Illinois became the first state in the nation to offer a tax incentive for environmentally sustainable film productions last month, a move that aligns with green production standards already being used on student film sets at Columbia.
Since joining the Green Film School Alliance in 2022, Columbia’s School of Film and Television has required intermediate and capstone productions to complete at least 75% of a sustainability checklist aimed at reducing waste and energy use on set.
The initiative encourages students to use reusable water bottles, secondhand props and lower-energy production equipment while reducing disposable waste on set.
The state’s expanded Illinois Film Production Tax Credit now offers an additional 5% incentive for productions certified as environmentally sustainable, part of a broader effort to attract film projects while encouraging greener production practices.
“It is good for the budget, the environment, and our health,” said Carolina Posse, associate professor and producing area coordinator of the School of Film and Television. “It is the right thing to do.”
All intermediate and capstone student film productions are supposed to follow Green Sets Initiative, a checklist designed by Posse to help minimize students’ carbon footprint. This list ranges from using second hand props and refillable mugs to eco friendly lights and electric generators.
One of the largest impacts that junior film and television major Xachery Johnson noticed is the ban of plastic and disposable water bottles.
“When everyone has a water bottle left out, people forget which one was theirs and it creates waste,” said Johnson.
Students on green sets are also not allowed to consume red meat and cow milk products — even if it’s being consumed by a character in a scene.
Every set is required to complete at least 75% of the list. Since the program’s implementation, over 150 student film sets have met this requirement.
“I’ve been in many films at Columbia that have talked about green sets and they have definitely enforced the policy,” said Johnson. “Every school should do green tech, because it benefits everybody.”
Nick Olson, a sophomore film and television major, said that he’s seen an increase of sustainability practice from last year.
Olson said the policy fosters a better work environment because there is less garbage lying around sets and students are more conscious to clean up after themselves.
Sustainability has “become more of a priority, which is something I admire quite a bit,” he said.
In late April, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker announced incentives to the Illinois Film Production Tax Credit, where qualifying studios that are verified as a “certified green production” are given an additional 5% tax credit.
The incentive comes as Illinois film and television production spending continues to grow, increasing 25% over pre-pandemic levels, according to the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
Peter Hawley, the director of the Illinois Film Office and a former Columbia film professor, said the plan to go green starts with the little things around the set.
“It goes back to years ago where I’ve been personally bothered as a filmmaker by all of the waste in the industry,” said Hawley. “We’ve all seen trailers, idling for 14 hours burning diesel all day long.”
To be qualified as a certified green production, the film set has to meet a set of sustainability benchmarks that focus on overall waste consciousness regarding electricity and material use. Although there is an initial cost to filming sustainability, this is offset by the money saved by the certification.
Hawley said the program represents a broader effort to encourage sustainable production practices across the industry in addition to attracting more productions to the state.
“The truth of the matter is productions are looking for the best incentive,” said Hawley “Being the first one in the country is really gonna make a difference for Illinois in terms of film production.”
Additional reporting from Marc Balbarin
Copy Edited by Samantha Mosquera
