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.

More Articles by This Author...