Wolf Trap's National Summit on the Arts and EnvironmentOn Monday, July 14, 2008, twenty-nine national thought leaders in business, community development, the arts, and the environment gathered to lay the groundwork for arts action in the resolution of environmental issues. Below are the results of that convergence.

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^{"There are artistic ways to look at the environment and at the same time there are environmental ways to look at the arts how did we not see that before?” —Kulapat Yantrasast, Architect, wHY Architecture}

^{“It’s not that you (the arts) can make a difference; it’s that, for better or for worse, everything that you do already makes a difference.”  —Philippe Cousteau, CEO, Earth Echo}




Hosts:
Terre Jones, CEO/President, Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts
Bob Lynch, CEO/President, Americans for the Arts

^{Hon. Norman Mineta, Chairman, Wolf Trap National Advisory Council on the Arts and Environment}





Co-Conveners:
Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts
Americans for the Arts
The Aspen Institute

^{Kathy Mattea, Performing Artist and Member, Wolf Trap’s National Advisory Council on the Arts and Environment; joins the conversation via teleconference. Also pictured: Michael Singer, Artist/Designer, Michael Singer Studios; Jess Wendover, Director, Mayors’ Institute on City Design; Terre Jones, CEO/President, Wolf Trap Foundation; Bob Lynch, CEO/President, Americans for the Arts; and Eric Friedenwald-Fishman, Creative Director/President, Metropolitan Group}

Site and Technology Providers: Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc.

Summit Facilitator:  Eric Friedenwald-Fishman, Creative Director/President, Metropolitan Group

^{It never dawned on me how much the arts could offer to this field—we’re setting it up right—this group can make a difference, and I’m delighted to have been a part of this conversation.” —Kateri Callahan, President, Alliance to Save Energy}

Summit Participants:
Claire Alexander, Vice President of Operations and Interactive Media, Discovery Communications LLC, Planet Green
Brian Allenby, Manager, Operations & Education, Reverb
Sam Bower, Executive Director & Co-founder, greenmuseum.org
Kateri Callahan, President, Alliance to Save Energy
Rose Ann Cleveland, Executive Director, The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation
Keith Cole, Director, Legislative and Regulatory Affairs, General Motors Corporation
Matthew Cooper, President, PEG Environmental Engineering
Philippe Cousteau, CEO, EarthEcho International
David Erne, Senior Associate, Booz Allen Hamilton
Ellis Finger, Director, Williams Center for the Arts, Lafayette College
Molly Finn, Vice President, Booz Allen Hamilton
Michael Hughes, Senior Vice President/General Manager, CBS Radio
Sudhakar Kevasan, Chairman/CEO, ICF International
Marda Kirn, Founder/Executive Director, EcoArts
Scott Kratz, Vice President for Education, National Building Museum
Kathy Mattea, Grammy Award-Winning Artist; Member, Wolf Trap National Advisory Council on the Arts and Environment
Shawn Norton, Environmental Leadership Program Manager, National Park Service
Damien Pwono, Executive Director, Global Initiative on Arts, Culture, and Society, The Aspen Institute
Michael Singer, Artist/Designer, Michael Singer Studios
Patrick Spears, President & Co-founder, Intertribal Council on Utility Policy
Robert Stanton, Executive Professor, Texas A&M University; Former Director, National Park Service
Chris Velasco, President, PLACE (Places Linking Art, Community & Environment)
Mara Walker, Chief Planning Officer, Americans for the Arts
Jess Wendover, Director, Mayors’ Institute on City Design
Kulapat Yantrasast, Creative Director, wHY Architecture

^{Ellis Finger, Director, Williams Center for the Arts; Matthew Cooper, President, PEG Environmental Engineering; Robert Stanton, Past Director, National Park Service}

^{“Recognizing with confidence that there are people out there who want to do something who have ideas, and who are waiting for sense of direction—we’ll be able to do volumes for advancing this initiative.” —Matthew Cooper, President, PEG Environmental Engineering}

Process: A day-long discussion among leaders from the arts, the environment, business, and academia resulted in three Strategy Statements which were tested with a webinar audience representing 31 states.

