The BGA/Terracycle partnership currently sponsors collections for corks, chip bags, candy wrappers and makeup containers. The BGA also collects and recycles used batteries in partnership with The 4th Bin, New York City’s only company that picks up e-waste from businesses and residences. Batteries are collected at the Gershwin and Minskoff Theaters year round.

Of course those batteries that manage to pile up can also be recycled at our bi-annual E-Waste Drives. Our last E-Waste Drive (sponsored by our friends at WeRecycle!) was October 12th and saved over two tons of discarded computers, printers, monitors and peripherals from landfills; look for our next one coming up in early 2012.

Another popular BGA program are the popular Textile Drives that the BGA co-sponsors with Wearable Collections. Clothing and other textiles that are donated are distributed worldwide to those in need; clothing that can’t be redistributed is recycled into rags or shredded into insulation material.

Rounding out our collection program is The Binder Project, which has been operational for over a year. Binders are used in many aspects of production and are frequently discarded. This initiative, co-sponsoredwith Actors’ Equity, stores used binders for pickup and reuse by any theatre professional and has proven hugely popular.

Step One:
At our TEXTILE DRIVE in May, the volunteers working the drive diligently pulled out every towel that came in with the 1350 pounds of textiles collected and held them aside.

Step Two:
The towels were washed.

Step Three:
The towels did what many New Yorkers do in the summer: they went to Fire Island! They were used for the BROADWAY BARES at Whyte Hall in The Pines.

Step Four:
The towels were washed.

Step Five:
The towels made their way to Roseland Ballroom where all the fabulous BROADWAY BARES performers used them backstage. They got a workout cleaning up make-up and glitter galore!

Step Six:
The towels were washed.

Step Seven:
The towels went to the BC/EFA Flea Market. They were on stand-by in case it rained. Luckily, they were not ultimately needed that day.

The Final Step:
The towels will make their final journey by being donated to city animal shelters to help care and comfort pets waiting for their forever homes! We at the BGA are very proud of our ability to reuse the same set of towels for all these events benefiting the Broadway community and beyond. Have you got a great example of reusing materials? Send us your story on our Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/BroadwayGreenAlliance

Written and Edited By Katherine McNamee

The project “1,000 Steps of Broadway” establishes the famed thoroughfare as the “green corridor” of the city and will eventually comprise 20 environmental hubs culminating in Spring 2013. The initial hub, at 137th St. and Broadway, featured Mary Miss Studio and her collaborators: authors, ecologists, architectural historians, and green energy engineers holding open-air public meetings for passersby interested in the natural history of the Hamilton Heights area. The reopening after a lengthy renovation of the Grange, Alexander Hamilton’s residence, connected the project to the latest proud addition to the National Park Service.

Nearby, and throughout the park, an installation of 54 green poles featured mirrors reflecting the faces of onlookers alongside text and graphics that highlighted the urban ecosystem surrounding upper Broadway. Call-in guided cell phone instructions offered further environmental background for listeners. The message was clear: environmental change is a complex system of behavioral changes and decisions that we all influence as actors, and that affects everyone.

The project is a beautiful and ambitious meld of information, public space, and community gathering – there was even a recipe exchange for foodies interested in sustainable local food sources. Visual artaficionados, curious locals and experts mingled for hours exchanging business cards and enjoying the installation.

Mary Miss Studio partnered with NASA, the Center for Research on Environmental Decisions at the Earth Institute of Columbia University, the Institute for Sustainable Cities at CUNY, and the Wallerstein Collaborative for Environmental Education at NYU. The Rockefeller Cultural Innovation Fund, The Ford Foundation, New York Foundation for the Arts, The Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Arts, the Lily Auchincloss Foundation, and others provided funding.

Look for more hubs coming to Broadway soon! For more information about the project and its timeline and partnerships, click here.

Donyale Werle is a Brooklyn-based theatrical set designer who supports and employs sustainable practices in scenic design and also serves as the Co-Chair (with Bob Usdin) of the Pre/Post Production Committee. Werle typically works with salvaged materials to create unique, handcrafted sets and props. She has received a 2011 Obie for Sustained Excellence in Set Design, the 2011 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Set Design and the 2010 Henry Hewes Design Award for Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson for which she also received a 2011 Tony nomination.

Through a recent case study on a previous Werle-designed production, Peter and the Starcatcher, Werle recognized that, even with slightly increased labor costs associated with sourcing and transporting reusable materials, she could save producers significant amounts of money from reduced material costs. This fall, she found eager allies at the Old Globe in Director of Production Robert Drake and Technical Director Ben Thoron, both willing to support her search for sustainability and artistic excellence onstage, as well as economizing.

Designing for sustainability certainly requires artistic leadership and a passion for working with collaborators of a shared sensibility. “Most of my job is communication, even more than drawing,” says Werle, “which is nice because I develop relationships with builders and other designer artisans.” Werle’s process involves a lot of horizontal thinking and “a lot of off-kilter sensibility, trust in happenstance and letting go,” all necessary attributes for the team-based approach to creation she employs. In the end, Werle has found it useful and fruitful to collapse the typical separation between designer and assistants, with material scavengers, construction crews, and pretty much everyone present all having critical input into the design process.

