By Ramsey Baden | August 27th, 2018
The Emory Dance & Movement Studies Program places great value on our relationship with our surroundings. In the words of Director Lori Teague, “the fundamentals of dance are body, energy, space, and time.” It is fitting, then, that Emory Dance’s office is a Gold-certified Green Office.
The office takes a number of measures to implement sustainable practices. As their picture indicates, they have been working hard to cut out their usage of paper. Anne Walker, the office Program Coordinator, says that she recycles her paper for printing and scratch, and that her colleague “puts it back in the printer to print on the other side.” The office has been using compostable serving ware at its receptions for several years. It also has a battery collection receptacle, a new energy-efficient microwave and fridge, and a proximity water bottle filler.
Much of the office’s latest sustainability efforts are tied up in its record-keeping. Teague mentions that she is “a saver of artifacts because dance doesn’t have that,” but that she has to check that in some cases. “Why am I keeping this improv paper from 1997?” she quips. The office is transferring records as well – Teague and Walker refer to their ongoing process of moving VHS recordings of performances to discs, with the ultimate goal of digital storage in mind so that they can eliminate their old electronic products as well.
Both Teague and Walker view dance as their calling. “What you want is for people to gain more information about their body and how it relates to time and space and energy,” Teague says. It seems clear that practicing sustainability is a necessary part of that process for Emory Dance. To read more about the Green Offices program, click here.