Broadway Green Alliance

Announcing the BGA Green Lighting Guide by James Bedell

This post comes to you from the Broadway Green Alliance

Announcing the BGA Green Lighting Guide

When it comes to theatrical lighting, the gear is changing at an incredible rate. It feels like just a few years ago it would be impossible to consider LEDs for anything more than special effects. Yet today, multiple manufacturers have created LED profile and wash fixtures that are capable of stunning stage washes, pin spotting, and even beautiful warm front light. The days of energy efficient fixtures not being able to do the job of stage lighting are drawing to a close.

When it comes to moving toward a sustainable future, it’s hard to imagine a community more supportive that theatrical professionals. Whether it’s the green captains of Broadway shows, or scenic designers putting in the extra effort to make sure their set is built from found materials, across our community out of both ethos and necessity, we are conserving resources every day.

One of the biggest lessons the BGA has learned from it’s partnership with the NRDC is the concept that there is no green, only greener than the day before. It’s in that spirit that the Broadway Green Alliance decided to launch the greener lighting guide. Which of course, begs the question:

What is the Greener Lighting Guide?

Essentially the guide is a database. The Broadway Green Alliance believes that the road to greener choices starts with better information. The truth is not everyone in a position to make spending decisions can walk the floor at LDI. When the grant money comes into a regional theater, or when the dean decides it’s time to spend money on the theater department, the Broadway Green Alliance believes it’s that point of purchase that can make a tremendous impact on what gear is used in these institutions for years to come.

A database in and of itself isn’t useful unless it’s organized in a way that makes sense. The Broadway Green Alliance’s goal with the design of the website was that it could work for both lighting people (lighting designers, master electricians and programmers) and non-lighting people, (artistic directors, company managers, technical directors) alike. So the instruments in the guide are organized by what type of light they produce.

When you click on one of the categories, you’ll find a typical or “standard” instrument, then a list of greener alternatives comes below. If that’s as far as you want to go, you can simply call your local dealer and ask to arrange a review of these instruments in your theater. If you want to know more, click on any listed instrument for detailed stats and links. All data is self-reported by the manufacturers, this is the fastest way to keep the database updated as manufacturers update their offerings. The Broadway Green Alliance couldn’t be more grateful to our launch partners, Chauvet, Robert Juliat, and GLP for helping us to populate the initial database. The Broadway Green Alliance will adding new data every week, and will be sure to announce updates on the BGA blog. In the meantime, the BGA hopes you’ll browse around and tell us what you think of the guide. The Broadway Green Alliance wants to make this guide as valuable as possible for the theater community.

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The Broadway Green Alliance was founded in 2008 in collaboration with the Natural Resources Defense Council. The Broadway Green Alliance (BGA) is an ad hoc committee of The Broadway League and a fiscal program of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids. Along with Julie’s Bicycle in the UK, the BGA is a founding member of the International Green Theatre Alliance. The BGA has reached tens of thousands of fans through Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other media.

At the BGA, we recognize that it is impossible to be 100% “green” while continuing activity and – as there is no litmus test for green activity – we ask instead that our members commit to being greener and doing better each day. As climate change does not result from one large negative action, but rather from the cumulative effect of billions of small actions, progress comes from millions of us doing a bit better each day. To become a member of the Broadway Green Alliance we ask only that you commit to becoming greener, that you name a point person to be our liaison, and that you will tell us about your green-er journey.

The BGA is co-chaired by Susan Sampliner, Company Manager of the Broadway company of WICKED, and Charlie Deull, Executive Vice President at Clark Transfer<. Rebekah Sale is the BGA’s full-time Coordinator.

Go to the Broadway Green Alliance

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Re-Use Your Party Dress and Donate for Prom Night

This post comes to you from the Broadway Green Alliance

Have a fancy dress you no longer wear or fit into? Want to help send a girl to her prom in style?

Local 1 member Annie Miller is collecting used party dresses to be donated to the Orange Ulster County BOCES Special Education Program. She is teaming up with Broadway’s Green Captains to get the word out that the Broadway community can help make these girl’s dreams come true.

The dresses collected will be altered for the girls to wear to their senior prom for those that cannot afford to buy a dress.  The IRS allows deductions up to $500 for clothing donations without a receipt. BOCES can give receipts for dresses donated that cost more than $500.

