Thursday, August 6, 2009

Green Feedback!

Seema Sueko from Mo'Olelo invites your feedback on the latest version of the Green Theater Toolkit! (Available at http://www.tcg.org/pdfs/grants/Toolkits.pdf - be patient, it may take a moment to download.)

Hello Think it, Do it, Blog it readers:

We've posted the updated Green Theater Toolkit scorecards for Wood Products; Plastics and Foams; Metals; and Glass, Ceramics, Earthen Materials here. Please take a look and post your comments and feedback – feel free to be as direct as you wish with feedback. These scorecards aren't final, so your ideas will be extremely valuable to their development. If you don't feel comfortable posting your feedback on this public blog, you can email me directly at seema@moolelo.net (please write "Green Theater Toolkit" in the subject line).

Some questions for you to consider:
1) Do you understand the charts below?
2) Is any of this useful for your theater-making process?
3) Are there any materials you wish were on the list; or anything you wish were not on the list?
4) Are there any surprises for you on this list?

Thanks for taking the time to contribute to this project!

Aloha,

Seema Sueko
Artistic Director
Mo`olelo Performing Arts Company
Posted by at Thursday, August 06, 2009
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3 comments:

  1. Thanks for posting the draft scorecards. We are very pleased with the progress we've made so far on these and anxious to get feedback from the field.

    As I look at them and share them with others, I can see that perhaps it would be better if we included the description information on the bottom of each scorecard so folks don't have to keep going back to the first page. Perhaps we should also color-code the information on the decription page so that readers know what to expect when they see the colors on the charts.

    From a board member's perspective, I can see how these charts could be useful in making a case to potential donors for funding to "green up" a production. Thanks to MetLife/TCG for support on this project.

    Clifford Sweet
    President, Board of Trustees
    Mo`olelo Performing Arts Company
    ReplyDelete
  2. Seema,

    I think your Green Theater Toolkit scorecard is a great chart to refer while selecting sustainable materials for set design. It is good for the environment and Indoor Air Quality to use sustainable materials.
    I agree with Cliff's comment regarding having an index at the bottom of every page, so it is clear what does the ++ or -- mean in the chart.
    I really admire you for thinking out of the box and putting so much energy in Mo'olelo green initiatives.

    Preeti Gupta
    Architect, Leed AP
    ReplyDelete
  3. Seema,

    Thanks for sharing these drafts. The work is impressive and will definitely be useful.

    Besides the comments regarding a key on each page, I'd love to see more specific brand names listed in each category. I know that will be a huge amount of work, but it would be great to have a reference that tells exactly what to ask for when calling your local vendor. For instance, if I need an MDF product it would be great to know that Medite II meets both the FSC standard and no added urea formaldehyde standard without having to go to their website. (You'd hope the vendor would know, but many don't understand what they're selling). You have this with some items but more would be great.

    Also, you may want to have some general commentary in each section to give guidance to novice material specifiers. For instance, I agree that steel or aluminum that are not made from recycled content should be in the lower categories; however, a comment that says that the vast majority of steel and aluminum is made from recycled content might help a TD in knowing that this is a good general direction to go in. I would also make the comment that a) they are perhaps the easiest materials to recycle no matter where you are, b) can frequently be easily reused, and c) to check with your local supplier as recycled content varies by mill and product. (FYI, structural steel shapes tend to be higher recycled content than tube shapes becuase of the different processes). Your comments in the Wood Section could cover the differences between FSC, SFI, and CSA which can be significant.

    This is a great resource that may ultimately become the go-to for materials selection.

    Bob Usdin, LEED AP
    President
    Showman Fabricators
    ReplyDelete

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