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Initiatives

The School of Theatre and Film is GOING GREEN!

The School of Theatre and Film is working toward reducing its negative environmental impact in many ways both large and small. Our goal for the 2008-09 academic year is to raise the funds necessary to replace our current inventory of theatrical lighting equipment with far more energy efficient fixtures. By doing so, we can reduce our energy consumption for stage lighting by as much as 40%.

Help us reach our goal of $140,000 to increase the efficiency of our lighting systems.

Contact Dayle Matchett, director of development, ASU Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, 480.965.9858 for more information on giving.

The production staff in every area has embraced the concept of increasing the sustainability of our production practices and is already taking steps forward:

  • Steel Recycling
    • The scene shop sells its unusable scrap steel to scrap yards to be smelted down and reused. Not only does this help the environment by reusing the material instead of sending it to a landfill, it also helps recoup some of the cost of these materials.
  • Reusing old paint
    • The scene shop maximizes resources by mixing old show paints to create the colors needed as opposed to buying everything new for each show. Because latex paint and scenic paint rots, we add vinegar to the paint to kill the bacteria that causes the paint to rot. This practice enables us to discard far less latex paint waste.
  • Minimizing our use of volatile organic compounds
    • The shops do not use oil-based paint. Oil-based paint is considered hazardous waste under State and Federal regulations because of the hazardous organic compounds found in such paints. With the introduction of high quality metallic finish latex paints the need for oil based pigments has really decreased. The shop won’t use the popular texturing material Bondo because it includes the extremely toxic chemical methyl ethyl ketone peroxide.
  • Reuse and recycle
    • The shops have begun to use the http://www.reuseaz.org/ free materials exchange service to send used materials to other organizations that can make use of them and to find materials that have already been “gently used.”
  • Use of scrap large format paper
    • The costume shop uses paper left over from print runs on the plotter for patterning. For the past two years, 100% of patterns have been drawn on reused paper.
  • Recycling costumes
    • Newly built costumes are stored for later reuse; costumes are de-constructed for reuse of buttons, trims, etc.
  • Recycling of fabric
    • Fabric scraps that are too small for our use in productions are donated to the Salvation Army or other local charity groups to make quilts and crafts.
  • Thermoplastics for craft items
    • The costume shop avoids the use of acetone in costume crafts because we use thermoplastic materials that are molded with heat. Thermoplastic material does not release harmful chemicals into the environment because there is no chemical reaction in the molding process and no left over waste material to be disposed of.
  • Compact fluorescent worklights
    • Incandescent lamps in the catwalks and work areas have been changed to energy efficient CFL (compact fluorescent)

AND, our entire film production operation is digital.

Production goals for the future:

  • Investigate the use of electronic bookreaders or tablets in the play development process. The Festival of New Work consumes thousands of sheets of paper each year as plays go through the process of readings, workshop, and production. New technology in light-weight tablets could reduce our paper consumption significantly
  • Switch from traditional latex paint to more ecologically friendly (and more expensive) paint products in the scene and prop shops
  • Replace traditional hair coloring and styling products that contain heavy metals with plant-based products.

You can help us reach our 2008-09 goal of ridding our theatre space of inefficient 1000watt stage lighting fixtures by supporting this GO GREEN initiative.

We’re even going green around the office:

  • Buying only recycled paper
  • Reusing the back side of manuscripts and other printed material
  • Encouraging faculty to have “paperless classrooms” by posting all course materials on line rather than distributing handouts
  • Archiving materials digitally, rather than via paper files whenever possible

COME BACK TO THIS PAGE OFTEN TO WATCH THE PROGRESS TOWARD OUR GOAL!

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