Please email Annie at dimanddoll00@gmail.com or drop off your dresses at the BGA office, 1560 Broadway, Suite 1312.

Please help every girl feel like a Cinderella on her prom night!

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The Broadway Green Alliance was founded in 2008 in collaboration with the Natural Resources Defense Council. The Broadway Green Alliance (BGA) is an ad hoc committee of The Broadway League and a fiscal program of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids. Along with Julie’s Bicycle in the UK, the BGA is a founding member of the International Green Theatre Alliance. The BGA has reached tens of thousands of fans through Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other media.

At the BGA, we recognize that it is impossible to be 100% “green” while continuing activity and – as there is no litmus test for green activity – we ask instead that our members commit to being greener and doing better each day. As climate change does not result from one large negative action, but rather from the cumulative effect of billions of small actions, progress comes from millions of us doing a bit better each day. To become a member of the Broadway Green Alliance we ask only that you commit to becoming greener, that you name a point person to be our liaison, and that you will tell us about your green-er journey.

The BGA is co-chaired by Susan Sampliner, Company Manager of the Broadway company of WICKED, and Charlie Deull, Executive Vice President at Clark Transfer<. Rebekah Sale is the BGA’s full-time Coordinator.

Go to the Broadway Green Alliance

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Video: NFL Green, Verizon Green & BGA Tackle E-Waste In Times Square

This post comes to you from the Broadway Green Alliance

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The Broadway Green Alliance was founded in 2008 in collaboration with the Natural Resources Defense Council. The Broadway Green Alliance (BGA) is an ad hoc committee of The Broadway League and a fiscal program of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids. Along with Julie’s Bicycle in the UK, the BGA is a founding member of the International Green Theatre Alliance. The BGA has reached tens of thousands of fans through Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other media.

At the BGA, we recognize that it is impossible to be 100% “green” while continuing activity and – as there is no litmus test for green activity – we ask instead that our members commit to being greener and doing better each day. As climate change does not result from one large negative action, but rather from the cumulative effect of billions of small actions, progress comes from millions of us doing a bit better each day. To become a member of the Broadway Green Alliance we ask only that you commit to becoming greener, that you name a point person to be our liaison, and that you will tell us about your green-er journey.

The BGA is co-chaired by Susan Sampliner, Company Manager of the Broadway company of WICKED, and Charlie Deull, Executive Vice President at Clark Transfer<. Rebekah Sale is the BGA’s full-time Coordinator.

Go to the Broadway Green Alliance

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Press Release: 5th Anniversary and Launch of NRDC Theatre Greening Advisor

This post comes to you from the Broadway Green Alliance

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

BROADWAY GREEN ALLIANCE

THE BROADWAY COMMUNITY’S ONGOING INITIATIVE

TO HELP BROADWAY BECOME GREENER

BroadwayGreen.com

CELEBRATES 5 YEARS

AND LAUNCHES NEW

NRDC THEATRE GREENING ADVISOR

BroadwayGreeningAdvisor.org

New York, NY – (January 27, 2014) – The Broadway Green Alliance (BGA) is proud to announce the celebration of its fifth year and the launch of a new online Theatre Greening Advisor. The BGA is an industry-wide initiative focused on enhancing Broadway’s environmental profile by adopting preferable practices and promoting awareness in the creation and presentation of Broadway shows.

In collaboration with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the BGA’s early goal was to assess theatre production and disseminate information about environmentally preferable options to the Broadway theatre community including producers, theatre owners, designers, managers, design shops and others. Collectively, the Broadway community has achieved meaningful accomplishments during the first five years of this long-term initiative, including the shift to energy efficient lighting throughout the Great White Way. As a result of this work, Broadway is now a leader in environmental sustainability in the global theatre industry.

Taking this good environmental work to the rest of the country, the BGA and NRDC are now launching the NRDC Theatre Greening Advisor—an online guide to help theatres across the country implement environmentally intelligent practices. More than two years of work has gone into the creation of this unique online environmental resource for the theatre community, and it is arguably the most comprehensive theatre greening information database in existence. The BGA and NRDC are making the NRDC Theatre Greening Advisor available at no cost to all theatre production worldwide.

The new BGA Greener Lighting Guide, designed to help compare greener stage lighting instruments, will be linked to the NRDC Theatre Greening Advisor and both are scheduled to launch today, January 27th, 2014.

