Sustainability in Entertainment
Southface Institute Hosts Panel on Sustainability in Georgia’s Entertainment Industry
Press Release (March 12, 2024) – On March 8th, Southface Institute gathered a group of Georgia’s top entertainment leaders at the Fox Theatre for a conversation about how to make the industry more sustainable.
Part of Southface’s Sustainability in Action Roundtable series, the panel explored Georgia’s rise in the entertainment industry and featured insights from sustainability experts shaping its future. Topics included:
- Green and sustainable initiatives, including reusable and adaptable best practices
- Ways to mitigate environmental impact, promote eco-friendly practices, and inspire positive change
- How all kinds of stakeholders can shape a more sustainable future for the entertainment and film worlds
The panel was moderated by Leigh Burns with the Fox Theatre Institute. Panelists included Adam Friedman, Atlanta Green Theatre Alliance; Ariell Lawrence, Georgia Film Office; Lauren Gloster Pendleton, Earth Angel Sustainable Production Services; Dan Rosenfelt, Electric Owl Studios; Dawn Brown, Mercedes-Benz Stadium; and Shannon Goodman, Lifecycle Building Center.
(Left to right) Shannon Goodman, Lifecycle Building Center; Dawn Brown, Mercedes-Benz Stadium; Lauren Gloster Pendleton, Earth Angel Sustainable Production Services; Leigh Burns, Fox Theatre Institute; Adam Friedman, Atlanta Green Theatre Alliance; Ariell Lawrence, Georgia Film Office; Dan Rosenfelt, Electric Owl Studios (photo credit: Mitch Leff for the Southface Institute)
Sustainable Theater and Movies
Burns discussed the Fox Theatre’s efforts to create a sustainable theater and how their partnership with Southface has yielded major energy and cost savings over the years. Gloster Pendleton with Earth Angel Sustainable Production Services described their goal as helping productions make movies without making a mess, keeping materials used in productions out of landfills and repurposing as much as possible.
Shannon Goodman with Lifecycle Building Center talked about how they reuse wood from productions in new buildings and structures, including many in underserved communities.
Electric Owl’s Dan Rosenfelt detailed how he and his partner Michael Hahn created the world’s first purpose-built LEED-certified film studio. Located in Stone Mountain and designed from the ground up, the studio includes 1400 solar panels, 48 EV charging stations, compacting dumpsters, and even bee hives on site to pollinate 18000 acres and generate honey. The studio strives to keep construction materials out of landfills and recommends eco-friendly construction materials.
CompostNow, Ray C. Anderson Foundation, and Southwire sponsored the event. Learn about Southface’s upcoming Sustainability in Action Roundtables at southface.org/sustainability-in-action-roundtable.
About Southface Institute
Southface Institute is a sustainable building nonprofit based in Atlanta, with a satellite location in Sarasota, Fla. Since 1978, Southface has collaborated with other nonprofits, businesses, builders, developers, universities, government agencies, and communities to deliver sustainability and resiliency solutions that work for everyone. Learn more and join Southface in building sustainably for life at southface.org.
