Celebrating Green Crew Heroes! Say Craig, Production Supervisor and Eco-Entrepreneur
Green The Bid Crew Heroes is a series that highlights individuals who bring sustainable practices to any area of the production process, and seek to inspire others to do the same. Production can’t happen without all crew-members (both on set and off), and the same is true of their support of Green The Bid.
Here Green The Bid’s Gabi Kay talks to Say Craig, Production Supervisor and Eco-Entrepreneur (@TheTrashTramp) who channeled an admittedly hippie upbringing into tackling the environment with equal parts action and positivity.
G.K. Where did you grow up and how did it inform how you do your job today?
S.C. In Sherman Oaks I was born in the house my father basically built. It was in a forest, that had huge trees, an owl, tons of bamboo and many fruit trees. It was a slice of paradise in the middle of Sherman Oaks. We moved to Oregon when I was 3. I always wanted to come back to LA to buy the house I was born in, but by the time I came back to LA they had paved paradise and put up a parking lot.
Growing up in Eugene, Oregon everyone seemed to be semiconscience of the environment. All the white privileged hippies were always up on the newest earth/human saving fad, except I was the only kid I knew who became a vegetarian at 12. My partner in high school was a bow hunter, I didn’t eat his catch but he thought I was a novelty at best.
I am the youngest of 4, and the only girl, so I was always trying to keep up physically and mentally. I got to watch my parents and older brothers make the mistakes while I learned, though I’m still making plenty and doing my best to keep learning.
I was raised to be good with money because if I wanted anything outside of the necessities, food and shelter, I needed to earn it. I started working early. One of my earliest, longest and most favorite jobs was a janitor at a country club. I couldn’t afford to be a member so I got a job cleaning the courts and the toilets and that’s where I got my formal training in becoming a producer. Being able to adapt and learn on the spot is key to a successful supervisor.
G.K. What are some things you do to ensure a more sustainable shoot, and what things would you love more production companies and crews to adopt?
S.C. After a year or so of working just enough to get by, and because I couldn’t stand the amount of waste we were creating on set, I came to the conclusion that the best way to change the industry was from the inside. I realized that as a supervisor in commercials I had a privilege and an element of power to enforce small changes while raising awareness. I started small with asking PAs to use the bags I brought for shopping instead of new single use ones. I asked PAs to say no to single use utensils and various other small steps.
I reached out to one of the wonderful HOP’s I work with and pleaded with him to allow me to bring on Eco Sets for the jobs I worked whether they were in the bid or not. I offered to pay for it out of my own pay, gratefully it didn’t come to that, but I am still willing.
Just as much as we have a responsibility to health and safety on set, we have a responsibility to take care of our planet, which directly affects our health and safety. I recommend at the bidding stage that we include a sustainability line and when cost consultants ask to have that removed we say “we will remove the cost to you but we believe it is our duty to take care of our environment and do not believe this is a flexible cost.” Therefore spreading raising awareness to those who are footing the bill. At first it might cost money but in the long run will pay off for the production company because they will be on the earth-saving-cutting-edge and the world will survive. That is a win win.
I believe in using the power of positive reinforcement, people react better when you are stoked and grateful for what they are doing. Change is hard and patience is important. On set we need companies like Eco Set to continue to educate the crew, but also make sure that the job is done well and not distracting to the other crew who have so much on their plates already. It’s important to lead by example and send friendly reminders. We are all capable of these little steps and there are many to choose from but we need to get past the initial old habit push back to get over the hump to making these steps normal, thus saving the planet a reality.
G.K. What are the things you have changed in your own life to be more environmentally conscious?
S.C. I have been attempting zero waste for a couple years now. It’s a slow process but I am proud of the success I have made though I am nowhere near 100 percent Zero waste yet.
I try to buy nothing packaged in plastic and mostly fresh food to avoid most single use. I buy only the food I need and try not to waste. I compost food scraps. I try to shop local and organic, I bring my own containers where possible, I buy in bulk, and I bring my own bags. I do my best to drive only when necessary, though since Covid that’s probably my biggest fail. I have been doing a lot more driving.
I try to buy second hand; I pay attention to where I spend my money. I give to NGO’s. I pick up trash on the streets/beach and in the water when I canoe. I safely reuse my masks after use; I wash the cloth ones and quarantine the single use ones until they are clean again.
During Covid, as I watched the single use waste increase, I started to feel like I needed to do more so I started a company. The company is TrashTramp.earth. I make an eco friendly contraption (The Trash Tramp) that straps on to my Outrigger canoe that holds trash so I can grab it from the water and continue to train. I am selling shirts with my logo made from recycled materials. I have compostable stickers and am working on more sustainable products to share awareness for the companies that are already doing good. Stickers and shirts are available now. Check out my instagram @TheTrashTramp.
I am attempting to make every facet of my company green, all the way to the shipping using a carbon neutral shipping company and shipping items in reused boxes and compostable bags. I want to become a 1% for the planet once I have the legs to stand on, but in the mean time I am making donations to NGO’s helping to save the planet periodically as I make sales.
G.K. Who most influences you and inspires you when it comes to being socially and environmentally responsible in your work life and your personal life?
S.C. So many people influence and inspire me. Instagram is littered with humans doing good. Kris and Omar at Eco Set running with the green set idea and making it a success in an industry that is so wasteful are changing the world! I have a friend who is a doctor, a mother, and an athlete, and she is doing the best she can to manage it all while still being earth friendly. She uses reusable diapers, composts and brings her own bags. She is such a hero her two-year-old picks up trash when he sees it on the ground and insists it goes in the trash. The Kids are going to be the ones that save us though.
Before Covid I went to a school to do a talk about trash in the oceans and these kids had so many ideas and they were so much more knowledgeable about the climate crisis than most adults I know. I am constantly learning new things by watching all the amazing heroes out there saving each other and the planet.
G.K. If you could do any other job on set - what would it be and why?
S.C. Wherever I can have the most positive impact is where I want to be. I want to create positive change and I want to do it in a fun and inclusive way. I want to create content that inspires, uplifts and educates. We are all connected. This planet doesn’t need us, we need her and we need to be good to each other if we are going to occupy space. Healthy, happy humans make a healthy planet. Healthy bodies and minds mean we have all of our basic needs met, food, housing and privacy. So many of us don’t have these basic needs but for those of us that do the duty is on us to take it a step further to better our world as well as that of our neighbor.
----- Are you a crew hero or do you know one? We want to hear from you!