BROADWAY GREEN ALLIANCE ACHIEVEMENTS TO DATE:

BroadwayGreen.com

Broadway theatres have replaced all their marquee and outside lighting with energy-efficient bulbs (over 10,000 bulbs!), saving approximately 700 tons of carbon emissions per year; switched to more environmentally preferable cleaning products and appliances; and established recycling, water filtration and energy efficiency programs.

Broadway shows now have a BGA liaison, or Green Captain, at nearly all shows, bringing greener practices backstage.  Green Captains come from all aspects of productions, and sometimes even the star of the show participates in this important role. Bryan Cranston, Alan Cumming, Hugh Dancy, Montego Glover, Harriet Harris and Carol Kane have all served as BGA Green Captains.

Running shows are saving money through reduced waste.  Many shows now use rechargeable batteries in microphones and flashlights, keeping thousands of toxic disposable batteries from the waste stream every month.  Wicked went from using 38 batteries every performance to using only 96 rechargeable batteries in a year!   Many shows also print their own cast-change stuffers — on recycled paper — saving reams of paper as well as money.

Events and initiatives held by the BGA are now part of the fabric of Broadway, including  semi-annual electronic-waste and textile recycling events in Times Square and a free binder exchange (operated in partnership with Actors’ Equity Association) where anyone can pick-up or drop-off binders for use in readings and rehearsals. This keeps binders out of the waste stream and encourages re-use. Over the last five years, the BGA has collected over 15 tons (31,000 pounds!) of e-waste, and nearly 10,000 pounds of textiles.

Outreach programs have brought the BGA to theatres throughout the United States, at colleges, off-Broadway and regional and touring venues.  Internationally, the BGA is a founding member of the International Green Theatre Alliance.  The BGA reaches theatre professionals and audiences through its website filled with information and resources, and through social media such as Facebook and Twitter. Today, the BGA also launched the BGA Greener Lighting Guide, in partnership with PLASA.

NRDC THEATRE GREENING ADVISOR

BroadwayGreeningAdvisor.org

The NRDC Theatre Greening Advisor is a free online guide to help theatres across the country to implement eco-intelligent practices. The tool provides BGA members with valuable and detailed information on all elements of greener theatres and productions. The NRDC Theatre Greening Advisor supports the work of all six Broadway Green Alliance committees with extensive resources for greener efforts related to Pre/Post Production, Production, Venues, Touring, Education, and Outreach. This guide helps theatres continue to commit to energy efficiency, recycling programs, waste reduction, water conservation, smart paper purchasing and use, and other smart operations. In doing so, theatres and productions across the country are helping to keep our nation’s air and water clean, reduce their contribution to global warming, protect biodiversity, and reduce toxic chemicals use, while seeing cost saving benefits.

“In the past five years, the Broadway Green Alliance has become a part of nearly all Broadway productions, and now is working with Off-Broadway, regional theatres, colleges, and many other venues and shows in and outside of the United States,”  says Charlie Deull, co-chair of the Broadway Green Alliance.   “We are grateful to the NRDC for its work on the NRDC Theatre Greening Advisor, which will be a valuable tool for the many BGA participants and allies working to make theatre, and the planet, greener.”

“The single most important thing we can do to help save the planet is to change cultural assumptions and attitudes about how we should relate to Planet Earth,” says Dr. Allen Hershkowitz, Senior Scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council who helped to co-found the BGA. “By promoting energy efficiency, recycling programs, waste reduction, water conservation and other smart operations, theatres and productions will help keep our nation’s air and water clean, reduce their contribution to global warming and achieve cost saving benefits at the same time.”

# # #

THE BROADWAY GREEN ALLIANCE (BGA) educates, motivates and inspires the entire theatre community and its patrons to implement environmentally friendlier practices.  The BGA (formerly Broadway Goes Green) was launched in 2008 as an ad hoc committee of The Broadway League and has become a program of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. The BGA brings together all segments of the theatre community, including producers, Broadway and Off-Broadway theatres in New York and around the country, college drama programs, theatrical unions and their members, and related businesses. Working closely with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the BGA identifies and disseminates better practices for theatre professionals and reaches out to theatre fans throughout the country, and through alliances, internationally. www.broadwaygreen.com.

facebook.com/BroadwayGreenAlliance, Twitter: @broadwaygreen.

