Amanda Smith: Greening the Paint Department and Reclaiming LA's Wild Side

Amanda Smith has spent over two decades as a scenic artist working across theater, theme parks, and film. In 2022 she joined IATSE Local 729, became a Certified California Naturalist through the UC CalNat program, and launched two parallel projects: Los Angeles Is Not A Desert — an art and writing initiative exploring LA's overlooked ecosystems — and the IATSE Local 729 Set Painters and Sign Writers Sustainability Committee.

In this conversation Amanda talks about what sustainability actually looks like inside a paint department, why the Paint Care recycling program is a free and underutilized resource for film lots, how native plants are showing up (and not showing up) on screen, and why she thinks environmental education — not compliance — is the key to lasting change in the industry.

She also shares her artwork live on the show, walking us through a papercut depiction of the LA River's Glendale Narrows and the vision behind it.

Find Amanda at losangelesisnotadesert.com or on Instagram @laisnotadesert. Sign up for her newsletter on the website for upcoming events and community activations.

Keywords/Tags

sustainability, film industry, IATSE, set painting, paint recycling, Paint Care, native plants, Los Angeles, urban ecology, California naturalist, LA River, ecological art, environmental justice, green production, chaparral, biodiversity, entertainment industry

Resources from this episode:

CalNat Course: https://ucanr.edu/program/uc-environmental-stewards/become-certified-naturalist-or-climate-steward

Paint Care Program: https://www.paintcare.org/states/california/

Connect With Our Guests:

losangelesisnotadesert.com

LA Is Not A Desert on Instagram

Sign up for her newsletter on the website for upcoming events and community activations.

Connect With our Hosts:

Zena Harris on LinkedIn

Mark Rabin on LinkedIn