By Randy Vogel, CVE PERFORMING ARTS:
Take The Plastic Or Planet Challenge I recently had the opportunity to
attend Explorer Week at National Geographic Society headquar- ters in Washington, D.C. It was one of the most inspirational and eye-opening experiences I’ve had in many years. What I learned is that every year, nine million tons of plastic waste ends up in the ocean with estimates suggesting that plastic could remain in ma- rine environments for 450 years or longer. National Geographic is committed to exploring and pro- tecting our world and has taken on an initiative of Plastic or Planet. At this conference, I took the pledge to personally change my habits, and on single-use plastics from my life. However, I am going one step fur- ther and have adopted the principles of this pledge for my organiza- tion and believe that we as an industry have a social and environmental responsibility to do likewise. At Mesa Arts Center, we have been fortunate to partner with Na- tional Geographic for the past 12-years to present the touring speaker series National Geographic Live. This series brings Nat Geo Explorers to the Ikeda Theater stage to share the stories behind their work – un- derwater, from space, exploring remote regions of our planet, working to solve problems, and better understand where we come from and our patrons. It’s time we walk the walk. My introduction to National Geographic was through The Under-
sea World of Jacque Cousteau. His research and underwater explora- tions were awe-inspiring. Explorers like Cousteau brought the world home, bringing to us, through the iconic magazine and TV programs, the top of rainforests, and distant cultures. Cousteau’s message was simple; he foretold the impact that mankind was having on this planet, warning us that if we do not take care of our environment, its beauty, precious natural resources, and oceans would be forever lost. Fast for- ward 40-plus years, we are living this reality through mass extinctions and loss of habitat. Ironically, I hosted his son, Jean Michel Cousteau, as a part of our Nat Geo Live series just a few years ago. He attests to the same degradation, but he also brings a message of hope that we can and will make the changes needed to protect our environment. Since the late 60s, plastic has invaded our lives. Used for everything
from kitchen gadgets to toys, cars, packaged food, beverages, and can- dy, it is an integral part of our lives. We have more than doubled our the use of individually wrapped single-use products. Since 1970, pro- duction of plastic has more than quadrupled--at last measurement, in
52 Facility Manager Magazine
2015, we were producing 448-million metric tons per year. Collectively, we are making better
choices – driving hybrid cars, reject- as disposable razors, and recycling what we do use. Let’s take the next step together and shift some of these behaviors into our places of business, scaling our success. My business, Mesa Arts Center, serves the com- munity by presenting indoor and outdoor performances, hosting arts classes, producing festivals, and op- erating a contemporary art gallery, touching 500,000 people annually throughout the greater Phoenix val- ley. We make thoughtful operation- al changes regularly to reduce our overall environmental impact and now, we are leaning into the Plastic
or Planet pledge. To date, we have removed plastic water coolers from break rooms, green rooms, and installed reverse osmosis water coolers our artist contract riders the use of single-use water bottles, providing go boxes. These small changes will eliminate from the environment, among other things, 500 cases of single-use water bottles per year. Our next goal is to substitute boxed water for the plastic water bottles sold through our concessions. Over the past year, since National Geographic has launched its ini-
tiative, a ripple is growing: the European Union and cities across the U.S. are banning the use of single-use plastic bags. Recently, several large companies, including McDonalds, Disney, American Airlines, and Starbucks have committed to banning plastic straws. Disney alone estimates they will eliminate the use of 175 million straws – no small feat. Our society is saying this issue is important and relevant. Think about how many public assembly venues our organization is
associated with, think about how many millions of people attend our venues and events globally. Think about how much waste we create to create the ultimate venue experience. I invite venues around the world to take the challenge, become part of a global change; our industry can make a major impact. Let’s demonstrate the collective, positive power of our industry once again. Planet or Plastic challenge https://www.
nationalgeographic.com/environment/plasticpledge/.
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