Here in New York City we have commercial theater, experimental theater, really bad theater…but who knew we also have green theater, too!?

9Thirty Theatre Company is one of New York City’s first eco theater companies, and we happen to think they’re pretty darn neat. By having the environment serve as a character, theme, or the plot of their shows, 9Thirty seeks to raise awareness and take action on pressing environmental issues.

On Sunday, July 25, the theater company with a heart of gold will present THE BIRDS” TO SAVE BIRDS — a benefit reading of “The Brown Pelican” by George Sklar. The event will raise money for both 9Thirty and Tri-State Birds – a non-profit organization dedicated to saving and rehabilitating birds in the Gulf of Mexico.

“After the oil spill I found myself feeling helpless about what I could do to make a difference,” says artistic director Jeff Burroughs. “As of June 1st 658 birds, 279 turtles, and 36 mammals have been found dead. So I created an avenue to DO something! I contacted Tri-State Bird Rescue to put together a benefit.”

Besides the reading, the benefit will also feature organic food and drinks, a good old fashion raffle, and coupons for special discounts on future productions.

Sound super cool? Stop by 9TTC.org to get more information and purchase your tickets!

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London’s Arcola Theatre launches its first in-house designed and manufactured fuel cell product HyLight and announces the creation of a new trading company Arcola Energy Ltd to develop the commercial aspects of its international award winning arts & sustainability programme.

Developed with regular Arcola partners BOC (global industrial gas supplier), and White Light (leading supplier of lighting equipment and services to the entertainment industry), HyLight is a unique portable lighting and power supply to provide illumination in locations away from the electrical grid, silently and without the emissions of traditional noisy, polluting diesel generators.

HyLight is packaged in a compact wheeled flight-case, rugged for transportation and easy to deploy. The system includes the new Hymera hydrogen fuel cell generator from BOC, two of BOC’s new lightweight compressed hydrogen cylinders, and a choice of low energy LED lighting systems suitable for architectural, live event or safety applications.

To ensure reliable operation and provide added flexibility, HyLight’s power control system allows seamless switching between mains power, fuel cell power and battery back-up (1 hour). An LCD display provides real-time operating information and user prompts, whilst a data-logger records second-by-second performance. Online tools allow users to analyse their usage profile and determine the carbon footprint of their activities.

With a rated power output of 150W (200W peak), HyLight will provide many hours of safe, low-voltage power between refills. Run time with a 100W load is 30 hours per hydrogen cylinder. Furthermore, as run-time is directly proportional to load (in marked contrast to diesel generators), in lower power applications such as cordless tool charging, run times of several days are possible from a single hydrogen cylinder. A built-in 240V outlet can supply ancilliary equipment.

“HyLight is the result of several years of hugely productive collaboration Arcola has enjoyed with BOC and White Light,” comments Dr Ben Todd, Executive Director at Arcola Theatre, “and of a recent research and development project we undertook with the support of the Technology Strategy Board and the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC). Their support allowed us to innovate rapidly together, taking lessons we have learnt with running low-energy lighting from the 5kW fuel cell we have at Arcola Theatre and combining that experience with the latest hydrogen and fuel cell technology from BOC to create a small, portable package that offers lower total cost of ownership than diesel generators – and many other practical benefits as well.”

“We don’t expect our customers to necessarily care about the history or technology of the hydrogen fuel cell,” comments Bryan Raven, White Light’s Managing Director. “What we do expect is that they will care greatly that they can have a lighting system that is clean, silent and portable, perfect for lighting events in gardens, parks or remote locations”.

Leyla Nazli, Executive Producer at Arcola Theatre said “Having engineers developing clean energy technologies right here in Arcola Theatre is part of our future vision. Artists imagining sustainable futures must witness first hand the possibilities for change, so to work side-by-side with engineers is invaluable”.

David Bott, Director of Innovation Platforms at the Technology Strategy Board said “this is a great story of a company taking ownership of its carbon emissions and applying its expertise to tackle the problem“.

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As the financial climate gets ever chillier, much has been said about the need for theatre companies to band together if they are to survive the coming cuts. So it is good to see that a new spirit of cooperation is now developing across the industry – albeit in response to an entirely different climate. The curiously named Julie’s Bicycle – an organisation that exists to help the creative industries lower their greenhouse gas emissions – has recently announced the launch of a “UK-wide theatre programme” aimed at helping theatres play their part in the fight against climate change.

Of course, for some theatres, an interest in the environment is nothing new. There have been individual efforts going on for a number of years now. Some companies are building theatres that are literally recycled, the National Theatre has been working with Philips to reduce its energy consumption and east London’s Arcola theatre has made itself the industry leader with its hugely impressive Arcola Energy project.

Yet what is particularly exciting about this new initiative is that it seeks to foster a much greater level of cooperation across the industry as a whole. The aim of Julie’s Bicycle is to bring together producers from both the commercial and subsidised sectors, and they have already attracted some of the biggest names on both sides of the theatrical divide. A steering committee for the project has been set up, chaired by Nick Starr, the executive director of the National Theatre, which boasts representatives from organisations as diverse as Cameron Mackintosh Productions, Glyndebourne, the National Theatres of Scotland and Wales, the RSC and many others.

Sian Alexander, Julie’s Bicycle’s associate director for theatre, says this shows that there is a “huge appetite” in the industry for tackling this issue. The plan is that companies will share information and ideas so that eventually Julie’s Bicycle will be “able to produce an annual report for theatre on GHG emissions and progress towards targets based on the data collected by the industry”. Given how secretive theatres can be about their plans and operations, it is good to see that differences are being overlooked in the face of this major challenge.

In fact, as the Stage recently explained, Julie’s Bicycle has already launched one major report about the impact that touring theatre has on the environment. They calculated that in 2009 British touring companies produced approximately 13,400 tonnes of greenhouse gases: equivalent to flying round the world 2,680 times. In one sense this is good news – Alexander points out that this figure is not as high as they had initially feared it might be – but she adds that there are also many areas where things could be improved.

As well as working directly with theatres, the organisation has provided a number of resources on its websites to enable companies to measure their impact themselves. These include a free carbon calculator, which theatres can use to work out what their carbon footprint is, and a range of other advice on how to become more energy-efficient.