THE NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL (NRDC) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 1.4 million members and online activists. Since 1970, our lawyers, scientists, and other environmental specialists have worked to protect the world’s natural resources, public health, and the environment. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Livingston, and Beijing. Since 2007, NRDC has been a world leader in entertainment and sports greening. NRDC is a principal environmental advisor to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Recording Academy, as well as a founding partner of the Broadway Green Alliance. www.nrdc.org

Contacts:

Broadway Green Alliance:

Rebekah Sale, rsale@broadwaygreen.com

Natural Resources Defense Council:

Jenny Powers, jpowers@nrdc.org

Broadway League:

Elisa Shevitz, eshevitz@broadway.org;

Erica Ryan, eryan@broadway.org

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The Broadway Green Alliance was founded in 2008 in collaboration with the Natural Resources Defense Council. The Broadway Green Alliance (BGA) is an ad hoc committee of The Broadway League and a fiscal program of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids. Along with Julie’s Bicycle in the UK, the BGA is a founding member of the International Green Theatre Alliance. The BGA has reached tens of thousands of fans through Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other media.

At the BGA, we recognize that it is impossible to be 100% “green” while continuing activity and – as there is no litmus test for green activity – we ask instead that our members commit to being greener and doing better each day. As climate change does not result from one large negative action, but rather from the cumulative effect of billions of small actions, progress comes from millions of us doing a bit better each day. To become a member of the Broadway Green Alliance we ask only that you commit to becoming greener, that you name a point person to be our liaison, and that you will tell us about your green-er journey.

The BGA is co-chaired by Susan Sampliner, Company Manager of the Broadway company of WICKED, and Charlie Deull, Executive Vice President at Clark Transfer<. Rebekah Sale is the BGA’s full-time Coordinator.

Go to the Broadway Green Alliance

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Welcome to the BGA Greener Lighting Guide

This post comes to you from the Broadway Green Alliance

Welcome to the BGA Greener Lighting Guide, a compilation of manufacturer provided information about live performance lighting instruments. This guide is designed to help you decide which lighting instruments are environmentally preferable.

Background

In recent years, many manufacturers have introduced new lighting instruments, promoting the environmental benefits of their products.  The nature of the “green” claims varies greatly, with no common basis for evaluating products or for comparing greener alternatives.  Developed in partnership with PLASA, the BGA Greener Lighting Guide is intended to serve as a source for high-level and detailed information about “greener” lighting instruments.

Broadways Green Alliance’s goal is to make comparing potential greener alternatives simpler and faster whether for a producer, a technical director, or a lighting designer. As live entertainment interest in greener alternatives increases, decision makers need access to clear and concise information about lighting instruments and environmental claims.

This guide will evolve as manufacturers populate it with more data. More than anything this reference will reflect the needs of you our readers. So tell us what you think by email.

Are you a manufacturer who wants to get involved? Sign-up your products here.

For information on how the Guide is organized and how to use it, click here.

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The Broadway Green Alliance was founded in 2008 in collaboration with the Natural Resources Defense Council. The Broadway Green Alliance (BGA) is an ad hoc committee of The Broadway League and a fiscal program of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids. Along with Julie’s Bicycle in the UK, the BGA is a founding member of the International Green Theatre Alliance. The BGA has reached tens of thousands of fans through Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other media.

At the BGA, we recognize that it is impossible to be 100% “green” while continuing activity and – as there is no litmus test for green activity – we ask instead that our members commit to being greener and doing better each day. As climate change does not result from one large negative action, but rather from the cumulative effect of billions of small actions, progress comes from millions of us doing a bit better each day. To become a member of the Broadway Green Alliance we ask only that you commit to becoming greener, that you name a point person to be our liaison, and that you will tell us about your green-er journey.

The BGA is co-chaired by Susan Sampliner, Company Manager of the Broadway company of WICKED, and Charlie Deull, Executive Vice President at Clark Transfer<. Rebekah Sale is the BGA’s full-time Coordinator.

Go to the Broadway Green Alliance

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Staging Sustainability Conference – Feb 2-5

This post comes to you from the Broadway Green Alliance

There is still time to register for the Staging Sustainability Conference!

