

May the force of nature be with us…
By Dave Jones: Columnist
The Star Wars franchise has been saving the galaxy since the ‘70s, but it might be playing its part in actually saving the world for real thanks to studies in recent years. Sure, there’s less lightsaber battles and X-Wing aerial acrobatics involved, but hey – you have to start somewhere.
Star Wars has crept into every aspect of pop culture and now that Disney has acquired it, even if there’s not a spin-off in the shape of a film or TV series currently airing then there’s probably one visible on the event horizon. But did you ever think about what goes into making just one entry in the franchise?
All the materials and wastage that occurs from the prolific amount of props and practical effects? And don’t forget, to try and replicate the effects of other planets the Star Wars company needs some exotic-looking locales. That usually involves shipping cast, crew and props to different countries around the world – sometimes to some remote places where they can shoot footage in peace.

“Even the tiniest bit of disruption can lead to habitat loss…“

The B-Roll is nature herself, guiding production.
One such example was The Force Awakens, the modern sequel to the classic Return of the Jedi. Released in 2015, it featured an alien forest which was actually Earth’s very own Puzzlewood, in Gloucestershire’s Forest of Dean. A decade later, Dr Rebecca Harrison sat up and took note.
Dr. Harrison is part of the Open University’s Environmental Impact of Filming project, or EIF, which has a goal in mind to help save the planet. The project’s goal is to steer film studios into practising more sustainable methods of production. As a result, they’ve put out a request for anyone in the area at the time to share their stories on how proceedings affected Puzzlewood.
According to BBC News in 2024, Dr. Harrison said the project was “really interested” in how things changed for the people, flora or fauna living in the area during filming. She elaborated, “For the area around Puzzlewood, [we’re looking to hear from] people who couldn’t get there to visit the forest or felt that they were shut out of a space they enjoyed.”
“It could be people who were working on agricultural land nearby, dog walkers, people looking at nature – anyone and everyone who has observed something about filming, I’m interested in speaking to.” However, the subject of wildlife is particularly interesting to the project. “Even the tiniest bit of disruption can lead to habitat loss. We’re really keen to make sure that we’re not losing any more for the excitement of seeing locations on screen,” she elaborated.
There’s some case history to Star Wars movies interacting with the local wildlife, too. Remember the Porgs? The adorable little creatures featured in 2017’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and you couldn’t swing a lightsaber around on Luke Skywalker’s Jedi island hideaway without hitting one. What you might not know is that there’s a real animal behind those little guys.
Skellig Michael in Ireland was the real-life filming location, but it’s also a wildlife preserve covered with puffins that number in the hundreds. Legally, the cast and crew were not allowed to interfere with or even touch these puffins, so Jake Lunt Davies – the mind behind Star Wars’ creature design – got creative and digitized over them. And don’t you believe the lies they tell in biology; that is how baby Porgs are born.
The luscious nature of Dagobah or the death star.
The choice is ultimately ours to take.
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As for Puzzlewood, its beauty makes it quite a popular filming location – Doctor Who, Merlin, The Secret Garden and Harry Potter have all used it in the past. It’s just one of the fourteen locations that the EIF project has used, though. Moreover, it’s also only one of four case studies they’ve carried out, and the project’s already bore fruit.
Perhaps the most obvious finding was the difference filming made to towns vs countrysides. “In a lot of the more rural locations, things went quite well,” Dr. Harrison revealed. “But in towns we have sometimes had a few people saying – it was a bit frustrating, roads were closed, we couldn’t get kids to school – it’s been quite mixed depending on the place where filming has happened.”
Dr. Harrison has turned her eye to Winspit Quarry in Dorset, too. It was used in the 2021 Disney+ Star Wars series, Andor. It’s worth noting, though, that no one is trying to dissuade filmmakers from going to these locations – merely adopt a different, eco-friendly way of doing things. After all, movies are a huge industry and a big boon to the economy.
According to the British Film Industry film and TV companies spent a whopping £4.23 billion in 2023 alone, which needless to say is a staggering amount of money. “It’s clear that there are economic advantages to allowing location shoots,” Dr. Harrison said, “but we need to make sure they’re managed in a way that suits local communities and protects the habitats of our increasingly endangered wildlife.”
Ultimately, Dr. Harrison told the Open University that the ultimate idea is to come up with a set of “design workshops and online resources” to improve the sustainability of UK filmmakers, learning from the past to make the future greener. This will include tips such as how to cut down carbon emissions, recycle props and provide information on which materials are the best for the environment.
Dr. Harrison elaborated, “The wide range of materials and processes used by UK-based creative talent to make Star Wars props and costumes are brilliant for thinking about good practice – and areas for improvement – from the 1970s to the present day. It’s exciting to think about what’s changed for the better over the past five decades, while also asking if there are sustainable practices from the past that we might want to revive.”