Recent years have seen a range of shows – from Filter’s Water to the Bush’s Contingency Plan – that have sought to tackle climate change from an artistic point of view. So it’s good to see theatres attempting to be green not just in word, but in action too.

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Actor Mark Rylance, who will be in the upcoming revival of David Hirson’s La Bête at the Comedy Theatre, visited the theatre’s current exhibition, “Recycled Comedy.” Rylance will be starring in La Bête alongside Joanna Lumley and David Hyde Pierce at the Comedy Theatre from 26 June until 4 September.

The “Recycled Comedy” Exhibition showcases replica costumes from past productions that have played at the theatre made entirely from recycled and recyclable materials. Each costume sits in its own ‘environment’ which is complemented with light and sound. For the past month front of house, management, crew and box office staff at the Comedy Theatre have been working hard to develop and realize the exhibition which promotes recycling and raises environmental awareness.

Rylance, who has a strong interest in environmental and recycling issues, won two Olivier Awards with his roles in MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHIN and JERUSALEM. He was also honored with a Tony Award for BOEING BOEING. He served as the Artistic Director of the Shakespeare Globe Theatre from 1995-2005.

The Comedy Theatre is owned by the Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG). ATG is committed to achieving the highest standards of environmental performance, preventing pollution and minimising the impact of its operations on the environment.

ATG believes it is both good business practice and our duty to protect natural resources and therefore aim to conserve energy, water, wood, paper and other resources - particularly those which are scarce or non renewable. ATG also aims to reduce waste through re-use and recycling and by using refurbished and recycled products and materials where such alternatives are available.
 

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 The Arcola Theatre in Hackney, East London has become the first theatre in the UK to achieve a Gold Award from the Green Tourism Business Scheme.

Founded in 2000 the Arcola, in Arcola Street, London E8, is regarded as one of the leading arts venues in the UK. Now, it has become a leading light in the campaign to reduce London’s carbon emissions by 60 per cent before 2025 by investing in series of innovations and and an ongoing project to educate visitors on sustainability.

“We are trying to become the world’s first carbon neutral theatre.” said Dr Ben Todd, Executive Director with the Arcola Theatre in London.

“We are in a very old dilapidated building so we’ve done lots of work in house. That’s involved changing our suppliers, turning things off and putting in some fairly advanced technology for demonstrations.

“We are in fact the world’s first hydrogen fuel cell powered theatre and we’ve done some shows where we’ve run purely on hydrogen. Which in itself isn’t directly green but it helps to persuade lighting designers that they need to seriously cut the amount of lighting they use.

“We’ve managed to put on a theatre show here on five kilowatts which is about 70 per cent less than you would normally use,” said Dr Todd.

GTBS members are assessed on 145 separate measures by qualified advisers before being awarded a Bronze, Silver or Gold grading, making it one of the most scrupulous green accreditation schemes in the world.

To achieve a Gold grading from GTBS members have to demonstrate a number of practical measures which have improved energy savings and promoted sustainability.

“The Gold Award for the Arcola is a strong catalyst in greening North East London, including Hackney and surrounding districts,” said Jon Proctor, Technical Director of the GTBS.

“The most progressive areas for the business relate to how they communicate the green message to the community. The theatre hosts monthly green Sundays which are popular and very well designed.

“The Arcola staff have taken a lead on Green tourism in the area having been an excellent advocate of the scheme through presentations and demonstrations and they continue to drive sustainable development through a mix of highly innovative projects such as LED lighting and hydrogen fuel cells as well as simpler products such as a vegetarian restaurant.

“There are still areas for further improvement but the business has tackled all the issues which can be tackled directly and remains an inspiration to the community and the whole industry. As the first theatre in the UK to gain a Gold Award we hope further promotions will follow.”

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Historic preservation and sustainability go hand in hand. There is a misconception that historic preservation tax credit (HTC) projects and LEED certified projects are mutually exclusive. On the contrary, green development and preservation can both be achieved when rehabilitating a historic building; thus, opening the door for developers and property owners to benefit from using federal, state and local historic incentives while meeting green building standards.

At present, the federal government offers a 20 percent investment tax credit for the rehabilitation of certified historic buildings. The rehabilitation of a historic building must meet the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. These standards provide guidance on the appropriateness of work on a historic building, through the preservation of the building’s significant historic features. The program is administered by the State Historic Preservation Offices and the National Park Service.

The most recognizable program in green building certification is Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). LEED is a green building certification system, providing third-party verification that a building was designed and built using strategies aimed at improving a building’s performance. LEED certification is based on seven credit categories including: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, and innovation in Design/Regional Priority. Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), LEED provides building owners and operators a concise framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions.

The most common concern when performing a green rehabilitation of a historic building is energy efficiency. There is a bias throughout the green building community that if you want to achieve energy efficiency in a building you need to start from scratch. Historic buildings have embodied energy that can balance the goal in the green building community for energy efficiency improvements that may be difficult to achieve otherwise. The LEED certification system does award points for building and materials reuse. Making the LEED system work within the standards can be a challenge, as the standards have clear guidelines on retaining historic materials during rehabilitation. These challenges are illustrated through two successful LEED certified historic preservation tax credit projects: The Oregon National Guard Armory Annex and the Meier & Frank Department Store Building both located in Portland, Oregon. These projects demonstrate the amount of flexibility available for greening buildings utilizing the federal historic tax credits.

The Oregon National Guard Armory Annex, built in 1891, has thick masonry walls and a fortress-like appearance, and with more gun slits than windows it might not seem like an obvious candidate for a green rehabilitation. But the Gerding Edlen Development Company had a vision to rehabilitate this historic building into a state-of-the-art theatre while meeting the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation and achieving LEED Platinum certification, the highest level in the LEED program.

The Armory is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and is significant as the first armory built in Oregon for the newly organized Oregon National Guard. It is also significant as an excellent example of the Castellated architectural style. Throughout the building’s history it has been utilized for various functions including arms storage, shooting range, drill hall, event hall and, prior to its rehab, beer warehouse.

