2018 End of Year Blog Post

It’s now December, and that means Beth takes virtual pen to paper to compose GPP’s annual end of year blog post. It’s a time to reflect on the year that has passed and look towards what’s in store when the new year rolls around.

Keeping up the metaphor of a business being a child, our “baby” is now firmly ensconced in its early years of school. Appropriately so, we continue learning and growing and having more experiences, as our business continues the work of using the power of product placement to promote better, more sustainable brands.

To that end, we’ve worked with more than 60 productions this year, and have added new clients, as we do every year. We’re honored to now represent respected human rights organization, Amnesty International, taking over for ERMAcolleague agency, HERO, after they transitioned their business. We’ve also added the world’s most sustainably produced rum, Flor de Cana, along with Clarice Wines, and Popcorn Indiana. Many of our clients happily renewed this year and continue to work with us, the only positive mission-based agency in ERMA.

Our Greenstar Bamboo Bike gets high visibility on TV’s “Blindspot” for the third season running. We’re so glad that this sustainably produced bicycle demonstrates sustainable behavior in a context that does not editorially call for it.

Vegan and Eco-Friendly representation on TV’s Let’s Make A Deal went one up on the year before, highlighting our Gunas Handbags and 100% Pure health and beauty brand in one exciting prize package.

We would also be remiss in talking about this past year without mentioning something that played a big part in it. Most of our friends and colleagues know that for the past 6 years, at the same time that we’ve been growing our business, we have also been working as union set dressers to supplement our personal income. The show that we have been working on for 5-9 months each year has been Netflix’s House of Cards.

Beth and Lisa on the set of HoC in 2012- also the year we launched our business.

After the newsworthy hiatus and postponement of shooting that happened last year, following the firing of Kevin Spacey- we spent 9 months shooting and then wrapping the final season of this award-winning show. We’re proud to say that our department, Set Decoration, wrapped green and very little was thrown in the landfill. Most of the 3 months’ worth of wrapping and dispersing, saw hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of furniture, artwork, lighting fixtures, softgoods and shelving get sold and donated to crew, cast, non-profits and local small businesses.

Beth and Lisa stand in the House of Cards “White House” Grand Hallway one last time, when the show wrapped for good this year.

Because of the amount of time devoted to this work, along with the availability of some of the crucial connections that I mentioned last year, our big announcement has been postponed until 2019. Our website upgrade as well, we hope to reveal sometime next year.

Which is not to say that we haven’t already begun aligning and collaborating with some of these influential connections that we have been making and cultivating the last couple of years, and it is so important that those of us in the sustainable business sector do this. With a myriad of challenges facing us in the US, as far as climate, having people in our corner will be paramount to our continued success.

Two recent climate reports paint an alarming picture. The first, The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change/IPCC, issued a dire warning, with a report put together by The US Government (and we thought that only climate change deniers were left!) following about a month and a half later, which details more specifically how climate change will affect the regions of the US.

We know that every year we’re seeing extreme weather and destructive anomalies and it has become normal for it to happen every year. This year saw one of the wettest summers on record in the mid-Atlantic, with floods, downed trees and flooded basements happening all over the region. The 2018 Atlantic hurricane season was the third in a consecutive series of above-average and damaging Atlantic hurricane seasons, featuring 15 named storms, 8 hurricanes and 2 major hurricanes and a total of $33.3 billion (2018 USD) in damages. ¹ On the West Coast, destructive wildfires erased an entire town, Paradise, in northern California, and in Southern California, the Malibu area saw homes- both celebrity and more humble trailer park dwellings be reduced to ash. The Paramount Ranch, whose “Old West Town” set- used for shows such as Westworld and numerous others burned down. This is a case of climate change fueled events directly affecting the entertainment industry, and we suspect we’ll see this happen more and more.

¹Courtesy Wikipedia

Business as usual proceeded as we attended Natural Products Expos West and East and Summer Fancy Foods. It’s always fun to see our clients and explore new trends in the industries.

Beth and Lisa at Natural Products Expo West, March 2018

Lisa and Beth have fun with some English phone booth floor displays at Summer Fancy Foods.

With long term client (and now friend), Corey of Repurpose Compostables at Expo East in September.

With Wedderspoon Honey at Expo East- excited that they also now make health and beauty products as well!

We, along with some of our clients. also helped to sponsor Earth Angel Hour in early spring again this year. In the autumn, we helped sponsor, along with some of our clients, Clothes Minded, an interactive exhibit in NYC exploring sustainability in fashion, along with textile and plastic waste. One of our recently made new advisors, Nat Geo Explorer and Conservation Artist, Asher Jay, was featured in the exhibition. Following that, we helped sponsor the MFIC fundraiser, a local industry event.

Beth and Lisa looking sharp at the Earth Angel Hour NYC event in early spring 2018

Our fabulous silent auction prize at the MFIC Industry event

Asher and Beth at Clothes Minded October 2018

Also this autumn were the “mid-term” elections here in the US. This year saw the House of Representatives flip to the generally more climate friendly Democrats. Additionally, more women and minorities, including a record number of Native Americans, were elected to office. Newly elected millennial representative from The Bronx, New York, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is spearheading an effort to form a #GreenNewDeal. This is an effort we can get behind!

Beth and Lisa looking festive this autumn

So, it is with that hopeful high note that I will wrap up this year’s end of year dispatch.

Check out our Holiday E-Card HERE.

We’re at a critical time right now- both the world at large and our business. Going forward, we must align ourselves with those that have our, and the earth’s, best interest, at heart. Our futures depend on it!

We send best wishes to our friends, colleagues, studio contacts, clients, and industry contacts for a happy, healthy holiday season and prosperous and sustainable new year!

Happy Holidays!