EVERY DAY, THE PUBLIC IS BOMBARDED with news, emails, websites, articles and government messages about being green and the effects it has on our planet. Most people are overwhelmed and still ask, “What exactly is green and why should we care?”

So Cynthia Ross decided to create a business that would deliver information to the public that would help them understand the overwhelming world of green. That organization is Green Ribbon Productions, the first U.S. production company exclusively devoted to creating films that document and educate LEED-rated buildings, green-approved products, services, and events has been established.

“I wanted to help people better understand exactly what green is,” says Ross, an Accredited Professional for the U.S. Green Building Council who decided to utilize her experience and knowledge of environmental green design — and her love for storytelling — to craft customized films that share, educate, and promote green building accomplishments.

Green Ribbon Productions, located in Newport Beach, Calif., just completed a film project for Main Street Village, Orange County’s first, privately owned, LEED-registered rental community located in Irvine, Calif. To view the documentary film, go to www.greenribbonproduction.com.

“When I was studying for my LEED exam, I found it fascinating, yet frightening, that as a caring citizen, I had absolutely no idea of the everyday things we do that are completely destructive or wasteful to our environment,” she says. “As I learned more, my passion grew and I wanted to find a way to share these stories with the world. If everyone understood exactly what we have been doing to our planet, we would feel inspired to change. The biggest question was how and what can we, as individuals, do.”

One is saving water, she says. Most people don’t realize that the public uses drinkable water to flush toilets and water highways. By the year 2050, four billion people around the world will face severe water shortages. People in U.S. Southwestern states could face severe freshwater shortages as early as 2025.

GRP’s Main Street Village film illustrates how easy it is to save water. Water-conserving fixtures that reduce the amount of water flowing from the kitchen sink, shower, bathtubs, and bathroom sinks were installed in each residence, along with dual flush toilets that allow two-flush options: one using .8 gallons of water or one that uses 1.6 gallons. The average resident can save up to 10,582 gallons of indoor water per year. With 481 apartments, that’s five million gallons annually.

“By demonstrating these messages through movies, businesses have a tool that can promote their project or product to the world,” Ms. Ross says. “They can educate staff and peers and demonstrate their concept to inspire others to change. Best of all, they make a difference to a world of successors.”

Customization

Each Green Ribbon Production project is customized by a creative LEED AP team. Each project targets specific audiences. The company uses the best and latest technology to give form to ideas in innovative ways, and produces movies that illustrate a building’s natural lighting, Energy Star appliances, native adapted plants and recycled materials utilized inside that complete an indoor environment that is healthy and safe for families and tenants, Ms. Ross explains.

“Plus, each of those elements increases revenue,” Ms. Ross says. “More importantly, each of those items improves our world, making it a safer and better environment for the future of our children and grandchildren.”

GRP creates DVDs and internet video-on-demand that have many different applications, including client websites, media releases, tradeshow presentations, client presentations, training videos, training materials, and movies that can be donated toward the education of all age groups.

“Video-on-demand is one of the fastest growing segments of the internet,” Ms. Ross says. “Working as a strategic partner, we develop a targeted video message that is delivered through a link on your website, through our streaming server, or on a DVD or interactive CDROM, which provides measurable results. Clients can also show the educational video in their company lobby, illustrating the dedicated efforts they utilized to achieve their LEED certification.”

For companies with a green label or seal product or service, GRP creates a film that educates audiences on the “green” elements that make the product or service special.

“We also assist companies by developing a marketing campaign that utilizes the power generated through a video production,” Ms. Ross says.

When Green Ribbon Productions crafts a story with its creative and LEED AP team, it takes technical details and transforms them into an educational piece that allows anyone who watches it to understand how you achieved this accomplishment, and more importantly why you did it, according to Ms. Ross.