The Center for Sustainable Practice in the Arts (CSPA) announces the opening of applications for the 2012 Fringe Festival Award for Sustainable Production at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The CSPA Fringe Festival Award for Sustainable Production is designed to reward sustainable practice in the production of a fringe show. The recipient will receive a plaque and a feature article in an upcoming edition of the CSPA Quarterly, the CSPA’s print publication highlighting the most exciting work being done in sustainability and the arts. This year’s award, presented for the 3rd time, is being coordinated with Festivals Edinburgh and Creative Carbon Scotland, who have joined forces to create the Edinburgh Festivals Green Venue Guide and will be bringing festival participants a series of high profile events at Fringe Central. The winner of the Award will be announced on Monday, the 20th of August.
The award is adjudicated by the CSPA Directors, Ian Garrett and Miranda Wright, along with CSPA affiliates. It looks at public communication and education, resource use and transportation in support of presenting a fringe show. The award has been developed to integrate the ground breaking work of Julie’s Bicycle’s IG Tools and San Diego’s Mo’olelo Performing Arts Company, who has created a comprehensive Green Theater Choices Toolkit with a generous grant from the Theater Communications Group. For the Edinburgh Fringe, Mhora Samuel and Tim Atkinson from The Theatres Trust’s European Regional Development Fund-backed Ecovenue project helped the CSPA adapt the criteria for a UK audience, providing guidance on UK equivalents to US name brands, as well as providing insight on measuring conventions and policy.
To be considered for the award, a production fills out an online questionnaire. Questions range from an inventory of materials used, to what public transportation lines run close to venues, to how themes about sustainability may be revealed in their shows. Because venues vary so greatly, and not all shows may be overtly about sustainable topics, all but the most basic questions are optional and all shows are encouraged to apply. Shows are encouraged, but not required, to provide a CSPA affiliate with tickets to their production to allow a trained eye to look at shows and projects as they exist in the real world.
The CSPA Award for Sustainable Production at the Fringe launched in 2010 at the Hollywood Fringe and Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Previous recipients include:  The Pantry Shelf (Edinburgh 2010), a satirical comedy that takes place in any ordinary pantry shelf, produced by Team M&M at Sweet Grassmarket; Presque Pret a Porter (Hollywood 2010), produced by Dreams by Machine; and Allotment (Edinburgh 2011) by Jules Horne and directed by Kate Nelson, produced by nutshell productions at the Inverleith Allotments in co-production with Assembly. The CSPA just anounced that the recipient for the 2012 award at the Hollywood Fringe, which has been given to D is for Dog by Katie Polebaum and the Rogue Artists ensemble, directed by Sean Calweti. It is produced by the Rogue Artists Ensemble at the Hudson Theater and continues to play through August 4th.
To apply, fringe show producers can head over to the CSPA’s website at http://www.sustainablepractice.com/fringe or email fringe@sustainablepractice.org. Applications for evaluation will be taken up until the 19th of August, though it is encouraged to apply while it is still possible for a CSPA affiliate to view the show. All questions regarding the award by also be be directed to fringe@sustainablepractice.org.
In addition to the award, the CSPA will be supporting Festivals Edinburgh and Creative Carbon Scotland’s events during the Fringe. How to Be a Greener Fringe Show, on Monday 6th August (14:00), is a practical workshop, getting into the nitty gritty of greener shows including everything from touring to publicity, set design to audience engagement. Internationalism and the Environment, on Saturday 18th August (11:30) will be a  panel discussion with David Grieg, internationally-performed playwright, Kate Ward, General Manager of the London International Festival of Theatre, and Ian Garrett, Director of the Centre for Sustainable Practice in the Arts. What’s the Big Idea? on Wednesday 22nd August (16:00) will be an open forum for a chance for you to air your views on how the arts can engage with environmental issue and how can we make next year’s Fringe the greenest Fringe  with provocations from Erica Whyman, Artistic Director of Northern Stage, and Anthony Alderson, Director of the Pleasance Theatre Trust. There will also be two Reuse and Recycle Days on Monday 27th and Tuesday 28th August from 11:00 – 16:00 where you can bring Unused flyers, unwanted props, usable furniture, gorgeous costumes, venue and set construction materials for  A combination recycling depot and free rummage sale.
The CSPA was founded by Ian Garrett and Miranda Wright in early 2008 after individually working on each of the programs that now make up the multi-faceted approach to sustainability separately. It provides a network of resources to arts organizations, which enables them to be ecologically and economically sustainable while maintaining artistic excellence. We support the infrastructure of this network by supplying artists with the information, education and intellectual community they need to make the best choices for their sustainability. We do this through three independent programs: CSPA Knowledge Network,  CSPA convergences, workshops and granting. We extend these efforts with key partnerships with like minded organizations. Past and Present partnerships have included the University of Oregon, Ashden Directory, Arcola Theater, Diverseworks Artspace, Indy Convergence, York University, LA Stage Alliance and others. Under the umbrella of the CSPA, each program and partnership uses different tactics with their own mission to create a comprehensive and cooperative synthesis in artistic sustainability.
As an independent producer and designer, outside of the CSPA, Garrett has produced dozens of shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.  Garrett also serves as the Festival Producer for CalArts Festival Theater, a program of California Institute of the Arts’ School of Theater that enables students and alumni to bring work to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, now in its 9th year.
IMPORTANT DATES:Â
Monday 6th August (14:00)
- How to Be a Greener Fringe Show -Â a practical workshop, getting into the nitty gritty of greener shows including everything from touring to publicity, set design to audience engagement.
Saturday 18th August (11:30)
- Internationalism and the Environment – a panel discussion with David Grieg, internationally-performed playwright, Kate Ward, General Manager of the London International Festival of Theatre, and Ian Garrett, Director of the Centre for Sustainable Practice in the Arts.
Wednesday 22nd August (16:00)Â
Monday 27th August (11:00 – 16:00) & Tuesday 28th August (11:00 – 16:00)
- Reuse and Recycle Days - where you can bring Unused flyers, unwanted props, usable furniture, gorgeous costumes, venue and set construction materials for  A combination recycling depot and free rummage sale.
MORE INFO:
CSPA Fringe Initiatives: https://www.sustainablepractice.org/programs/fringe/
2012 Edinburgh Festival Fringe Questionnaire:Â https://docs.google.com/a/sustainablepractice.org/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dFdDS2Z6NXBlQVVDdEROQ0NyMnNMb0E6MQ#gid=0
Edinburgh Festivals Green Venues Guide: Â http://www.efgreen.co.uk/
Creative Carbon Scotland:Â http://www.creativecarbonscotland.com/
One of the industry’s key events of the year to focus solely on sustainable production, the afternoon will include a programme of talks and discussions from industry experts, and a trade show exhibiting tried-and-tested products and services designed to help green your production.
New international initiative to green the theatre sector founded by environmental organizations Julie’s Bicycle (UK) and Broadway Green Alliance (USA)