StartMotions Eco-Friendly Project Other ways StartMotions is helping the earth: Compact flouresent lightbulbs in every fixture, save us over $500.00 a year in energy costs while saving tons of energy! When we buy paper (sometimes it's donated) we buy 100% recycled, unbleached paper. We use both sides, and then recyle it when we're done. We use recycled, unbleached toilet paper and paper towels, find out Our Favorite brands. By accepting donations of all sorts, we have been able to save styrofoam, wool, computers, magazines, paper, wood, and more from going into landfills. We use organic vegetables and healthy foods to feed our staff on our lunch breaks. We use clean energy from Community Energy. If you want to switch to clean energy too, please write to emily@startmotions.com and we'll take care of the rest!  We are shooting the animation using digital technology to cut down on processing and increase efficiency. When we do use film, it's donated and done in collaboration with digital technology in order to make as little impact as possible. We're hosted by an environmentally concious webhost, greensites.com. They give discounts to environmentally friendly companies or organizations and promote environmental actions within communities. We use and reuse our batteries. We have a battery charger that charges three sizes, and each battery can be charged 1,000 times or more! To find out our favorite brand of batteries and chargers, check out Our Favorites!   Project Archive   This project involved lots of donated styrofoam, lots of donated big cardboard tubes, recycled paper towels, donated veneer, and donated paint. With these materials, we made 9 Redwood Trees for the up-coming movie! Check out what they look like as trees by clicking here. Redwood Trees made by: Emily Dodge, Lisa Rock, Rachel Guardiola, and Michele Kliman.     This months project shows our use of organic cotton batting. This Asian Elephant puppet is a soon-to-be-star in the movie, Two By Two. This batting serves as the elephants skin, and will be painted in the next step toward it's completion. The reason we use organic cotton batting rather than regular battings is becuase of the way it's grown...without chemicals. Regular cotton production is one of the largest contributors of pesticides and chemicals into the environment, harming other plants, animals, and humans. By supporting organic cotton production we're helping to encourage the growth of jobs in the organic growing field and helping to preserve the health of the environment that we all depend on. Wanna try it? Try to buy organic cotton t-shirts, sheets, and purchase organic produce.      This Giraffe is in Clouds...made from poodle fur! Instead of using traditional methods of creating special effects, we've found the new perfect cloud making material! Andre the Poodle and his owner Fred donated his fur to the production of Two By Two. His fur will be used in the creation of many clouds for the sets of the movie. Thanks Andre and Fred!