In 2006 the building was rehabilitated as the home of Portland Center Stage. The primary challenge of rehabilitating what was essentially a warehouse into a theatre, was to fit 55,000 square feet of program space within a 20,000-square-foot footprint while preserving and exposing the Douglas fir truss ceiling. The masonry structure also had to be braced seismically and the two performance spaces had to be isolated acoustically. The solution involved excavating 30 feet below the level of the original basement and building a concrete box inside the existing shell with access via two 14-foot-wide doors.

On the historic preservation side, the exposed roof trusses and exterior of the building were determined to be character defining features that had to be preserved. The roof trusses remained exposed in the building lobby and an oculus opening was created to provide views from the first floor to the roof trusses above. The distinctive masonry exterior was rehabilitated with no major changes.

On the green side, the spaces are distinctly contemporary in appearance and in function. The building has excellent lighting, air quality and energy efficiency with a 30 percent improvement over code standards. To improve water efficiency, rainwater is captured from the roof and used to flush toilets and urinals. The building is also equipped with dual-flush toilets and low-flow showerheads and faucets, reducing the building’s potable water use by 88 percent. Its windows also have advanced glazing to maximize daylighting while minimizing winter heat loss and summer heat gain. Where appropriate, lighting in the building is controlled by photo-sensors, occupancy sensors and dimming switches. These features all contributed to the LEED Platinum rating. Reuse of the existing building conserved not only the embodied energy of the existing materials but also the craftsmanship of the unique façade, preserving this Portland Landmark for future generations. The newly christened Gerding Theater has the distinct honor of being the first building on the National Register of Historic Places to receive federal historic tax credits and to achieve LEED Platinum status.

The Meier & Frank Department Store Building consists of three interconnected structures built over a 23-year period from 1909 to 1932. When completed, it was Oregon’s largest building. Like so many department stores, the building gradually became underutilized in the late 20th century. Sage Hospitality Resources’ renovation included modernization of the lower five floors and basement as a state-of-the-industry retail space and transformation of floors 6 and above into Oregon’s first five-star hotel. The hotel contains 331 rooms, destination atrium restaurant, rooftop lounge, 7,200-square-foot grand ballroom and 13 additional meeting rooms.

Adaptive reuse of this department store into a hotel was not a simple task. The building required seismic, fire, life safety and other code upgrades. The full-block floor plate was unwieldy, and built as three structures, the floor and ceiling levels did not always align.

On the historic preservation side, the white terra cotta exterior, original windows, and ground floor entrances and elevator lobby were determined to be character defining features that had to be preserved. These features were preserved while making way for a state-of-the-art interior that included a new atrium for the hotel.

On the green side, the effective reuse of the Meier & Frank Department Store represents an enormous accomplishment in sustainable design. This accomplishment takes two forms: first, the preservation of embodied energy and materials of one of Oregon’s largest buildings; second, the sustainable initiatives to green the building and its operations. Apart from the eco-savings accomplished through preservation, the project team embraced a number of pro-active steps towards sustainable design. Specifically, during construction the project committed to recycling removed materials, achieving 90 percent recycle rate.

Major work included the use of interior storm windows and high-performance glazing in infill elements, maximizing access to natural light. The installation of high efficiency lighting systems resulted in a savings of 26 percent energy consumption over comparable hotels. Finally, the installation of high efficiency water systems, with low-flow faucets and dual-flush toilets, collectively will save a half million gallons of water per year.

In addition to the development aspects of the project, green operations focused on the core tenets of reduce, reuse and recycle. These operations included using 100 percent renewable energy, including wind power and carbon offsets, using only Green Seal-certified products and encouraging employees to bike to work. In total, these eco-actions are anticipated to save the hotel $1 million in operating costs in its first 10 years. The Nines Hotel achieved LEED Silver certification; one of only 10 five-star hotels that are LEED certified projects. More broadly, the project demonstrates that sustainable practices and luxury hotel operations are not mutually exclusive, but that “eco-luxury” is mutually compatible.

Contrary to the misconception that historic and green projects do not work together, our experience proves that it can be done. Other recent historic tax credit projects we have been involved in that either have achieved LEED certification or are in the process of seeking LEED certification include the Palomar Hotel in Philadelphia, Pa., Court Square Center in Memphis, Tenn., Mercy Corps Headquarters in Portland, Ore., the Deco and Barclay Buildings in Milwaukee, Wis., and the IBM Building in Chicago, Ill.

Often, the owners and developers of historic buildings simply assume that their building cannot secure both historic tax credits and LEED certification, believing that the preservation standards will work against the green priorities. In the process, they forego the potential green or financial incentives, benefits that often make the difference in the viability of a project. It is important when contemplating the redevelopment of these resources that all opportunities are explored as historic buildings are often environmentally friendly and contain opportunities for becoming greener.

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Articles include Kids Night on Boradway, Manhattan Theatre Club, water reduction, Mo`olelo, and more!

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This is Rubbish are very pleased and excited to be collaborating with The Arcola Theatre and Pangolin’s Ark. On Sunday the 11th April The Arcola Theatre, This is Rubbish and Pangolin’s Ark will host a day of sustainable food themed talks, activities and workshops, followed by a fine food waste and sustainably sourced feast.

Buy tickets for the feast here

We are currently scheduling the workshops and a detailed program of the day will be released soon. Tickets for the feast will also be on sale in the very near future. Watch this space!

If you fancy getting involved with a crew chopathon and baking session, we’re looking for volunteers to help prepare and cook the food on the Saturday, and volunteers to help prepare and serve the food during the evening event on Sunday. The soil service (waitresses and waiters) will be dressed up as soil particles, salad and vegetables and service will be very interactive and incredibly earthy!

Give us a shout if you are interested on helping out on day that is set to be super soily and sustainably wonderful.

info@thisisrubbish.org.uk

poppy@pangolins-ark.co.uk

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Seattle University’s greenSquat program in a new way of producing theater – two or more productions share a stage – the second production “squats” on the set and production design of the first, reducing materials used, and reducing the environmental impact of the shows, which can often be substantial.