Staging Sustainability 2014: People. Planet. Profit. Performance will be an international conference from February 2-5, 2014 hosted at three exciting downtown Toronto venues — the MaRS Discovery District, 99 Sudbury, The Theatre Centre —and streamed to satellite locations across Canada.

Staging Sustainability 2014 will introduce you to ground breakers working across Canada, on Broadway, in London, in community gardens—as well as all points in-between—to remake the way we work in the performing arts. It will be the largest gathering of innovative sustainability practitioners in the world to focus on ways in which performance can positively affect our planet. We invite performing arts professionals including producers performers, technicians, funders, decision makers—and anyone interested in how the performing arts can support sustainability efforts—to attend Staging Sustainability 2014.

Performance has always been about how the work affects people. Now we are ready to look at how our performances can affect a sustainable world.

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The Broadway Green Alliance was founded in 2008 in collaboration with the Natural Resources Defense Council. The Broadway Green Alliance (BGA) is an ad hoc committee of The Broadway League and a fiscal program of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids. Along with Julie’s Bicycle in the UK, the BGA is a founding member of the International Green Theatre Alliance. The BGA has reached tens of thousands of fans through Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other media.

At the BGA, we recognize that it is impossible to be 100% “green” while continuing activity and – as there is no litmus test for green activity – we ask instead that our members commit to being greener and doing better each day. As climate change does not result from one large negative action, but rather from the cumulative effect of billions of small actions, progress comes from millions of us doing a bit better each day. To become a member of the Broadway Green Alliance we ask only that you commit to becoming greener, that you name a point person to be our liaison, and that you will tell us about your green-er journey.

The BGA is co-chaired by Susan Sampliner, Company Manager of the Broadway company of WICKED, and Charlie Deull, Executive Vice President at Clark Transfer<. Rebekah Sale is the BGA’s full-time Coordinator.

Go to the Broadway Green Alliance

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Expanding Plastics

This post comes to you from the Broadway Green Alliance
Expanding Plastics

Mayor Bloomberg at the press launch of Broadway Goes Green.

Mayor Bloomberg at the press launch of Broadway Goes Green.

by Noah Aberlin

Get ready to add all rigid plastics to your recycling bin-

NYC has expanded the residential recycling stream.

On April 24th Mayor Bloomberg announced that NYC will now recycle all rigid plastics. These newly included items go in the same clear bag or blue bin where all glass, metal, aseptic packaging (juice boxes, soy milks), and plastic bottles currently go.

Rigid plastics include yogurt cups, toys, hangers, cookie tray inserts, plastic cups, food containers, and more. Bloomberg said at a press meeting, “Starting today, if it’s a rigid plastic – any rigid plastic – recycle it…This means that 50,000 tons of plastics that we were sending to landfills every year will now be recycled and it will save taxpayers almost $600,000 in export costs each year.”

This announcement coincides with the development of the new recycling plant being built by the Sunset Park waterfront in Brooklyn, which will be the largest household recycling plant in North America. Because it takes 70 percent less energy to make plastic from recycled plastics instead of raw materials, it’s going to help further reduce the city’s carbon footprint. New York City will not only become more sustainable but will also create 100 jobs at the new plant. Plus, it will be powered by one of the largest solar installations in the city.

Keep a lookout for new recycling decals and posters that should be mailed to residences soon and remember it is recommended that New Yorkers should rinse out all containers before sorting them in recycling bins. While these new rules do not effect commercial recycling (i.e.: at the theatres) they do include the new Solar Big Belly public recycling bins that have been sited around town. There are 30 in the Times Square area so please seek them out and use them.

To recycle plastic bags, many supermarkets and drug stores have special collection bins. Film plastic (plastic wrap) does not recycle.

For more information and a detailed list of all recyclable materials visit http://www.nyc.gov/html/nycwasteless/html/home/home.shtml

 

The Broadway Green Alliance was founded in 2008 in collaboration with the Natural Resources Defense Council. The Broadway Green Alliance (BGA) is an ad hoc committee of The Broadway League and a fiscal program of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids. Along with Julie’s Bicycle in the UK, the BGA is a founding member of the International Green Theatre Alliance. The BGA has reached tens of thousands of fans through Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other media.