Opening statement by Summit Facilitator Eric Friedenwald-Fishman: Arts and Culture: Elemental Contributors to Social, Creative and Human Capital & Critical Champions for Natural Capital

^{“Why is it that so many people know that we are facing a huge environmental crisis but do so little about it? We can’t handle it, we can’t absorb it…but we can combine the cognitive power of great science and the “affective” power of the arts. If you can grasp the moment when the two come together, you can take advantage of that moment when people can and will take action.” —Marda Kirn, Founder/Executive Director, Eco Arts}

Strategy Statement 1:

Engaging Artists and Arts Organizations

Goal: Develop a set of strategies to engage artists and arts organizations in the creation and implementation of environmentally friendly policies and practices.

Presented by Breakout Facilitator, Marda Kirn

Strategies:

Messaging

• Develop a position paper that has come out of this summit to be distributed
• Find preexisting conferences and networks and insert the arts into the discussion
• Find case studies to disseminate the financial value of the green initiatives that are already taking place across this country to artists and arts venues
• Learn/Act/Share—use the power of storytelling and peer examples to engage

Leadership

• Establish a National Leadership Council to drive momentum and collaboration within the arts and across sectors
• Establish a National shared vision for arts and the environment
• Create an award as an incentive for artists and arts organizations to be rewarded for being green
• Commission artists to produce environmentally themed art

Practical Suggestions

How do I convince my board that working for the environment is not detracting from our core mission?

Terre Jones: Wolf Trap made the commitment at the National Press Club; large audience
-Talk about the conservation of financial resources—saved 20% in energy costs in first year
-But also stress that we are doing what is right for all of us; not just the bottom line

Marda Kirn:
-Cache of being green—can help with marketing aspects

Scott Kratz:
-Commitment to audience to go green
-Take visitor comments to Board

Eric Friedenweld-Fishman:
-Core part of artistic mission
-Equity Theatre Company—first-ever LEED Platinum Historic Restoration in the world; realized they were a primary story teller in community (Portland, OR), therefore a perfect location to have mission-centered issue of the environment

How can our museum share this message?

Kateri Callahan: You need to let people know what you are doing, via signage, recycle bins, etc.
-Becomes an educational opportunity—educate patrons of what they can do individually
-Only works if facility itself is also taking action

Bob Lynch: Let the arts be the arts; illustrate it through the arts
-Cannot remind people too much

Are there any recommendations to engage youth in this work?

Michael Cooper:
-Begin to evaluate marketing message and reach through new media—social networking, texting, etc.; combination of traditional media and new media

Philippe Cousteau:
-Young people are comfortable in using these new networks: include young people in the dialogue—include them in the major positions of the organization; board—listen to the practitioners

Strategy Statement 2:

Reducing Impact

Goal: Develop a set of practical, readily achievable strategies to guide artists and arts organizations in the reduction of their environmental impact.

Presented by Breakout Facilitator, David Erne

Strategies:

• Develop a vision and goals that integrate environmental practices within the organization
• Establish a base line—energy, water, resources, community impact, materials flow
• Identify and develop a prioritized strategy for improvement
• Employ best practices/create a trusted source
• Learn from indigenous models of environmental stewardship
• Create linkages to other community resources—bring in the best expertise
• Process to continually improve program
• Push for technological innovation

Practical Suggestions:

What is the first step?

Phillippe Cousteau:
-Statement about what you want to achieve; basic “hymnbook” to continually go back to and judge progress; build around this

Matthew Cooper:
-Set a base line—look at fundamental elements (energy efficiency, water efficiency, resource efficiency, overall impact to community, process and material flow)

How do you find someone to help create this baseline?
-More resources to larger organization / organization in metropolitan area; Artist working out of home wouldn’t have those connections
-We’re working on this today—for everyone to have reliable access to this information

How do we get an environmental audit?

Kathy Mattea: Find which organizations in your community have a green-minded goal; create a goal that works together; connect to community and engage people

Marda Kirn: American Solar Energy Society—many international members; deal with energy audits

Kateri Callahan: can often be done by local utility; ESCOs—energy savings companies that can do the audit and help with financing

Strategy Statement 3:

Engaging Partners and the Public

Goal: Develop a set of strategies to encourage partnerships between the arts and other entities in the promotion of environmental sustainability in communities.

