Springwatch thrives on a love of British wildlife – so it’d be hypocritical if the series wasn’t doing its bit to protect the environment. Behind the scenes, when we are on location, there’s a team of around 100 people working to make sure viewers are kept up-to-date with the latest developments happening in the British countryside. And this year is no different.
As we prepare to move to our new home at Sherborne Park in Gloucestershire, efforts are being put into making sure that the new series is as a ‘green’ as possible.
As in previous series, Springwatch 2017 is taking part in Albert+, the sustainable production certification process run by BAFTA. We’re proud of our end credits Albert+ badge that signifies the BAFTA accreditation for sustainably produced TV programmes.
Our producers have been using Albert, BAFTA’s carbon calculator for some years. We know that our carbon emissions are highest for transport; accommodation and energy on location and those are the things we continually try to address.
“The Springwatch team prides itself on its green thinking and advances in sustainable production” says Vic Ribeck, our Production Manager.
“It is very important to us as a wildlife show to have as little impact on the environment as possible and we aim to leave no trace on the land that we inhabit for a month. We therefore recycle as much as we can, use as little energy as we can and we’re even introducing Meat Free Mondays for this year. It remains to be seen how that one goes down…”
Our Production Manager, Vic Ribeck, who makes sure we're as 'green' as possible.
So what is Springwatch doing to make sure it is as environmentally friendly as possible?
Transport:
· Maximising vehicle sharing for transport to and from location.
· Hiring low emission vehicles where appropriate
· Encourage people to bring their own bikes to location to travel to and from their accommodation each day.
· Encourage use of video conferencing to avoid travel altogether during prep time.
· We are in a new location which is only 1hr 15m from Bristol where most of the production are based. This will dramatically cut down on fuel emissions, as previously we were 5 hours away in Suffolk.
Accommodation:
· Use of shared self-catering accommodation and B&Bs where appropriate, as both have lower carbon emissions than hotels.
On Location:
· Energy management: the emphasis on this year will be one of efficiency and reducing what we are using. We will be using efficient generation technologies and doing all that we can to manage and reduce our energy consumption so that we can make a big impact on our overall carbon emissions even when using traditional fossil fuel diesel. This will be achieved by ensuring that we make the most efficient use of what we already have on site, by switching off equipment when not in use, by maximising kit efficiency, trying to find alternatives to diesel generators wherever possible.
· Use of electric golf buggies to move camera jib around on location, saving diesel fuel but also providing quiet transport so that jib can be repositioned on site during live presenter links rather than having to wait for VT inserts.
· Use of low energy lighting around the compound and LED based ad hoc external lighting.
· Use of methanol fuel cells to power remote nest/camera traps, a clean and silent and low carbon energy alternative to a diesel generator. This is a method we will deploy where supplying power from the mains is impractical.
· Searching for environmentally and ethically acceptable bio-diesel to fuel our generators. We aren’t there yet, but we are still looking and this year in collaboration with F&TVS we will be using Shell GTL fuel which is a big step in the right direction. Although it doesn’t massively reduce our carbon footprint, it does reduce emissions of regulated pollutants like Nitrogen Oxide (NOX), Particulate Matter, (PM), Carbon Monoxide (CO), and unburnt hydrocarbons (HC’s). It also helps our generator to run more quietly, reducing noise pollution.
On top of trying to tackle our carbon emissions we are also trying to minimise our polluting impact on the planet by looking at the following:
· Employing location caterers with a strong sustainability record: eg eliminate non-biodegradable disposables and providing re-usable crockery and cutlery instead and provide local, seasonally appropriate food from sustainable sources.
· We are instigating Meat Free Mondays to try to offset our carbon emissions.
· Cutting back on one-use plastic by supplying mugs and re-usable water bottles for cast and crew, refilled from a local water supply.
· This year we are using a Tipi as our studio so there will be no waste in terms of wood. We have sourced a company that uses sustainable materials in all their key products and they use their tipis many times a year.
· The previous studio has been gifted to a The Otter Trust at Earsham in Suffolk. This has avoided waste of the wood and helped a charity create a sustainable education centre.
· All timber for set building is sustainably sourced - usually European whitewood (pine or spruce) imported from the Baltic States.
· Set dressing is done using many recycled materials, and props are gifted to location partners after use or use of vacuum toilets, making a considerable reduction in the amount of water used and reducing the cost and associated carbon emissions associated with water transport.
· Recycling as much waste as possible on location following best practices,including batteries. We have separate bins for plastic, glass and paper as well as a food waste bin for catering.
