Broadway Green Alliance Reveals 2024 College Green Captain Award Winners

The Broadway Green Alliance has revealed Lauren Lewis and Minh Nguyen as the winners of its annual College Green Captain Award. Students at Ohio’s Miami University, Lewis and Nguyen collaborated across multiple departments to ensure the implementation of environmentally-conscious design, construction, and strike of their school’s production of Puffs.

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.

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 includes two tickets to a Broadway production, in New York or on the road, and a virtual meet and greet with a Broadway Green Captain.

“Receiving this award has inspired me to continue this important, planet-saving work,” said Lauren Lewis. “I am also grateful for the opportunity to chat with a Broadway Green Captain and learn more from someone who is actively making sustainable change in the professional theatre world.”

“This recognition from the BGA is a powerful reminder that every small action counts, and I'm deeply thankful for it,” added Minh Nguyen. “I hope it will inspire my peers at Miami University to join us as College Green Captains and take new initiatives to embrace eco-friendly practices. As I learn and grow, I'm thrilled to see a community coming together to work towards a more sustainable future for theater.”

“The work demonstrated by Lauren Lewis and Minh Nguyen is a shining example of how students can lead change within their institutions,” said BGA Program Manager Austin Sora. “Their collaborative and interdepartmental approach inspires all of us to consider the bigger picture when addressing sustainability in theatre. This award also celebrates our entire College Green Captain community, made up of 200+ visionary leaders in the theatre climate movement.”

There are currently 104 colleges and universities participating in the College Green Captain Program. The Green Captain program extends beyond academic theatre and supports over 1,600 current and former Green Captains on Broadway, touring Broadway, Off-Broadway, and in regional theatres across the country. More information about the College Green Captain program, the annual award, and all BGA programs can be found at BroadwayGreen.com.