The first greenSquat production is a new play called WRITER 1272, a comedy by local playwright Vincent Delaney about plagiarism, ghost writing, and the complex conditions of college admissions. WRITER 1272 is “squatting” on SU’s recent staging of Island of Slaves, reusing the set, production materials and even posters from the previous play to create an eco-friendly production. Any added materials are themselves found, recycled, or repurposed – nothing new. greenSquat creator Steve Galatro says says, “Theatre is wasteful. In terms of time, money, energy, and physical resources, we have not yet done our best as a theatre community to embrace the trend of sustainability that is now present all around us. In greenSquat, we are challenging students to examine their responsibility as eco-conscious artists: examining the wide array of materials that make a production and imagining their potential to make another production entirely.”

SU hopes that greenSquat will inspire other theater artists to reduce their environmental impact as well and has partnered with a number of local businesses to promote the idea and will offer raffles and green product giveaways at all shows.

WRITER 1272 runs through March 13 at SU’s Lee Center for the Arts; tickets are available at the door or in advance through the box office which is open Wednesday through Saturday from 1:30 to 6:00 pm; call 206.296.2244 for ticket details.

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Marion Oliver McCaw Hall at Seattle Center and Benaroya Hall have led a local effort to host the 18th annual International Association of Assembly Managers - Performing Arts Managers Conference (IAAM-PAMC), March 6 - 9, at The Grand Hyatt, Benaroya Hall and McCaw Hall.

The IAAM, a 80-year old non-profit professional association for managers of public assembly facilities, including stadiums, arenas, convention centers and performing arts centers, provides a variety of professional development resources to the field, including educational seminars, publications, training and conferencesand this annual four-day conference for performing arts center managers that draws over 250 attendees from the United Statesand Canada.

The overall conference theme is sustainability - both in performing arts venues and the arts they accommodate. Participants will discuss both how to manage and maintain their facilities in environmentally sustainable ways and to sustain supportive audiences. There will be a strong emphasis on skills building, programming and communications. In addition to several sessions on sustainable design and operations, the conference includes specific sessions on cultural facilities planning, television production in performing arts facilities, and the latest in theatrical production and box office technologies.

Conference participants will have an opportunity to explore several of the city’s cultural venues through tours and a planned scavenger hunt. Through these activities, conference attendees will visit 5th Avenue Theatre, ACT, Benaroya Hall, EMP I SFM, McCaw Hall, Seattle Art Museum, Seattle Public Library, Seattle Children’s Theatre, Space Needle, Teatro ZinZanni, The Paramount Theatre and Town Hall Seattle.

PAMC has come to be known nationally as the preeminent conference for managers of all facets of theatres, performing arts centers, and suppliers of products and services to this sector of the venue management industry. The choice of Seattle as a conference venue speaks to the city’s reputation as a world class center for the performing arts.

For more information on the role of McCaw Hall in hosting the Performing Arts Managers Conference and its other business, arts and community endeavors, please visit www.seattlecenter.com or contact Chris Miller at 206-733-9711.

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DEPERE, WI—St. Norbert College is open their doors March 23 for an exhibit and discussion on the new green theatre movement. From 3:00 PM until 8:00 PM in the lobby of Walter Theatre on the St. Norbert’s campus manufacturers will be on hand to discuss their latest innovations on greening up theatre.

Green Theatre has become a big topic, especially with all the energy and resources that go into a single production. School districts have begun making grant money available for environmentally projects as well, but theatre sometimes are at a loss on how to green their processes enough to qualify for the funds. The Green Theatre Showcase aims to answer some of these questions for theatres looking to go green.

Representatives of ETC, Strong, Rosco, Altman, Color Kinetics, Prism Projection, Martin and probably more manufacturers will be on hand to address how their products fit into the green movement, including such products as Low VOC paints & coatings, LED lighting fixtures, modern HID followspots to replace aging incandescent units, or products for any other area of a theatre.

There will be a product presentation at 5:30 PM. Refreshments and snacks will be provided. Attendees will also receive a CD containing information on the featured products.

Registration for the Green Theatre Showcase is requested, but not required.

The showcase will take place:

Saturday, March 23

3:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

St. Norbert College

Abbot Pennings Hall of Fine Arts

Walter Theatre

315 3rd Street DePere, WI 54115

For more info, contact Doug MacDonald and Brian Hatfield at DesignLab Wisconsin, 800-43-DESLB x301 and x302 or e-mail them at wisales@dlabwi.com , or visit www.dlabwi.com.

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It’s a tad chilly for an outdoor show, but a bunch of Broadway performers will provide one on Wednesday, when the Broadway Green Alliance recognizes its one-year anniversary with a combination celebration and e-waste recycling dropoff in Duffy Square, the center island that runs from 45th to 47th Streets in Times Square. The dropoff begins at 11 a.m., and at noon, cast members will sing a couple of songs and alliance leaders will note the progress after a year of greening efforts.

The alliance was announced with some fanfare last November by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. Its mission is to steer Broadway toward environmentally friendly ways of doing business. Has it worked? “It’s the first thing since the AIDS crisis that has brought the entire theater community together,” Susan Sampliner, company manager of “Wicked” and an alliance chairwoman (along with Charlie Duell), said in an interview. “We didn’t know as we started this how many people would get involved and whether diverse groups of people would come together,” she said.

The alliance is also releasing a report to the mayor’s Office of Long Term Planning and Sustainability, summing up the developments so far. In the past year, the alliance and its team of “Green Captains” — there is one in the cast or crew of almost every Broadway show — have:

* Nearly reached the goal of having each of the three major theater owners on Broadway — Jujamcyn, the Shubert Organization and the Nederlander Organization — change all of their marquee and other outdoor lights from incandescent bulbs to compact fluorescents or LEDs. So far, 97 percent have been changed.
* Found in a survey that most participating shows are using rechargeable batteries, digital instead of paper communications and cold water for costume laundry, part of an effort to encourage backstage conservation.
* Worked with the Broadway League and the American Theater Wing to make the 2009 Tony Awards greener by using hybrid limousines, recycling office waste and printing the Playbill on paper made with 30 percent recycled content.
* Worked with theaters outside New York to offset 4,000 tons of carbon emissions resulting from transporting touring productions by investing in wind power, methane digesters and other renewable energy projects.
* Begun meeting with technical directors before shows close to discuss what they can do with scenery and other objects after the final curtain (other than tossing everything into a landfill). As a result, the report says, about 84 percent of scenery from shows that have closed this year has been recycled, reused or stored for future use.

