Premium Members JimBartell Posted October 19, 2008 Premium Members Report Share Posted October 19, 2008 I was perusing the on-line issue of the NY Times and who's picture do I see on the front page? Steadicam/Camera Op David Chameides! You can read all about Dave and other super-green folk at New York Times article or go directly to Dave's own webpage: 365 Days of Trash Go Dave! Jim "1 day of trash a week is enough" Bartell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Jess Haas SOC Posted October 19, 2008 Premium Members Report Share Posted October 19, 2008 While I have not gone nearly as far as David it is good to know that I am not the only film guy bringing my own water bottle and silverware to set. ~Jess Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Dave Chameides Posted October 19, 2008 Premium Members Report Share Posted October 19, 2008 While I have not gone nearly as far as David it is good to know that I am not the only film guy bringing my own water bottle and silverware to set. ~Jess Thanks for the nod Jim. Wild ride and it just keeps getting wilder. If you head to www.365daysoftrash.com and click on the Sign up to win dave's Bag link you'll see a video fellow op Joe Borderick shot of what i carry around to set. How much stuff do we all lug on set (I think I can proabbly do without the BL3 eyepiece optics at this point no) when we could be carrying stuff that would make a difference. I've often thought that we steadi ops should ban together and say no to plastic water bottles, not to single use "disposable" items and the like. Why us? Because we get around, because we have time to shmooze most days, and because we are highly visible on set. Anyway, just a thought. As for being the greenest op, 15 years ago i would have screamed if someone had said that (for a different reason) but now, I don't know if it's accurate, I'd wear that badge with pride. Better than "older op with a bad back and worse attitude anyway". Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Jess Haas SOC Posted October 20, 2008 Premium Members Report Share Posted October 20, 2008 Something definitely needs to be done to decrease the number of plastic water bottles used on film sets. I have worked on a few films now where plastic water bottles were kept to a minimum and no one really seemed to mind. I think that was mainly because the productions bought them shiny new water bottles that they got to keep and provided coolers with cold filtered water. It was actually one of those films buying me a couple of kleekanteens that finally got me to stop drinking bottled water on set. I now take it with me on every film I work on. ~Jess Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Mike McGowan SOC Posted October 20, 2008 Premium Members Report Share Posted October 20, 2008 Holy shit! Was that you on Planet Green??? Awesome stuff if it was... My wife and I aren't as green as you but we are making a big effort. We have a super efficient house with all the compact fluorescent bulbs and what not, a tankless hot water heater, tinted windows (quadruple pained hurricane proof windows as we live in Florida) which have a great 'R' value. We have so much insulation in what was our attic it's not really possible to use it for anything. One of our cars is a Chevy Aveo rocking 38mpg on average with my wife driving (the other car is my v8, 4x4 work SUV which will be traded in soon enough on an all electric SUV if they ever release it). We grow and eat a little over 1% of the food we eat in a year on our property. It's all organic and watered from our well or from our rain barrel system. Our biggest green piece should finally be installed next week (after months and months of permits). It's a 5kw solar system that should provide close to 100% of our power needs. It's an on-gird system so it sends extra power back to the grid during the day and takes some of it back at night. We have wanted solar power for years but it's only recently been cost effective to do. Now that I think about it, I'd imagine that most steadicam operators would be on the green side, it just seems to fit the m.o. Good for you and the planet David! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members RonBaldwin Posted October 20, 2008 Premium Members Report Share Posted October 20, 2008 great job Dave! Mike, how much will the total expense be of your new solar system (permits/instal/the system itself/etc)? With all the sun here in So Cal I've been considering the same thing. rb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Dave Chameides Posted October 20, 2008 Premium Members Report Share Posted October 20, 2008 great job Dave! Mike, how much will the total expense be of your new solar system (permits/instal/the system itself/etc)? With all the sun here in So Cal I've been considering the same thing. rb These days you can buy outright or lease for $1000 down and about $50 a month. Will zero out most meters. We've had a 2.8 kw system installed for about 7 years and it works great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members JobScholtze Posted October 20, 2008 Premium Members Report Share Posted October 20, 2008 Thx Dave, that was an eye opener. Yes, we do drink a lot of water on set, and no i didnt think of the plastic cans, coffe cans and so on. I now carry the same sort of backpack to set. You know what, it makes others also thinking more now the have seen me with my waterbottle. thx for the info, very good stuff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members geoff shotz Posted October 20, 2008 Premium Members Report Share Posted October 20, 2008 we are a funny bunch of green warriors, aren't we! it seems our profession does really lean towards the green! the stories of dave and joe are the ones that provoked me to go all the way to canada for my diesel/grease landcruiser. 20 mpg on soy oil in a 6000lbs 4wd truck. not perfect, but all my gear fits. and like mike, all the easy stuff for the house, on demand water heater, double paned windows, insulation are done. on set, i carry a reusable bottle and occasionally plasticware. but, the one thing that has eluded me was the solar! and in california, that's sad! so here's the skinny on that for all you l.a. guys! as dave mentioned, you can now lease a solar system. solar city is the largest solar installer in this part of the country and they have a new 15 year lease program that should make it easy for anyone with decent credit to have solar. they install, maintain, repair and monitor the system for 15 years at basically no additional cost over your old power bill. they even cover roof damage around the installation. i'm installing a 2.5kwh system that will supply 105% of my current power needs and approximately 90% of my needs when i get a plug in electric car. the lease cost is within $5 a month of my current electric bill (which i no longer will have). and as prices rise, i will actually start saving money every month. i know the technology will have improved by the time my lease is up, but i can cover my needs immediately and upgrade later, all with no investment needed. i recommend you all give them a call. here's the guy to talk to: jeff palmer 310/ 895 6595 jpalmer@solarcity.com tell him i referred you. he's really straight forward and will evaluate what you need, if your location is suitable, and if a solar set up is cost effective for you. and for the non-l.a. ops, give him a call anyways and he'll point you in the direction of your local solar companies and help you with info. lastly, cheers to dave for all the commitment and awareness he's brought to all this! geoff p.s. call soon if you're serious as there is a really good price set up going on for a short time through the state. it's a limited time deal and the rates will go up soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Mike McGowan SOC Posted October 21, 2008 Premium Members Report Share Posted October 21, 2008 My system is a 5kw system. In Florida (depending on my energy use) it will provide between 50 and 110% of my power needs. The system costs about 43 grand totally installed, permitted, et. Of that 43, Florida gives you 20 back in the form of a refund check. You also get a federal 2k tax credit. So I guess your net cost is 21k. Now there are companies that will finance that 21k and make it so your payments are exactly the same as your power bill is (used to be). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members geoff shotz Posted October 22, 2008 Premium Members Report Share Posted October 22, 2008 mike- i too was wrong about the size of my incoming system. it's a 3.8kwh system. we are reasonably conservative with our power consumption and it is l.a. afterall! the weather is really mild in general, so that system will cover 105% of our current needs and 85-90% of our needs with an electric car in the future. all for $3 more per month than i am currently paying (on average). i recommend anyone that is interested call the number i left. if i had purchased, our system would have been $17,000 after rebates and credits and now, it's nothing. hoping for a greener future for us all! geoff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Philip J. Martinez SOC Posted November 1, 2008 Premium Members Report Share Posted November 1, 2008 So you all inspired me. Today was my 1st day on set using my own water bottle, plate and silverware. A bunch of people noticed and I hope some of them start doing it too. I do not own a car and I live in an apartment so I cant go solar but any other ideas for city dwellers to be more GREEN would be great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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