Green My Regards to Broadway

Refreshed from my Thanksgiving break, I am happy to once again keep you informed right here at Tonic News!

While I was traveling in the southwest last week, a costumed actor from the hit Broadway musical Wicked appeared on stage in New York to introduce Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. This was no casual dance number at the Eugene O'Neill Theater — the mayor was on hand to announce the official commencement of "Broadway Goes Green," a partnership between the city and Broadway to green the Great White Way. “By this time next year the lights on Broadway will burn just a little bit brighter, but our energy bills will be a little bit lower, and our carbon footprint will be as well,” Mr. Bloomberg said.

Theater owners hope to reduce their carbon footprint by installing compact fluorescents or LEDs, printing Playbills in fewer numbers and with more sustainable ingredients and purchasing carbon-offset credits for 18-wheelers hauling the touring versions of the hit shows around the United States. “The success of this initiative is going to be based on how the producers buy into the importance of it,” said Robert Usdin, president of Showman Fabricators, a company that builds sets for theater and television. “If they make it a priority for their productions, it will make it easier for the staff and vendors to respond with creative solutions.”

GreenDimes was involved in a similar effort for Earth Day this past April when a number of Broadway shows, including Xanadu: On Broadway, gave away the GreenDimes service. This new effort, however, goes many steps further to actually green the theater. "Broadway Goes Green" is bound to have a monumental inpact on minimizing Broadway's footprint. Read more here.

Photo source: New York Times.