“The biggest challenge right now is making sure the producers and general managers who make the financial decisions start to see an economical reason to do this,” Ms. Sampliner said. While owners can see immediate savings in energy costs, the benefits of designing and building a set with greener products and procedures are less obvious.

Still, Ms. Sampliner is optimistic, she said, and though it is cold outside and turnout for the performance at noon may be low, she pointed out that the event will be a success because it will be collecting computers, cellphones and other electronics for proper disposal or recycling. “We are anticipating somewhere between 6,000 and 8,000 pounds of e-waste,” Ms. Sampliner said.

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In Part 1 (October 2009), I spoke in general of sustainability. Here are some specific areas to consider in new buildings or renovations.

Making sustainability an actual goal is the single most important thing you can do. If you start with the goal of a sustainable operation, it will be relatively easy to achieve. If you do it as an afterthought, it will always seem to add cost because you will be modifying a less efficient design. By doing things in a sustainable fashion from the start, you may incur additional costs in some areas, but you are likely to reap savings that net an equal or lower cost in the final analysis.

Next, take a whole-building approach. Think about your construction materials from the sourcing of the raw materials to their ultimate disposal. A “green” material that has a short life or cannot be reused isn’t as “green” as it seems. Facilitate a sustainable operation through design. The easier it is to behave responsibly, the more likely it is that occupants will operate sustainably. A LEED Platinum facility that doesn’t support sustainable operation is a failure in the long run.

And why not reuse an existing structure? In the world of historic preservation, we speak of the embodied energy that is a building. An existing building has already spent energy and carbon being built. As long as it exists, it is the embodiment of the energy spent manufacturing the materials and components. A reused building comes with character for free. When coupled with a sustainability initiative, historic preservation tax credits can make many sustainability initiatives possible.

The Secretary of the Interior’s standards allow a building 50 years old (or younger, architecturally significant structures) to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Many performance facilities are architecturally significant. This listing yields significant federal tax credits as high as 20%. Many states offer additional credits. My home state of North Carolina offers 20% state tax credit in addition to the 20% federal. A tax credit yields you $1 in reduced taxes for every $1 spent preserving the structure and keeping it in active use. With some creative financing, this tax credit can be leveraged by a non-profit organization to yield an even greater net budget impact. Look around; in North Carolina, there is also a tax credit, in addition to the preservation tax credit, for putting old mill structures back into use.

Buildings must be designed to accommodate materials separation for recycling. This is particularly important for producing organizations with construction shops, as these are light custom manufacturing operations. Consideration needs to be made for the location of not only dumpsters for landfill-bound waste and for food waste, but for the categories of recyclable materials: wood, paper, metals, plastic, and items for reuse centers.

Just as materials represent embodied energy, the same is true of a physical production, which creates a double carbon footprint: building the set is the first, and sending it to the landfill is the second. Reuse saves the energy spent on producing that element and on its decay. An organization without storage will find that it is throwing away a huge amount of material or driving it to storage. In order to be good environmental stewards, we need to remember the inherent value of stock platforms, flats, costumes, and props when we design facilities. Having an effective storage space for stock materials is good for the environment and good for the operating budget.

We can also use more efficient fixtures. Yes, they use less electricity, but if that is all you consider, they are not arguably financially viable. They also lower the heat load on the building, which means lower cooling costs and electrical costs. During system design, this translates to smaller mechanical systems, smaller ducts, and smaller silencers on the ducts. Efficient fixtures also extend the life of expendable items such as lamps, color filters, and packaging, thereby saving materials, labor, storage, and waste. These units also require less power cable, and fewer are usually required to achieve the same coverage.

Occupancy sensors represent old technology that we often overlook in the name of savings. Offices, dressing rooms, rehearsal halls, restrooms, and even corridors benefit from them. With a more sophisticated control system, they can be incorporated into worklight control systems on stage and in the house, including pit areas, grid, catwalks, followspot booths, control rooms, etc. An occupancy sensor need not be the sole control in a system. The key here is centralized override, so that the sensors do not function during rehearsals and performance.

Daylighting is a fancy word for windows—features we traditionally avoid in theatres, yielding cave-like facilities. They’re a no-brainer in offices, studios, dressing and rehearsal rooms, shops, lobbies, etc. With the use of well-designed blackout systems, even stages and audience chambers can take advantage of windows. My years in a cavernous performing arts center sporting that pasty complexion Frank Zappa referred to as a “studio tan” has made me fond of bright interiors.

And what about air flow? Fan wall HVAC systems are newer and employ an array of fans instead of one huge fan in a mechanical system. They have a variable flow so you only run as many fans as you need for the load. They also produce less low-frequency noise, so the silencers in the system get much smaller. Between fan wall systems and reduced cooling loads, the reduction in the size of ducts and duct components yields easier coordination of systems and can decrease the amount of unoccupied floor space, which means more building for your money.

Indoor air quality can be a significant issue in wardrobe and wig areas in touring facilities where dilution ventilation should be considered. In producing facilities, fabrication shops that manufacture scenery, furniture, small props, and costumes may require spray booths, ventilation hoods, dilution ventilation, and negative pressure to keep fumes from being spread throughout the facility.

Waterless urinals have a perceived “yuck” factor, right? Well, in practice, they are as sanitary as traditional urinals and are ideal in high-use environments, like theatres, as they greatly reduce water consumption. In a 1,000-seat theatre, waterless urinals serving the lobby would save 150 gallons per performance per urinal over conventional urinals.

We can even green our roofs. Theatres generally have huge roofs that can be turned to an advantage. Green roofs, rainwater collection, and bio retention ponds all help contain a facility’s ecological impact to its site. Green roofs provide mass for sound isolation and mitigation of rain impact noise, as well as offer excellent insulation, extending roof cycle life (no UV exposure for covered areas), and reduced solar gain.

Rainwater collection from the roof can act as a source for irrigation and restroom facilities (check with your local code official). In some municipalities, this can be an interesting issue, as sewer charges are based on water usage, and a well-designed system can have minimal potable water usage and a significant waste flow. Where a green roof is not viable, white or reflective material can reduce solar gain, reduce the heat island effect, and give you access to reflectivity tax credits.

