2009 Tony Awards to 'Go Green'

One of the nation’s preeminent cultural events, the Tony Awards, in collaboration with the Broadway Green Alliance (BGA) and with guidance from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), is taking steps to reduce the environmental impact of its 63rd annual awards show telecast and related events.

“Building on progress the Broadway Green Alliance has made over the past year, we are pleased to take the first important steps to make the Tony Awards greener,” said Charlie Deull, BGA co-chair. “With the support of The Broadway League, The American Theatre Wing, Radio City Music Hall, Alan Wasser Associates, White Cherry Entertainment and corporate sponsors, we were able to make great progress toward a greener event.  We're proud to offer a new benchmark in this effort.”

Continuing work launched by the Broadway Green Alliance in 2008, the 2009 Tony Awards marks the first public display of the BGA’s industry-wide initiative to educate, motivate and inspire the theater community and its patrons to adopt environmentally friendlier practices in theater production and reduce its environmental footprint. The Tony Award’s first-ever greening effort incorporates the use of renewable certificates to offset the electricity of Radio City Music Hall, enhanced recycling efforts, and wider use of environmentally-friendlier materials. Results include:

·       GDF SUEZ Energy Resources donated Green-e certified wind power Renewable Energy Certificates to support the generation of renewable energy during the week preceding the Tony Awards and for the telecast itself.

·       Lipton Tea made it possible for the 2009 Tony Awards edition of Playbill to be printed on paper with 30% post-consumer recycled content.

·       Lipton Tea will make a donation to the Broadway Green Alliance on behalf of celebrity guests who share a “green” tip at the Lipton Sustainabili-TEA Bar backstage in the Official Lipton Gift Lounge.

·       Applica Consumer Products, Inc. donated 500 Clear₂Go reusable water bottles with replaceable filters for event guests.

·       Goodmart donated 2,200 energy-efficient cold cathode light bulbs for the event gift bags. As part of the BGA’s greening effort, this bulb type is now typical of those being used to light Broadway theatre roof signs and marquees.

·       Hybrid vehicles are being provided for presenter and performer transportation.

·       Recycling bins are being provided at Radio City concession stands for plastic bottles and in production offices for plastics and paper waste.

·       Radio City Music Hall has taken a number of steps towards reducing environmental impacts at their venue, including: a comprehensive energy analysis of the facility performed by Energy Analytics, resulting in an enhanced energy efficiency plan; recent installation of efficient lighting; and restrooms have been retrofitted with low-flow toilets and faucets and feature post-consumer recycled content tissue products.

·       The Red Carpet is made from 100% recycled material with 49% post consumer content.

·       The production/management company for the Tony Awards is using paper with 60% post-consumer recycled content.

·       The public relations office has posted all press materials online and, when needed, will print out all press materials on 100% recycled content paper.

·       Banners for the show were printed on non-PVC plastics and will be reused or recycled after event.

In tandem with the show’s greening efforts, the Broadway Green Alliance decorated one of nine donated Audemars Piguet clocks with reused materials – everything from fabric swatches & rhinestones to Playbill covers and props.  The BGA’s clock is on display in Audemars Piguet’s 57^th Street flagship store, along with clocks decorated by nominated shows, and will represent the ongoing effort of the entire Broadway community to make itself greener by repurposing materials from all running Broadway shows, and featuring the many Broadway shows that are already active in the BGA’s efforts.

On the night of the Tony Awards, the BGA will have an information kiosk in the lobby of Radio City Music Hall to increase awareness of this initiative and help enlist people to join in their efforts. The BGA has also created in-depth web and mobile wap-sites for information regarding their work on the Tony Awards and their efforts in general in order to provide paperless greening resources for people to access from their phones and computers anywhere in the world. These can be accessed by going to www.greenbroadway.com or by texting BGA to 99222 and have been graciously donated by Mark Shacket of Alan Wasser Associates and David Sonkin of Mobile Cavier.

“Broadway has landed a starring role in demonstrating to New Yorkers how sustainable practices are easy to implement, and are good for the environment and the bottom line," said Mayor Bloomberg. "Many of the steps the 'Broadway Green Alliance' has taken are only visible in the back of the house, but now they will be in the spotlight of the Tony Awards.”

“We all know Broadway can put on a show, but the Tony Awards are proving this year that Broadway can green a show,” said Allen Hershkowitz, NRDC senior scientist. “The amount that BGA accomplished during this inaugural effort exceeded our expectations and is a meaningful step toward reducing the environmental impact of this year's production.”

“GDF SUEZ Energy Resources is pleased to provide Green-e certified Renewable Energy Certificates for this great awards show, and to support the Broadway Green Alliance,” David Coffman, V.P. Marketing, GDF SUEZ Energy Resources North America, said. “We all have but one environment with which to live and we believe that it is very important all of us do our part in creating a more sustainable planet.”

The Broadway Green Alliance (formerly known as Broadway Goes Green) is an ad hoc committee of The Broadway League.  Launched in 2008 with the support of Mayor Bloomberg’s office and guidance by NRDC, a national environmental organization, the BGA brings together all segments of the theatre industry – including producers, theatres in New York and around the country, theatrical unions, and related businesses, to improve its environmental impact.

BGA participants have already adopted better practices to enhance Broadway’s role as a leader in environmental sustainability. Accomplishments include changing the vast majority of marquee lights to energy saving bulbs, incorporating greener practices backstage in running productions, offsetting through Native Energy thousands of tons of carbon emissions from touring shows, recycling or reusing materials from closing productions and educating the community about better environmental practices.