Who Is the Greenest of Them All???

The Mayor’s office is preparing to release a climate change guidance pack aimed specifically at the theatre industry. Focusing on how theatres can reduce their carbon footprints, the pack will outline practical measures that theatre’s can implement to reduce their energy use and waste production. It may also ask theatres to be aware of exactly where the materials they use for set designs are coming from, with a focus on monitoring the use of wood and other resources from non-renewable sources. The mayor is expected to meet with leading figures from across the theatre industry for a breakfast discussion next Monday morning.

Getting a headstart on the proposals, the Ambassador Theatre Group Ltd announced its environmental strategy and improvement programme yesterday. ATG began the programme when actor-impressionist Alistair McGowan met with executives from the company last year to encourage them to go green. McGowan is an ambassador of the World Wildlife Fund and was appearing in The Little Shop of Horrors at the ATG-owned Duke of York’s Theatre at the time. ATG is now launching a companywide initiative to make all employees aware of environmental issues and is implementing a number of policies to make sure it’s at the forefront of the green revolution.

Meanwhile, the fringe Arcola Theatre in east London is also rushing to go green and has put forward its plans to become the world’s first carbon neutral theatre. It will be creating a workshop space where scientists and artists can come together to develop initiatives to tackle climate change. The National Theatre has also joined the race and has partnered with Royal Philips Electronics to put forward its “green switch” initiative to replace the NT’s current internal and external lighting scheme with energy efficient alternatives.