The reuse of plastics is a key design theme for Werle. The Rocky Horror set featured thousands of water bottles collected by theater staff, along with used scroller gels donated from Broadway’s Wicked along with salvaged scrap foil and 3M paper, all of which were cut into spirals and wrapped around steel frames to create shimmering sculptures which became the laboratory walls. Werle and team practiced the necessary flexibility of designing for upcycling throughout the process, allowing some radical re-designs of many set pieces from initial rendering to finished product, ultimately determined less by what was conceived on paper than by what salvageable materials came through the door. Still, she acknowledges, the ultimate result was far richer than anything that could have been conceived through a more typical top-down, less serendipitous collaboration. Even the proscenium arch was pulled from an earlier Old Globe production, and adapted with salvaged foam, rope and some careful cutting.

Werle’s creations are pioneering a unique approach to sustainable design challenges that is leading the field. And, as the Old Globe discovered, audiences are responding with overwhelming interest and support for the theater’s effort to combine a bold visual approach with environmental responsibility.

Inspired by the success of BGA-led initiatives that have encouraged the Broadway producers of Wicked, Lion King, Mamma Mia!, Billy Elliot, Phantom of the Opera and others to make the leap to rechargeables, Julie’s Bicycle has made Better Batteries (www.BetterBatteries.info) a centerpiece of their current year’s programming. The reasons why are palpable: Wicked was able to go from using 15,808 batteries per year requiring disposal to just 76 per year after switching to the rechargeable nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) variety. In the process, over two tons of e-waste were diverted from landfills, further reducing the production’s carbon footprint by eliminating the carbon emissions from transportation associated with disposal. In addition to keeping hundreds of pounds of e-waste out of landfills, the producers saved money: $4,300 per year, in fact. No wonder this idea is poised to make its West End debut!

Julie’s Bicycle reports that rechargeable batteries have 32 times less impact on the environment (global warming, air and water pollution) than disposable batteries throughout their lifecycle, and that one rechargeable can replace 93 disposables. The end result, of course, is that finite natural resources are reused and the release of harmful chemicals such as lead, mercury and cadmium from improper disposal is prevented. Add up the benefits: reliability, cost savings, greener profile, and less pollution and waste, and its easy to see why better batteries is one of the wisest sustainability choices a production can make – and why theaters from as far away as Australia are reaching out to the BGA for information about how they too can go greener.

To have a look at the Julie’s Bicycle Better Batteries guide, go to:

http://www.juliesbicycle.com/media/downloads/JB-Better-Batteries-Practical-Guide.pdf

The BGA and Julie’s Bicycle look forward to continuing our international collaboration.

BGA VOLUNTEERS SHOW OFF THEIR BAGS AND BAKED GOODS AT THE 25TH ANNUAL BROADWAY FLEA MARKET AND GRAND AUCTION!

One glorious day each September, the streets of midtown Manhattan are overrun by the Broadway community for the Broadway FleaMarket and Grand Auction benefiting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. For many years BC/EFA programs has funded important programs such as:

• The HIV/Aids Initiative
• The Phyllis Newman Women’s Health Initiative
• The Hirshfeld Free Health Clinic at The Aurora
• The Dancers Resource

This past year, Broadway Green Alliance was thrilled to become an official program of BC/EFA. This year marked the 25th anniversary of the BC/EFA FleaMarket and Grand Auction and the BGA was there to help. With the aid of delicious treats made by our amazing volunteers and a dedicated group of people manning our table, we managed to raise almost $1,000! Parked in front of Sardi’s Restaurant, our table quickly became a necessary stop for hungry shoppers; and our reusable tote bags were a big hit! Together with 62 other tables from Broadway & Off-Broadway shows, as well as unions and guilds, we helped raise $273,886 of the grand total of $547,658 – a record-breaking amount! Thank you to everyone who volunteered baked goods, their time and their money to support Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids.

Written and Edited by Danielle Heckman

We asked the casts of Sister Act and Baby It’s You! to tell us what they do to reduce their impact. Click the icon to see the video.

BGA Visits Broadway In Bryant Park

Electronic waste (or e-waste) is defined as any surplus, obsolete, or broken electronic devices. This includes personal computers, television sets, MP3 players, and household batteries. The Environmental Protection Agency estimated that discarded electronics totaled two million tons in 2005, with this number increasing every year. Annually, discarded electronics represents five to six times as much in weight as recycled electronics. E-waste can have serious environmental consequences if it finds its way into the regular waste stream or is sent to developing countries to be processed. E-waste contains several harmful materials such as lead, cadmium, beryllium, and brominated flame retardants and processing workers (which includes children in third world countries) are often ill-protected from exposure.