With the large roof areas typically found on a theatre, solar water heating is a natural choice because long periods of time pass with little or no usage. The system could be designed to accommodate peak draw or could be augmented with variable rise demand water heaters. This solar water heating could also be used in heating occupied space. Solar heating doesn’t just work when the sun is shining. A well-planned system will hold a volume of heated water for cloudy days and nights.

As photovoltaic and wind technology come online, that roof area can be put to use generating electricity to offset usage. In some areas, even private residences are taking advantage of this by incorporating as utilities and having their electricity sold back into the grid as part of the local utilities’ carbon neutral requirements. Tax credits are available here to help offset the initial cost.

At larger performing arts complexes, where there is a central heating plant, a lot of energy is wasted in the steam production process. There is a small, but growing, cogeneration industry that uses that waste heat to generate electricity and sell it back to the grid.

Many theatre complexes have significant physical plants that generate steam and waste heat. Cooperative utilities can take advantage of the capacity that goes unused during daylight peak consumption hours and sell excess capacity to adjacent structures. This is a green alternative because these existing systems are usually at their most efficient when running at or near capacity. Proctor’s Theatre in Schenectady, NY (“Proctor’s Gamble,” LD, August 2006) has become the main steam provider to its downtown area.

We are just scratching the surface of existing green technologies that can help theatres to become sustainable organizations in all senses of the word. We need to open our eyes to the multitude of proven technologies already available and to embrace new technologies as they become available. Make sustainability your goal early, and take the whole building approach to sustainability.

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Manhattan’s Theater for the New City will present “Raising the Roof” November 9, 2009 at 7 PM to benefit its green roof garden project. The event will feature actress and singer Tammy Grimes singing “It’s Not Easy Being Green”; actress Betsy von Furstenberg with a “green” reading; singer Judy Gorman with her repertoire of songs about peace and justice; post-vaudevillian (and author of NYC Fringe hit “Willy Nilly”) Trav S. D. performing songs from his show “Kitsch,” or “Two for the Price of One” which is upcoming at TNC; Richmond Shepard and Alex Simmons in a new play, “Luncheon or Two Men, a Park & Pigeons” by Paulanne Simmons; a concert reading of “Long time Passing,” a fable set in the ruins of a war-torn Central Park by award-winning playwright Barbara Kahn; environmentally friendly and funny songs by Lissa Moira and Richard West; and much more.

Betsy von Furstenberg, a longtime Theater for the New City friend, says, “I cannot speak highly enough of Crystal Field and TNC. She has achieved the unachievable every year.” “What makes you think that will work?” a board member once asked about an unlikely goal.” “Because I’m doing it,” she answered with such conviction there was no room for doubt. “And the theater’s green roof (the first in New York City!) will eventually blossom no matter what the hurdles TNC has to overcome. I’ll bet my life on it.”

Green roofs, building roofs that are covered with soil and vegetation, grant many benefits for urban environments: they absorb rainwater, provide insulation, combat pollution and offer a habitat for birds. Crystal Field, who initiated the project, hopes Theater for the New City’s green roof will be a beacon for the entire city. “We will be the first theater in New York City to have a green roof,” she says. “It will help our neighborhood. It will help the air quality on our block. There should be a green roof on every flat roof in New York City. Then we will have a green grid.”

“Raising the Roof” will take place at Theater for the New City, located at 155 First Avenue, between Ninth and Tenth Streets, in Manhattan. Tickets to the event are $10 and are availible online at www.theaterforthenewcity.net or through the box office phone at (212) 254-1109.

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Following up on Bob Usdin’s excellent piece on the greening of the entertainment industry in the “Green Issue” (“How Green Is Green?” August 2008), I want to explore the broader picture, including the facility itself and the surrounding community.

So that we are all starting at the same place, I will use the generally accepted definition of sustainability. The most popular definition of sustainability can be traced to a 1987 UN conference that defined sustainable developments as those that “meet present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs,” (United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987 p.24, §27). While this provides a general framework of the ideal, more specifics may be garnered from the following corollary: “Sustainability integrates natural systems with human patterns and celebrates continuity, uniqueness, and placemaking,” (Early, 1993).

In general, many speak of sustainability as having three overlapping components: economic, social, and environmental. Theatres, by definition, score high on the social sustainability scale as places where cultures can mix, and they exist to communicate ideas, broaden our points of view, educate, and entertain. When looked at with a wider lens, theatres also play a role in the economic sustainability of the urban environment. The impact that performance facilities have on communities by fueling jobs in the hospitality, food service, and retail industries, as well as their supply chains, is well documented. Theatre Communications Group, among others, has published studies on theatres’ economic impact on the larger community. Environmental sustainability can further economic sustainability in the operation of a theatre. If we use resources more efficiently, we save money. Environmental sustainability is usually what we are speaking of when we talk about “being green.”

Working as a theatre consultant and chairing my city’s historic districts commission, I think about how buildings—new and existing—can support the goal of being sustainable. Although our measure of greenness for new construction or renovation is the US Green Building Council’s LEED New Construction certification, it doesn’t sufficiently acknowledge the value of reuse of a building. Preservationists and sustainability cheerleaders like to remind us that “the greenest building is the one you already have.” What they are so eloquently pointing out is that, to properly consider the sustainability of a project, one must look at the impact of materials used from raw material to the dump. By thinking of things in this fashion, one can assign a carbon footprint to materials and components. If you can avoid using materials by adapting something that exists, you have avoided a significant carbon impact, waste stream, and release of pollutants.

The Sustainable Sites Initiative has pointed out that, when one disturbs soil, one releases carbon. So in terms of minimizing carbon impact, the greenest choice is to renovate an existing facility. Demolishing an existing structure and building new also can be a triple impact in that one sends an existing building and cleared vegetation to our overburdened landfills. Shockingly, 25% of our waste stream is construction waste (Carl Elefante, director of Sustainable Design, Quinn Evans | Architects).

