The Department of Theatre Arts at SUNY New Paltz is now an official member of the Broadway Green Alliance (BGA) and its College Green Captain program.
The Broadway Green Alliance is an industry-wide initiative that educates, motivates and inspires the theatre community and its patrons to implement environmentally friendlier practices on Broadway and beyond.
Additionally, they have an active College Green Captain program at over 70 colleges and universities, providing free educational and engagement opportunities to student artists and climate activists.
As a community of industry and environmental professionals connected by the shared goal of normalizing greening practices on Broadway and beyond, the BGA has successfully implemented significant sustainability reform at the forefront of the industry since its inception in 2008.
The organization operates on the following principles:
To be greener, because it is impossible to be 100% “green,” by doing something to benefit our environment today, no matter the size of the action.
To build an equitable and just climate movement and address the disproportionate effect of environmental degradation on poor and BIPOC communities. There is no climate justice without racial justice.
The climate crisis is the result of millions of decisions and it demands action – big and small – from each of us. Change results from the cumulative effect of our actions.
Climate neutrality is insufficient. In order to lessen the damage caused by climate change and restore our climate to historically safe levels of atmospheric CO2, the BGA works to promote climate positive action and commitments.
“The Broadway Green Alliance is providing important support and resources for university arts programs to engage in sustainability in practical ways and through education,” said Associate Professor of Theatre Arts Andrea Varga, a Sustainability Faculty Fellow who co-faciliated the affiliation. “Our partnership as an affiliate is an exciting opportunity for our department to more fully implement sustainability across our production season.”
Much like the University, the Department of Theatre Arts is doing their part to normalize green practices in their productions, and being a member of the Broadway Green Alliance initiaitve only adds to their commitment.
Examples of their recent sustainability efforts include upgrades to theatre laundry machines, two children’s item free community giveaways, and reusing scraps from previously worn garments to make new costumes for productions.
For more information on the University’s efforts to promote clean, affordable energy, visit the Office of Campus Sustainability website.
