To mark Wales Climate Week (21-25 November), we caught up with Greg Mothersdale, one of the producers here at Media Cymru to talk about our future projects, environmental sustainability in the media sector and how you can get involved.

Tell us about yourself and why being green is so important to you.

If being green means a healthy environment for us all and for the planet, then it is an imperative. I hope for a world where humans and animals survive and thrive. We recently had a baby and want her to have a bright future.

Living and working in Wales, we are guided by the Wellbeing and Future Generations Act and inspired by impactful actions such as being the first UK nation to introduce a plastic bag charge or the recent announcement of a state-owned renewable energy developer.

In my role as producer at Media Cymru, I support media professionals and companies who are developing innovative solutions which aim to protect our environment and reduce our impact. There is growing industry-wide momentum to reduce media production emissions thanks to organisations such as BAFTA Albert and collaboration between broadcasters, streamers, and producers.

The media industry can also influence sustainable behaviour through the stories it tells – events happening both locally and internationally mean that the environment must take centre stage.

What’s the most exciting development in our sector so far regarding environmental sustainability?

I am looking forward to the findings of the Screen New Deal: Wales Transformation Plan which is a sustainable production pilot we are currently working on with BAFTA albert, the BFI, ARUP, Creative Wales and Ffilm Cymru Wales which helps the local media production sector transform by reducing its greenhouse gas emissions and waste.

And what’s been the most exciting project you personally have worked on?

Severn Screen’s Green Cymru Clwstwr Challenge Fund project took an in-depth data-based approach to make green film production greener during a high-end production.

They had a dedicated full-time environmental steward, Tilly Ashton, who was completely committed to developing a more sustainable service. They have so much to share and take forward.

Do you have any advice for people at home wondering what they can do within our sector to be greener?

For those working in film and TV production please complete this survey to help us develop a better route map to sustainable production in Wales. You can also register for training.

Ffilm Cymru and Cardiff Animation Festival have some extremely useful resources and signposting on their websites.

If you are developing and telling stories, include the environment at every opportunity.

And finally, can you give us a bit of a teaser into future Media Cymru projects with a green focus and which ones you’re most looking forward to working on?

I look forward to continuing working with our partners, Ffilm Cymru Wales, on expanding the Green Cymru work to deliver solutions to green challenges within the screen industry.

Our Innovation Pipeline also provides a great opportunity for those looking to research and develop innovative solutions for a greener and fairer media industry – I can’t wait to see what happens next!