London's Theaters Go Green

London theater just got even better. Like Elphaba in Wicked, it turned green. The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, who plans to reduce London's carbon emissions by 60 percent by 2025, helped develop a plan called "Green Theatre: Taking Action on Climate Change," and has been rolling it out since September 9th. Apparently, London's theaters, with their fog machines and lighting bonanzas, heat, heavy machinery and Andrew Lloyd Webber, have been creating the toxic emission equivalent of 9,000 homes. The Green Theater plan aims to reduce that to 4,000 homes. Think what a difference 5,000 carbon-free homes could make! A lot of the ways they are cutting emissions are good tips for the rest of us, too.

Here are some ideas you can try in your own home: 1. Delegation. Johnson has green duties being written into job descriptions. Note a few things in your home that need attention, like making sure lights and air conditioners are turned off when no one's home, monitoring water usage and the thermostat, and unplugging appliances that aren't in use (does it really need to flash 12:00 all night?) , and assign those duties to various roommates or family members. If everyone has just one or two things to take care of, they're more likely to get done. 2. Coordinate with neighbors. The plan encourages theaters to open up their contracts with recycling and waste management companies to their colleagues. If you make a monthly trip to the recycling center, why not take your neighbor's stuff, too? Maybe they'll want to alternate, which will save you time and money. 3. A bunch of even simpler tips:

• Don't heat one room while air conditioning another.
• Check that your thermostat isn't affected by sunlight or drafts, which can cause it to function incorrectly.
• Check your vents' air flows, and clean them out regularly.
• Recycle batteries.

You can get a copy of the report and a summary here on London's mayoral website. Bravissimo, Mayor Johnson and London's theatres! Hopefully, Broadway will follow suit. A number of Broadway tours have already joined up with NativeEnergy's "Touring Green" initiative to reduce emissions caused by theater transportation. We're getting there. Full list of organizations involved in "Green Theatre: Taking Action on Climate Change:" Autograph Sound Recording, AEAT, Alistair McGowan, WWF, Ambassador Theatre Group, Association of Lighting Designers, Arcola Theatre, Arts Council, Arup, ATG, BECTU, Carbon Trust, Central School of Speech & Drama, Delfont Macintosh, Dewynters, ETC, Equity, ITC, Live Nation, London Remade, Martin Professional, National Theatre, Orbital Sound, Philips, PixelRange, PLASA, PMA, Really Useful Group, Roundhouse, Royal Court, SOLT, The Theatres Trust, Tipping Point, TMA, Vari-Lite, White Light, WRAP, and Young Vic.