Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 2013 - 29

within an ecosystem, that they "either contribute value or receive it," and that, "the ones that endure are the ones that
do both, even as the world changes" (Sanford 2011, xxxvii).
Sanford provides several case studies of businesses that have
approached their operations by balancing the needs of five
interrelated stakeholder groups. While she initially defines
these groups discretely, in practice often there are overlapping members within each:
* Customers: those who purchase and use the product
* Co-creators: those involved in production from sourcing
to selling and everything in between
* Earth: the provider of component materials and
recipient of any waste
* Community: those who live near any production stage
* Investors: those with a financial interest in production
(Sanford 2011, 29-36)
Like Edwards and McDonough and Braungart, Sanford
believes that sustainable solutions must focus on long-term
planning and that businesses must think of their work in cycles,
not simply in linear distribution chains. In essence, she asserts
that environmentally ethical businesses not only enjoy a clear
conscience but also that they will realize profits in the near and
distant future.
Treading the line between ecological and economic responsibility are Paul Hawken, Amory Lovins, and L. Hunter Lovins.
In Natural Capitalism, they put forward two key ideas that integrate manufacturing and ecology. The first is extended production responsibility (EPR). In this model, the manufacturer
and consumer agree to a period of product service instead of a
one-time product sale. Instead of focusing on the latter, in which
the product depreciates until the end of its life
cycle when it is disposed by the consumer, EPR
encourages the manufacturer to design products
that provide services with less raw materials consumption. The
second idea is whole system engineering (WSE), which examines
the entire design in order to make it more efficient and effective.
In many ways, WSE is the more difficult approach to implement
because it means reviewing, and perhaps rescinding, established
practices and devising new ones.
Amory, Lovins, and Lovins also discuss how a combined
intellectual and emotional framework is used by "business,
citizens, and governments to negotiate and choose about
economics and the environment" (Hawken 1999, 310).
They share Donella Meadows's four worldviews, or personal
mindsets, that use somewhat stereotypical colors: blues are
mainstream free-marketers, technological and economic optimists; reds are socialists fueled by the growing gap between
rich and poor; greens are environmentalists that want more
"mindful" economic structures; and whites do not entirely
agree or oppose any of the other three. Using this structure
and Meadows's conclusion that no viewpoint is entirely in the
right, the authors of Natural Capitalism assert that it is best

to understand and respect all four worldviews and that "solutions lie in understanding the interconnectedness of problems,
not in confronting them in isolation" (Hawken 1999, 313).
We are primarily interested in the way so many things
in the entertainment industry are interconnected despite
their differing needs and perspectives. Any change to one
aspect of the live entertainment industry will affect myriad
others. Based on the works discussed above, we determined
four shared principles that apply to emerging ecologicallyminded initiatives.
* Community-minded: Work with and for the communities
of theatre makers and theatre goers-including the
audiences, the artists and artisans, the manufacturers
and retailers of products used, the architects, the
neighbors of the theatres and shops, and the boards
of directors and investors-to make a better social,
economic, and ecological experience.
* Local: Create solutions appropriate for the given
circumstances of the particular theatre company. Even
in the same geographical location, different artistic,
personnel, and business models already require different
solutions for other aspects of their operations; ecological
sustainability solutions are no different.
* Intergenerational: Focus on long term planning-
social, artistic, ecological, and fiscal. The artistic,
social, and material byproducts of our work will extend
beyond the run of the show, whether it is one weekend
or ten years.
* Positive: Do not focus on self-sacrifice or doing less
bad; focus on creating a better life. Be more effective
than efficient.

The Theatres Trust
www.theatrestrust.org.uk
The Theatres Trust is the National Advisory Body for
Theatres, protecting theatres for everyone, operating
nationally in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern
Ireland. It advises in the areas of planning, regeneration
and development, architecture and design, heritage,
and theatre. It sponsored Ecovenue, a three-year
environmental sustainability project with forty-eight
theatres across London. The project provided advice
that led to improvements in environmental performance
in each participating arts venue.

s u m m e r 2013

theatre design

& technology

http://www.theatrestrust.org.uk

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