HOW TO BE A
GREEN AUDIENCE

 

Capital Fringe is dedicated to the environment. Below are some top tips on how you can promote sustainability and preserve the environment, at home or at the theatre!

TRANSPORTATION

  • All Fringe venues are located near metro bus and rail stops. Visit www.wmata.com to plan your trip now! Not near a metro stop? Drive to the nearest station and go from there!
  • Take the Yellow or Green rail lines to Mt. Vernon Square/7th Street Convention Center.
  • Take the 70, 71 or 79 buses to 7th and New York, NW.
  • Carpool. The Fringe is one big happy family.
  • Don’t leave your car idling when picking people up.
  • Imagine running your car on french fry oil. Your car may be able to run on biodiesel. Check out the DC biodiesel resource guide at www.ccurisa.org.
  • Bicycle! Just wear a helmet. Washington Area Bicyclist Association: www.waba.org.

FOOD AND LITTER

  • Don’t litter! Please use the recycling and trash bins provided at Fort Fringe.
  • Don’t leave cigarette butts on the ground. One cigarette butt contaminates a square meter of land and takes between 18 months and 500 years to decompose.
  • Don’t throw away Fringe programs, postcards or flyers. Give them to friends, find a second use for them, or recycle them.
  • Whenever possible buy food and drink that has the four “L”s:
    • Local: support your local farmers. Avoid produce that has been shipped halfway across the world.
    • Natural: organic food just tastes better.
    • Seasonal: say NO to strawberries in December or apples in July.
    • Ethical: buy Fair Trade bananas, chocolate and coffee, and free-range eggs and chicken.
  • You can find these foods at Eastern Market, Whole Foods and Yes! Organic Market.
  • Minimize waste by avoiding individually-wrapped foods.
  • Buy food and drink that comes in recycled or recyclable packaging.

SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY

  • Take a young person to the theatre! You may just change his or her life.
  • The Fringe is all about interaction. See if you can meet the artist to discuss his or her work and create a more meaningful connection to the art.
  • We encourage intercourse! Discuss art with your fellow audience members.

ENERGY

  • Switching to renewable energy is as simple as calling the electric company. Contact Clean Currents at www.cleancurrents.com to switch to their Chesapeake Green wind power program. It’s actually cheaper than standard electricity!
  • Consider going solar! Contact Clean Currents for an estimate on solar power installation.
  • Passive Solar Power is simply using sunshine as a source of light and heat. Turn off your lights and open the windows to light a room. Make sun tea by sitting a jar full of water and teabags in the sun.
  • Don’t leave your computer or cell phone plugged in if they are full.
  • Insulate your home so that less heat is needed in the winter.
  • When cooking on the stove, keep a lid on pots and pans to contain heat and save energy.

THE FREE STORE

Feeling the credit crunch? This year at the Fringe Festival, we're happy to present The Free Store. It's a store where—you guessed it—everything is free! This community project is funded 100% by the people, for the people—that means that you bring clothes books and music you no longer use down to The Free Store, and you can take any clothes, books and music that you can use. It's part of our commitment to promoting recycling and reuse. We can only accept clothing, books and music. All clothing must be washed and in fair condition. No Kenny G or Danielle Steele.

The Free Store at the Trading Post: 1013 7th Street, NW 20001

Open Wednesday – Sunday when Festival shows are running-check venue Schedule.

Got something to give? Contact: Sam Goldblatt, Environmental Officer at goldblattsam@gmail.com

FURTHER RESOURCES