At the BGA, we recognize that it is impossible to be 100% “green” while continuing activity and – as there is no litmus test for green activity – we ask instead that our members commit to being greener and doing better each day. As climate change does not result from one large negative action, but rather from the cumulative effect of billions of small actions, progress comes from millions of us doing a bit better each day. To become a member of the Broadway Green Alliance we ask only that you commit to becoming greener, that you name a point person to be our liaison, and that you will tell us about your green-er journey.

The BGA is co-chaired by Susan Sampliner, Company Manager of the Broadway company of WICKED, and Charlie Deull, Executive Vice President at Clark Transfer<. Rebekah Sale is the BGA’s full-time Coordinator.

Go to the Broadway Green Alliance

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A Greener (and easier!) Approach to Stuffers

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Post by Jennifer Marik, Wicked Stage Manager

Printing your own stuffers in house as needed, rather than ordering them in bulk in advance, saves a lot of money, is very eco-friendly and is very easy!  At Wicked, we have a high-speed copier, an industrial paper cutter and a cabinet full of 100% recycled paper.  With just these tools, we are able to generate a stuffer for each performance – including bios and headshots for new performers and all of the necessary cast replacements.  If it is just a bio, or two or three replacements, we are able to print eight inserts to a page (which at the Gershwin is 225 copies per show).  If we need to include more information, we can generally put it on a four-up (450 copies per show).  On very rare occasions, we need to print three stuffers to a page to accommodate multiple bios, headshots and replacements. Depending on the number of copies, we can usually print the stuffers in about ten minutes and cutting the stuffers takes less than five.  We have templates set up in the computer (which prints directly to the copier), so we are able to quickly modify the stuffer each evening when we do our paperwork at hour before half hour. Our ushers generally have the inserts in hand 15 minutes after that.

WICKED has been a partner of the BGA since its founding.

WICKED has been a partner of the BGA since its founding.

What if the copier goes down at an inopportune moment?  Or what if an actor calls out at the last minute?  We keep one show of each cast replacement option in our emergency stuffer stash, so we are able to cover these contingencies.  And if the copier were to go down on a two-show day, or over the weekend (which has happened almost never), we would use Staples or Kinko’s for subsequent shows.

In an effort to be even greener, we do not cut the emergency stuffers ahead of time.  With the paper cutter, if we need to use them, we can cut them very quickly.  If we don’t use them and the actor leaves the company, we end up recycling only a total of 200-500 pieces of paper per actor leaving the company – we can use them for printing in/outs, scrap paper, etc.  What used to happen instead was that we’d have to get rid of 7200 small pieces of paper per actor leaving – and more if they covered multiple parts.  One bonus of this system is that we no longer need to store hundreds of stacks of stuffers that might never be used.

In addition to being a greener way to do stuffers, and being much easier for the stage managers, printing your own stuffers saves money – a lot of it.  Wicked saves about $5000 a month: just by making a one-time purchase of that industrial paper cutter and a monthly rental of the high-speed copier.  And an added bonus to having the high speed copier – we can generate scripts and scores on demand in-house as well, which even saves us more money.

Broadway Shows using GREENER Stuffers:

The Broadway Green Alliance was founded in 2008 in collaboration with the Natural Resources Defense Council. The Broadway Green Alliance (BGA) is an ad hoc committee of The Broadway League and a fiscal program of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids. Along with Julie’s Bicycle in the UK, the BGA is a founding member of the International Green Theatre Alliance. The BGA has reached tens of thousands of fans through Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other media.

At the BGA, we recognize that it is impossible to be 100% “green” while continuing activity and – as there is no litmus test for green activity – we ask instead that our members commit to being greener and doing better each day. As climate change does not result from one large negative action, but rather from the cumulative effect of billions of small actions, progress comes from millions of us doing a bit better each day. To become a member of the Broadway Green Alliance we ask only that you commit to becoming greener, that you name a point person to be our liaison, and that you will tell us about your green-er journey.

The BGA is co-chaired by Susan Sampliner, Company Manager of the Broadway company of WICKED, and Charlie Deull, Executive Vice President at Clark Transfer<. Rebekah Sale is the BGA’s full-time Coordinator.