Presented by Breakout Facilitator, Mara Walker

Strategies:

• Use art to drive the four platforms of social change: information, attitude change, action, policy
• Empower the arts to be effective advocates with decision makers
• Partnering on message delivery
• Engage with other sectors by bringing content to their conferences
  • Education—working with academic institutions to integrate the arts and the environment
  • Use affordable new media to reach audiences
  • Use core programming and art to reach audiences
  • Highlight the arts' ability to lift the human spirit into the messages
• Partnering to increase funding/to fund green—building the environment into the “price of admission”
  • Encourage the creation of new pools of money for arts and the environment from public and philanthropic sectors

Practical Suggestions:

Who can I approach to learn about environmental practices / types of environmental organizations?

Matthew Cooper:
-Energy—contact within local utility
-Water—local providers
-Parks services
-Community Outreach—Constituents, patrons—who already reaps the benefits of these programs? Wealth of information and contacts!

Webinar participant:
-Online resource: Northeast Sustainable Energy Association

Scott Kratz:
-Local chapters of American Institute of Architects
-Department of Energy—Energy Star
-EPA—Smart Growth Program
-Many municipalities have green programs they’re starting

Bob Lynch:
-Come up with starter lists (carpooling, recycling)
-Can come up with an endless audit and also a few things to just start on

Bob Stanton:
-Educational community
-Active professionals
-Energy audits on campus
-Draw from resources in academic community

How do you get foundations to think outside the box?

Rose Ann Cleveland:
-Get to know your funders well—they care
-Find out who in your constituency has connections

Phillipe Cousteau: Create face-to-face relationship to make case

Eric Friedenwald-Fishman: Find a leader that really gets the connection; look at how that person can help to convey idea to other programs rather than just giving you the grant

Artists/organizations may discover some limitations on their work, based on the environment—what are some of the challenges they are facing?

Sam Bower:  To forestall challenges:
-Build partnerships with existing nonprofits, environmental organizations
-Talk to people who truly manage that land and work with them to come up with a creative project that meet these needs
-Lots of resources online—such as greenmuseum.org

Terre Jones: Wolf Trap’s Face of America—convey issues of the parks:
-Currently working on 6^th—Glacier National Park
-Work closely with partners at National Park Service
-1-2 years advance work
-We learn what to avoid; where we can be; develop valid artistic experience

Michael Singer:
-Engage artist with engineer, scientist—bring power/voice of arts to the project
-Look across disciplinary teams

Are there ways that arts/arts organizations can use messaging to reach new audiences and have greater relevancy?

Claire Alexander:
-Research first
-Identify current audience—likely haven’t tapped them out completely

How can environmental/social justice nonprofits work with artists to advance their work/mission?

Chris Velasco:
-Get involved in greening of those organizations
-Provide the expertise and the resources for that involvement
-Example: Use environmental portion to provide electricity free—green power
-All involved are able to benefit financially
-Introduce to funders; leaders—broaden contacts for them

Kulapat Yantrasast:
-The art will deliver the message; benefit from each other

What's Next?

Statement from Terre Jones, Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts

“Hope is a takeaway here. We’re a room full of believers, but sometimes it does get hard and we can get bogged down in the negative. But today I walk away with hope. We were able to bring together a diverse group of people to collaborate who haven’t worked together before—there is great hope in what we can continue to do. When we started the green initiative at Wolf Trap we did it because it was the right thing to do for Wolf Trap, but we knew we would want to share whatever we found with our colleagues in the arts. This Summit has taken the conversation to the next level.

Wolf Trap will continue to talk about these issues and update through our website, but individual responsibility is where change can begin. I like the quote shared with us by Matthew Cooper: 
 
    ‘No one can do everything, but everyone can do something.’

Start where you are and take action. If you’re already doing something, do something more. After you do the first step the next is easier. We must remember to lead by example and change will occur.”

Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, Americans for the Arts, and the Aspen Institute are committed to engaging artists and arts organizations in making the connection between arts and the environment, encouraging them to make positive changes in their organizations and communities to reduce their environmental impact, and providing tips and best practices on how to partner locally to make this work as dynamic as it can be.

For more information visit us at:

– www.wolftrap.org/Learn_About_Wolf_Trap/Go_Green_with_Wolf_Trap.aspx

– www.AmericansForTheArts.org

– www.aspeninstitute.org

^{“It can be a lonely fight sometimes; I challenge us to not sit back and relax, but to take action from here.” – Brian Allenby, Manager, Operations & Education, Reverb}

Watch video clips from the summit online