Another lesson from the preservation crowd is that renovation has a much larger economic impact on the local and regional community than new construction because costs from new construction generally divide to 50% materials and 50% labor. In rehabilitation projects, that figure is closer to 70% labor and 30% materials, and the skill level of that labor is higher. In renovation projects, the figures are somewhere in the middle (Don Rypkema, Place Economics).

These lessons hit on all three components of sustainability because reuse of an existing building can be a huge contributor to the local economy, and a green initiative makes this kind of project attractive to local governments and donors.

Existing facilities are not without challenges. Many, especially those built in the arts building boom of the 1970s, feature inefficient, poor quality systems that make them energy hogs. The challenge with these facilities is how to make them function better without racking up an unrecoverable payback period. Many also lack daylighting in support areas, create huge storm water runoff issues, and are monumental heat islands. Nationally, 50% of our building stock was constructed in the period from 1950 to 1979, when the cost of energy was not a significant consideration. Another 30% was built after 1979 (Elefante).

Performance facilities have the economic challenge of being expensive to build. In my 19 years experience as a theatre consultant, I can tell you that, whether your budget is $800 million or $500,000, there isn’t enough money to achieve the desired goals. Reuse of a facility, and/or a sustainability goal provides access to additional financing through tax credits and an additional field of potential donors.

Historically, operating and construction costs have been separate pools of money that were never discussed in the same meeting. As a consequence, we have deleted storage areas, picked less efficient equipment, and designed less efficient systems to save construction costs, when, in reality, we have actually just shifted costs to operations. We need to break that wall between operating costs and construction costs during design. Further, even the construction costs tend to get divided with performance equipment and viewed as an independent budget from the disciplines that install it, support it, and cool it.

The design criteria of the facility needs to incorporate sustainability as a goal from the outset of the project, and the project team needs to be given the requirement that its choices be reviewed in light of operating costs. In many cases, looking at a one-to-three year operating budget in conjunction with construction costs will be enough to allow the team to make environmentally responsible choices that can have fiscal benefits that last decades. Furthermore, part of the requirement for the design needs to be that it supports operational sustainability, not just sustainable construction.

Going green is a major theme at LDI2009, with a Green Day conference and Green Technology Today Pavilion (www.ldishow.com).

Curtis Kasefang is trained as a lighting designer and embarking on his 20th year as a theatre consultant. He is a principal with Theatre Consultants Collaborative, LLC. Prior to his consulting work, he was a production manager for a four-theatre complex. He also chairs his local Historic Districts Commission.

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Prague - The National Theatre will have its second solar power station. After dark panels covered the roof of its operational building last year, technicians are now installing photovoltaic modules on top of the Nová scéna building.

“The power station could start operating already in the middle of November,” Miroslav Ružicka, deputy technical director at the theatre, told Aktuálne.cz.

The National Theatre is therefore conforming its dominant position in electricity production from solar radiation in Prague - it has the biggest solar power station in the capital city.

“The objective is to reduce energy costs in all National Theatre buildings in the long run,” said Ružicka. The solar power stations come as part of an extensive environmental project that the theatre management launched a few years ago.

Dozens of millions of crowns invested in making the theatre and auxiliary facilities “green” bear fruit already. According to the plan, the theatre was to save more than CZK 4 million just last year, but the actual saving was CZK 2 million higher.

Besides the photovoltaic power station, another contributor to the cost cuts was modern equipment hidden on the bottom floors of the historical building. The theatre uses for example waste heat, which brings savings in the order of thousands of crowns every day. The project counts on total savings of nearly CZK 50 million in ten years.

The solar power station on the roof of Nová scéna is bigger and more efficient than the “old” photovoltaic panels on the operational building. What they have in common is that both roofs needed new hydro insulation, so besides installing solar panels, workers will also seal the roof.

“We killed two birds with one stone,” said Ružicka. “The option involving photovoltaic modules is more expensive, but a mere insulation foil does not make any money.”

The theatre uses the savings achieved to repay the investment, and will even make money on it after some time. Moreover, the method chosen makes it possible to improve energy efficiency, and therefore to reduce emissions.

Last year, the more economical operation of the theatre reduced carbon dioxide emissions by more than a thousand tonnes. To give a comparison: every Czech releases about 12 tonnes of CO2 a year.

The second photovoltaic power station at the National Theatre will save a further 25 tonnes, and generate electricity that would suffice for 7-8 households that do not use electricity for heating.

The guaranteed lifespan of the power station, which cost roughly CZK 8 million including the hydro insulation, is thirty years.

“The return on investment is fifteen years,” said Ružicka. The theatre management plan to build another solar power station on the roof of its warehouse and other environmental projects, he added.

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Late last year, a distraught Michael Ballam walked into a board meeting, plopped into his chair and announced, “I have some bad news.”

The founder and general director of the Utah Festival Opera had just come from the historic Utah Theatre — a shuttered movie house that was being converted into a production venue for the northern Utah-based company. Crews, attempting to dig 15 feet down from the orchestra pit tucked beneath the newly expanded stage, had just hit groundwater at 12 feet.

A geyser was bubbling up, filling the pit at about 20 gallons per minute and seemingly dooming the $3.5 million-$4 million renovation.

In the long run, the watery problem didn’t kill the project, But the solution added $500,000 to the price tag, which along with a plummeting economy that was stifling fundraising efforts, forced the cancellation of the 2009 summer schedule of shows planned for the venue.

“In some ways it was a blessing,” said Ballam. The half-million-dollar fix helped designers create a larger, deeper space for the mechanical innards of a complex organ system. This is seen as a distinctive feature of the restored theater that eventually will feature opera, plays, recitals and movies, including silent films.

And the unwelcome water started arts officials thinking about an environmentally pleasing, cost-saving solution for heating and cooling the theater — geothermal energy instead of natural gas.

But first, workers had to solve the immediate problem of the orchestra pit flood. They installed a rubber membrane — below water level — at 15 feet down and then poured 4 feet of concrete to make a “boat” that essentially floats. This keeps the space dry, and it allowed the organ’s inner workings to be installed. The organ console will sit several feet away on an automatic lift in the orchestra pit. During productions, it can be raised and lowered as needed. In addition, a grand piano can be moved onto the lift for the same purpose.

“It’s like the Radio City Music Hall [in New York City], except there the organ comes in and out of the wall,” said Ballam.

