'The X-Files' Creator Chris Carter Earns Vancouver Film Festival Award for Environmental Efforts on Set
21st Century Fox Social Impact
At a Vancouver International Film Festival luncheon on October 7, The X-Files creator Chris Carter accepted the festival's 2016 Industry Builder Award for his role in leading efforts behind the scenes to make production as environmentally sustainable as possible. Beginning with initiatives on the set of 20th Century Fox's The X-Files: I Want to Believe in 2007 and continuing through to this year's six-episode event series, the work led by Carter and his crew has resulted in major savings in both costs and carbon emissions and developed new strategies to recycle set materials. The initiatives were bolstered by 21st Century Fox's corporate sustainability program, which is dedicated to reducing environmental impacts across global operations.
"The X-Files is at the forefront of sustainable production, something of which I'm very proud," Carter said during his acceptance speech. "We reused, repurposed or recycled 81% of the materials on the [event series]. That takes such a combined effort by so many people from the bottom to the top."
Beyond its total waste diversion rate of 81%, The X-Files event series also recycled 100% of the aluminum and steel used in set construction, mandated the exclusive use of Forest Stewardship Council-certified lauan plywood, and replaced plastic water bottles with refillable ones, an initiative that avoided the use of nearly 46,000 plastic bottles. In addition, the production recycled more than 3 tons of "dirty" Styrofoam used for set construction, breaking new ground for the industry as a whole.
Carter also delivered the keynote address at the festival's Sustainable Production Forum, a day-long conference for film and television production professionals that included presentations for executives at 20th Century Fox and more. His speech covered the considerable environmental production assets available in Vancouver, including hydroelectric power and multiple innovative green vendors, and emphasized the entire crew's role in making environmental efforts successful, from transportation and set design to props and costumes.
"This can be done through a spirit of cooperation, sharing, and mindfulness," Carter said. "Every choice we make in production as an energy choice, whether it's using biofuels in our generators or simply turning off our vehicles if we stop to talk on the phone."