Go to the Broadway Green Alliance

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TOP TEN WAYS TO GREEN-UP YOUR LIGHTING & SET DESIGN

This post comes to you from the Broadway Green Alliance

HOW TO THINK GREEN-ER AS A LIGHTING DESIGNER

  1. Always design with greener lighting in mind.

  2. Always rehearse under energy-efficient lighting (exceptions for tech and dress rehearsals).

  3. Keep all dimmers, instruments and control gear clean and dust-free.

  4. Shut down all dimming gear at the source at the end of rehearsal/performance day.

  5. Power down moving heads & LED power supplies if they won’t be in use for more than one hour.

  6. Make sure all back-of-house, dressing room, and corridor lighting is energy-efficient (LED recommended) and operated by motion sensors.

  7. All running and marker lights should be LED.

  8. Install dimmable energy efficient sources for all of your front-of-house areas.

  9. Use the BGA’s Gel Project for donating and reusing lighting gels where feasible.

  10. Join the Broadway Green Alliance!

 

HOW TO THINK GREEN-ER AS A SET DESIGNER

  1. Create a greener studio: For model-making, choose cardboard over foam core, pulp board over illustration board, white glue over Twin Tak or other adhesive sheets.

  2. Printing: Ink cartridges are often over-packaged with plastic. Choose a printer that uses less or no plastic packaging for their inks. Recycle all ink cartridges. Use recycled paper, print front and back, or review documents digitally and don’t print at all!

  3. Build models out of packing materials like cereal boxes, pulp board & cardboard inserts, plastic packaging and cardboard boxes.

  4. Recycle all paper & cardboard used in the studio. Break down old models and reuse materials. Save models that can’t be broken down to be used as base structures for new models.

  5. Designing Greener: When approaching a project, think of the type of materials you want to use. Is there a more sustainable option for this material? What is the sheet-size of this material? Choose sizes that more closely resemble size of sheet goods so as to produce less waste.

  6. Spend some time researching sustainable material options. There are lots of options out there, so this will be an ongoing adventure. Start with one material and build your references slowly as greening can be an ongoing process as opposed to a major overhaul. This will help you incorporate sustainability into your current working process & schedule.

  7. Try to incorporate used materials into your designs. Look through shop stock materials, search groups like Artcube and Craig’s List for materials, shop at places like Build-It-Green and Film Biz Recycling. Include a visit to Materials-for-the-Arts if you are working with a not-for-profit organization. (see the BGA’s website for all of these resources and more or you can “Ask the BGA” @ green@Broadway.org)

  8. Recycle your set. When your show is struck you can post it on the Artcube list serve for others to claim. Or donate directly to Film Biz Recycling. Other productions, particularly off-off Broadway shows with limited budgets, could really use these materials. Reuse encourages creativity. The BGA can help you facilitate this.

  9. Reach out to others. Sustainability in theatrical design is a new & ongoing area of exploration. We can all learn from each other. Share your experiences with friends, colleagues and students. Twitter, Facebook and blogs are a great way to share greening tips.

  10. Join the Broadway Green Alliance! You will learn new ways you can improve your greening efforts. Attend workshops and meet others who have a passion for theater and a passion for the environment!

 

The Broadway Green Alliance was founded in 2008 in collaboration with the Natural Resources Defense Council. The Broadway Green Alliance (BGA) is an ad hoc committee of The Broadway League and a fiscal program of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids. Along with Julie’s Bicycle in the UK, the BGA is a founding member of the International Green Theatre Alliance. The BGA has reached tens of thousands of fans through Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other media.

At the BGA, we recognize that it is impossible to be 100% “green” while continuing activity and – as there is no litmus test for green activity – we ask instead that our members commit to being greener and doing better each day. As climate change does not result from one large negative action, but rather from the cumulative effect of billions of small actions, progress comes from millions of us doing a bit better each day. To become a member of the Broadway Green Alliance we ask only that you commit to becoming greener, that you name a point person to be our liaison, and that you will tell us about your green-er journey.

The BGA is co-chaired by Susan Sampliner, Company Manager of the Broadway company of WICKED, and Charlie Deull, Executive Vice President at Clark Transfer<. Rebekah Sale is the BGA’s full-time Coordinator.

Go to the Broadway Green Alliance

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Jame Bedell’s Greener Lighting Design in the Real World

Check out this presentation by lighting designer James Bedell. He originally gave this presentation at an event for the Broadway Green Alliance exploring Greener Lighting Practices in the theater. As a sustainability advocate, James encourages lighting designers to integrate sustainability into their design priorities whenever working on a project.