As it turned out, the water was the least of the Utah Theatre’s problems. The nation’s economic crisis and its effect on stock portfolios has dulled contributors’ enthusiasm and cut the Utah Festival Opera market-based endowment in half. This has put the renovation on hold, and it could take a few more years before the theater once again comes alive.

“The spirt’s willing, but the bank account’s weak,” said Richard Anderson, Festival Opera’s board vice chairman.

Stalled plans for the theater are ambitious. It is much smaller, at 350 seats, than the main Utah Festival Opera venue, the 1,140-seat Ellen Eccles Theatre on Logan’s Main Street. Ballam said the theater is a perfect facility for launching smaller-scale operas — think intimate Mozart works versus mammoth productions, such as Giuseppe Verdi’s “Aida.”

If additional cash is found, “we could open it on a limited basis next season by showing films,” Ballam said. “That would take $1 million. Another million, and we can finish the lobby.” Still another million would buy the inner workings of a backstage “fly” system that raises and lowers scenery. Ultimately, the balcony could be expanded, raising the number of seats to 500.

“We’ll do it in phases,” the general director said. Meanwhile, the Utah Opera Festival, despite hard financial times, plans a full 2010 summer season of five operas and musicals around the corner in the Eccles Theatre, plus all of the associated educational activities. The festival staged 130 events during the 2009 summer season — a tradition that goes back to its inception in 1993.

During the past summer, the festival sold 21,000 tickets to five shows over four-and-a-half weeks, generating $870,000 of its $2.3 million operating budget. The balance is raised through philanthropy.

The Utah Theatre’s season-ending groundwater issue, while a minor disaster, has led the opera company to what could eventually become a long-term, cash-saving alternative. If the water pressure was powerful enough to create a bubbling geyser in the orchestra pit, then something must be driving it.

In this case, an aquifer, fed by subterranean runoff from the mountains to the east, sits another 200 feet below, exerting its pressure upward.

After Ballam walked into the board meeting to deliver his bad news, vice chairman Anderson was struck by a thought. Could the deep aquifer be tapped and, using geothermal technology, could the resulting green energy be used to heat and cool the Utah Theatre?

The aquifer’s water probably is a consistent 50 to 55 degrees, summer or winter.

Anderson uses that technology to heat and cool his home 10 miles south of Logan. His small system takes water from a free-flowing spring, runs its through a heat exchanger and, can manage his indoor climate at a comfortable level whether the temperature outside is 20 below zero or 100 degrees above.

To do the same for the Utah Theatre would require the drilling of two wells adjacent to the building in downtown Logan — one for extracting naturally heated water from the aquifer, another to return it into the subterranean cavity. A commercial heat exchanger would transfer heat from the aquifer water to a liquid within the exchanger, and that would be used to provide heat or cool the theater.

“Of course, you need electricity to run a compressor and the pumps to move the water around,” said Anderson, “but you don’t need electricity or natural gas to heat or cool the theater. There would be no flame [from a pilot light] in the building; no carbon-monoxide detector is necessary.”

The cost would be $10,000 for each of the two wells, $50,000-$75,000 for the compressor and heat-exchange system — no more than for a conventional system, said festival Managing Director Gary Griffin.

Ballam, a world-class opera singer who performs in many Utah Festival productions, loves the geothermal idea beyond its long-term cost- and energy-saving benefits.

“It’s not noisy,” he said. “As an opera singer on stage, you notice when the [traditional furnace] system turns on. It can be distracting.”

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The Arcola Theatre in Hackney aims to relocate to a 2,000sq m site next to Dalston Junction station and create a 350-seat theatre built of sustainable materials including straw bales and doors salvaged from skips.

Engineer Arup has given 18 months worth of pro bono work for the proposal while the London Development Agency has awarded a £60,000 for a feasibility study subject to Hackney Council approving the site.

The overall concept, which can be scaled up or down according to how much money is raised, includes an expanded main theatre with two smaller studios, an eco café, gym, learning centre and park.

A key element is an enterprise centre with offices and laboratories for entrepreneurs and technology and product design firms.

Arcola chief executive Ben Todd said the feasibility study could be completed by December, with work on the new theatre starting in 2010 and completing in 2012.

Todd, who trained as an engineer, said: “The theatre will literally be built from straw bales, rendered to pass fire regs and be weather-proof.

“Doors from old schools and hospitals that don’t match are a nice example of the reuse, recycle attitude and are important to the texture. If we end up using steel and if most of the project comes after 2012, it would be a nice idea to recycle some of the Olympic stadia.”

Hackney Council is due to discuss the plans next week.

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On 14 September 2009 at Plasa 09 The Theatres Trust will announce a new three year programme to provide specialist theatre environmental advice and undertake free DEC assessments with 48 small scale theatres in London.

One year on from the launch of the Mayor of London’s ‘Green Theatre: Taking Action on Climate Change‘ initiative at Plasa 08, The Theatres Trust will announce it is to receive GBP450,000 over the next three years from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) in London to deliver the ECOVENUE advisory programme.

Mhora Samuel, Director of The Theatres Trust said “When the Mayor of London’s Green Theatre Plan was launched last year to help theatres in London achieve reductions in carbon emissions by 60% by 2025, commercial and subsidised theatres in London were quick to sign up. We recognised that smaller theatres with less resources would find it harder to participate, and so made an application for funding to the LDA at the beginning of 2009 to help address the gap. I’m delighted that we can announce the ERDF award at Plasa 09 and help more London theatres to address environmental issues associated with climate change and reduce their energy use.”

The ECOVENUE project provides each participating theatre with a free theatre-specific Environmental Audit, and free Display Energy Certificates in 2010 and 2011. A DEC is a publicly displayed certificate that informs the public about the energy use of a building. This free environmental improvement advice will be delivered by a new Theatre Building Services Adviser to be employed by the Trust.

The Trust will be inviting 48 theatres to apply to participate in the project, which will run until spring 2012. Application details will be advertised over the following months.

Pictures accompanying this release are available through the PA Photowire. They can be downloaded from http://www.pa-mediapoint.press.net or viewed at http://www.mediapoint.press.net or http://www.prnewswire.co.uk.

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