The Broadway Green Alliance Names Emory Otto 2023 College Green Captain Award Winner

The Broadway Green Alliance has named Emory Otto as the winner of its annual College Green Captain Award. A student at the University of Oklahoma, Otto launched sustainable projects across various theatrical productions, created a sustainable toolkit and bulletin board for the university, and established a Green Representative role in the theatre department.

The College Green Captain Program supports students and faculty at the collegiate level who are passionate about implementing eco-friendly practices within their theatre departments. College Green Captains are provided with resources and coaching from the BGA to assist them in producing and designing theatre in a way that reduces their environmental footprint. 

There are currently 97 colleges and universities participating in the College Green Captain Program. The Green Captain program extends beyond academic theatre and supports over 1,234 current and former Green Captains on Broadway, Touring Broadway, Off-Broadway, and in regional theatres across the country.

The BGA launched the College Green Captain Award to recognize and honor students for their sustainable efforts. Past recipients have led innovative, widely-applied, and long-term greening practices at their campuses including energy-efficient lighting, rechargeable batteries, recycling, composting, digital scripts/scores, and more. This year’s College Green Captain Award winner will receive two tickets to a Broadway production, in New York or on the road, and a virtual meet and greet with a Broadway Green Captain.

The 2023 runners-up are Samantha Burton at the University of Scranton as well as Juliette Maners and Bailey Poe at Rider University. 

“Winning the BGA Green Captain Award is the acknowledgement that small actions can really make a difference,” said Emory Otto. “It can spark discussions, produce new ideas, and inspire others to find their voice in a global conversation. It is not always easy to think outside of the box, but it sure is worth the venture. Try things, make mistakes, and find the things that work for you and your program, but most importantly do not be afraid to care. Winning this award is encouragement for my own School of Drama program to keep the conversation of sustainability going and committing (and recommitting and recommitting) to new sustainable goals and being open to learning in the process.”

“We are delighted to recognize Emory Otto for her exemplary work as a College Green Captain,” said BGA Director Molly Braverman. “Emory’s innovative and creative leadership are an inspiration to all of us working at the intersection of theatre and sustainability. We are thrilled that this award shines a spotlight on the entire College Green Captain program and the everyday activism occurring behind the scenes in college theatre departments across the country.” 

More information about the College Green Captain program, the annual award, and all BGA programs can be found at BroadwayGreen.com. 

The Broadway Green Alliance 

educates, motivates, and inspires the entire theatre community and its patrons to implement environmentally friendlier practices. The BGA was launched in 2008 as an ad hoc committee of The Broadway League and is a fiscal program of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. The BGA brings together all segments of the theatre community, including producers, Broadway and Off-Broadway theatres in New York and around the country, college drama programs, theatrical unions and their members, and related businesses. Working closely with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the BGA identifies and disseminates better practices for theatre professionals and reaches out to theatre fans throughout the country, and through alliances, internationally. 

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