Canada’s west coast, Treadlight was exploring ways to strategically link sustainability with competitiveness for the film industry in British Columbia.

The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) committed financially to the greencode for an initial phase of research. The greencode project was brainstormed with international filmmakers at the popular IDFA festival in Amsterdam in November 2006. Martin Atkin, Head of Images for Amsterdam-based Greenpeace also committed seed funds for initial research.

In 2007, the group decided to strengthen the greencode project by creating a national not-for-profit non-governmental organization: The GreenMedia Institute. It’s primary mission: to guide the screen industries toward sustainability.

Early endorsements include the Motion Picture Production Industry Association (MPPIA-BC), the Ontario Arts Council, Carbon Planet - an Australian carbon emission reduction organisation, as well as numerous production companies, among them, Eyesteelfilm in Montreal, Ron Mann’s Sphinx Productions in Toronto and Filmkontakt Nord in Denmark.

Many influential festivals support the greencode. The official launch at Toronto’s Hot Docs festival in April 2007 was supported by Hot Docs, The NFB and The Documentary Organization of Canada. The greencode had informal informational presence at the Adelaide International Film Festival in Australia. It has been promoted at the GFFIS Festival (Seoul) in May and the Banff World Television Festival in June. The Silverdocs festival in Washington, D.C. and Sunny Side of the Doc in Larochelle, France, had greencode representation at their festivals. The GreenMedia Institute is slated to co-present the first “greencode awards” at the next carbon-neutral Sheffield Doc/Fest in October 2007.

Greencode outreach, in all its various forms, is designed to raise awareness and action, attracting new membership, partners, funders, and endorsements for the newly-formed GreenMedia Institute.