How sustainable video is saving Greater Manchester’s peatlands

Above: Standby Productions Managing Director, Simon Owen, and Producer, Ellen Bounds, visit Little Woolden Moss - Photo credit: Lancashire Wildlife Trust Above: Little Woolden Moss drone still - Photo credit: Standby Productions

Commercial video shoots; hundreds of disposable plastic water bottles, left over props heading straight for the bin. Peatlands; drained, damaged and leaking carbon into the atmosphere. But one company is aiming to change all of this...

Standby Productions, an ethically minded, environmentally forward looking, Manchesterbased video production company has teamed up with The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside (LWT) to help save our precious peatlands.

Standby Productions will be donating one per cent of their turnover to LWT’s peatlands project, to support our work restoring these precious habitats and fighting climate change.

Peatlands are the unsung superheroes of our natural world, not only providing homes for lots of rare and specialised plants and animals, but also being able to absorb and store huge amounts of carbon from the atmosphere. In fact, peatlands are able to store twice as much carbon as forests, making them a vital natural resource in the fight against climate change.

However, as soon as a peatland is drained or damaged in any way that carbon gets released, contributing to harmful greenhouse gas emissions. And that is where LWT’s partnership with Standby Productions comes in. By supporting our peatland restoration projects, Standby Productions can help to make a real difference in carbon emissions.

Simon Owen, founder and managing director of Standby Productions, said: “We’re really passionate about nature and the environment and this past year has highlighted how important it is for us to do our bit to protect it. We initially approached Lancashire Wildlife Trust to donate trees, but they informed us that conserving peatland was in fact far more crucial due to the vital role it plays in the ecosystem - something I knew nothing about until now.

“On top of the financial donation, we’re going to be producing video content for LWT to use in awareness campaigns to help support its mission - and make people aware of something I also didn’t know was so important” Check out their video at https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=Dd0cg4zhFv0&t=3s

Standby’s team of directors, producers and creatives will also be volunteering for LWT helping with restoration and conservation work in the region.

Sarah Johnson, Lancashire Peatlands Initiative Project Manager said, “We are absolutely delighted to be working with Standby Productions. A large part of Greater Manchester was once a huge peatland called Chat Moss, but sadly now only fragments of it remain. By working to restore these we are not only recreating helping to boost biodiversity, but also helping to halt the release of huge amounts of carbon into the atmosphere. However, this crucial www.lancmag.com

work is simply not possible without the support of our companies such as Standby Productions. This partnership will help us make a real difference to the fight against both our climate and biodiversity crises.” The environmentally-focussed studio is also planning on becoming the first fully sustainable video production agency in the north. Simon Owen added: “We’ve implemented a series of changes to help us achieve this goal, and this is just the beginning. So far, the way we run our shoots and office have been revolutionised and we hope others will follow suit. It’s not often you hear a company calling for others to copy them, but in this instance, that’s exactly what we’re doing. “On set, we’ve banned plastic water bottles and made refillable bottles mandatory; any leftover props, food or costumes are donated to foodbanks or charity organisations; and all call sheets and meetings are digital, for example.

“In the office, we’ve switched to sustainable suppliers so we don’t waste any energy and support ethical providers as well as using all natural, chemical-free cleaning products that don’t harm the environment. Perhaps the biggest thing of all though is that we’re actively looking to work with others who share our goal. We’re encouraging all businesses to talk about their own environmental achievements or targets as now is the time to act and the more of us that are making positive changes, the better chance we have of saving the planet.”

Further information about Standby Productions’ corporate partnership with The Lancashire Wildlife Trust can be viewed on its new website’s dedicated environment page, by visiting www.standbyproductions.co.uk

Above: Sphagnum moss - Little Woolden Moss - Photo credit: Standby Productions

The Wildlife Trusts

The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside is dedicated to the protection and promotion of the wildlife in Lancashire, seven boroughs of Greater Manchester and four of Merseyside, all lying north of the River Mersey. It manages around 40 nature reserves and 20 Local Nature Reserves covering acres of woodland, wetland, upland and meadow. The Trust has 27,000 members, and over 1,200 volunteers. To become a member of the Trust go to the website at www.lancswt.org.uk or call 01772 324129.