The 4th Bin began as a competition to design an e-waste logo and a rescue bin for the collection of e-waste, but as the competition developed, The 4th Bin discovered that there were few systems in place for the reuse and recycling of electronic waste. They found that there are few controls to ensure that the toxic materials in e-waste are dealt with in an ethical and environmental manner. Seeing the need for an inexpensive and ethical way to recycle e-waste, The 4th Bin has created a cheap, easy, and ethical way to get rid of your discarded electronics.

So how can you help solve this problem? Use The 4th Bin to pick up your electronic waste! If you refer The 4th Bin to your co-workers, office manager or company manager, they will receive 20% off of their pick-up. There are now bins backstage at “Wicked” and “The Lion King” where any show can drop off small e-waste like single-use batteries & cellphones. Visit their website at www.4thbin.org for more information. Do your part by telling your friends and colleagues about how to use The 4th Bin today!

Written and Edited by Lucas McMahon

The Project Coordinator will:

- Work closely with and report to the BGA co-chairs.

- Work closely with the volunteer committees through which the BGA operates, including coordinating and attending meetings. Current committees are Outreach and Membership, Pre- and Post-Production, Production, Touring and Venues, as well as a Steering Committee comprised principally of the chairs of the other committees.

- Manage and/or author communications across multiple channels, including the BGA website, Facebook page, Twitter, mobile platforms, email blasts and the BGA newsletter (the Green Sheet).

- Monitor opening and closing shows to support committee activities, including appointment of “green captains” on new shows and appropriate disposal of materials from closing shows.

- Manage, with volunteers, BGA events and participation at conferences and other meetings.

- Coordinate cooperation with BGA partners and allied organizations.

- Supervise BGA interns.

- Coordinate the production of video promotions.

- Work on the development of new initiatives.

- Manage the budgeting and finances of the BGA.

Qualifications:

The successful candidate will be adept at translating ideas into action, utilizing great organizational skills and multitasking effectively. The BGA brings together a cross-section of the theatre community and the successful candidate must be able to communicate clearly in writing and in person with diverse audiences on a daily basis and represent us at meetings and conferences. S/he must be a leader able to support action by others as well as to initiate work.

The successful candidate must have a demonstrated passion both for theatre and the environment. At least 3-5 years of work experience in the theatre industry is preferred.

To apply, please e-mail a resume and cover letter to Christina Boursiquot at Cboursiquot@broadway.org no later than August 5.

Recently, JB leaders met with BGA committee chairs for three days of meetings in New York to begin to develop international collaboration on greener theatre. The BGA and JB continue to work closely, sharing results and resources, and finding opportunities to apply successful strategies across an international stage.

We are pleased to include this synopsis from a recent JB report about this first year:

“The UK theatre industry has taken decisive action to understand and reduce its environmental impact, recognizing this as a critical business issue. More than 300 UK cultural venues have begun measuring and sharing environmental data through Julie’s Bicycle’s free online tools. These tools provide annual reports of greenhouse gas emissions from energy, water and waste, as well as staff and audience travel.

JB has used this information to determine a baseline for energy use and quantify the potential savings available to the performing arts sector. Based on an energy spend of £370 million (roughly $595 million) between 2012 and 2015 by the UK performing arts sector, JB has projected an available savings of £35 million (about $56 million) with £8 million (about $13 million) exclusively coming from savings in the theatre sector. This can be achieved relatively straightforwardly, with savings of 8 to 10% available through behavioral changes and investments with short payback periods. More than 50 venues have set the bar higher, pledging to reduce energy by 10% this year. Many are using JB’s Industry Green Certification, which assesses activity under four principles: commitment, understanding, improvement, and communication.”

Examples of action by UK venues include:

Sage Gateshead has invested in front-of-house LED bulbs, new air-conditioning filters, and better control of its heating, ventilation and air-conditioning. They’ve also established switch-off campaigns for lights and appliances, and “no lift” and “leave your car at home” days. In their first year, they achieved a staggering 44% drop in electricity and 28% drop in gas use per performance.

The Royal Court invested in its building management system and recouped the cost through reduced electricity use within three years.

All 35 Ambassador Theatre Group venues across the UK have created a support network by measuring and sharing their energy data. The Comedy Theatre completed the Industry Green Certification as a pilot for the group and the Milton Keynes Theatre has switched its front-of-house lights to LED bulbs.

The National Theatre has partnered with Philips to update its external lighting to LED, reducing electricity consumption by 70%. Additionally, they have also saved energy by switching off rigs and discharge lights between the final check and half-hour call, increasing lamp life from 10 to 17 weeks.

Many theatres now switch off bar fridges overnight, saving £150 per fridge per year.

UK touring companies have begun to measure touring impacts and to adopt the JB Green Rider which encourages an industry-wide shift in expectations between venues and companies. Designers, directors, and production managers met recently to identify greener production practices in design, lighting technologies, set reuse and recycling.

“Looking forward to the second year of JB’s theatre initiative, JB seeks to have all UK theatre organizations embed carbon reduction practices and then share their success stories.”

The BGA and JB look forward to continuing collaboration.