Over the next month, as a part of our countdown to Staging Sustainability, we will be profiling speakers, previewing performances and presenting articles on culture and sustainability that will jump-start the sustainability conversation leading up to February’s conference.
It only seems fitting that the first article is titled “Path to Sustainability”. Written by Tanja Beer, Julie’s Bicycle’s first Activist in Residence and a Staging Sustainability speaker, this article talks about how Tanja took her passion for sustainable living at home to her work life as a set designer. Recognizing she was abandoning her sustainable practices while designing sets, she comments on the state of theatre from an environmental perspective: “We were trained with the end result in mind. How we got to opening night or what happened to our sets and costumes after the production ended was simply not a priority.”
Read on to learn the tipping point in Tanja’s set designing and how she is now able to be a global citizen at home and on stage. [ LINK ]
Julie’s Bicycle is ‘a not for profit organization making sustainability intrinsic to the business, art and ethics of the creative industries’ and is truly an innovator for sustainability and the arts in the UK. Their work is used around the world as a leading example of how arts organizations can measure, manage and reduce their environmental impacts.
Tanja joins Staging Sustainability as a member of a panel speaking to sustainability and technical production, answering the question: What part do designers play in bringing sustainable practice into performance?
As you plan for a prosperous new year for your organizations, see Tanja and many other international sustainability thought leaders at Staging Sustainability 2014, a must-attend conference for all interested in the sustainability of the performing arts – with three downtown Toronto locations, February 3 – 4, 2014, with pre- and post-conference activities on February 2 and 5. Special Bursaries available for artists and small art organizations. Register at www.stagingsustainability.ca
