Winners announced for inaugural sustainability awards at Edinburgh Fringe

A carbon-neutral show powered by bike and solar power, and a venue made entirely from upcycled pianos have been named winners of the inaugural awards for sustainability at Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Pigfoot Theatre’s How to Save a Rock and the Pianodrome have been recognised for their efforts to make their work more environmentally friendly as part of the first Sustainable Fringe Awards.

Pigfoot Theatre’s show uses recycled and recyclable materials, its lighting is powered by bike and solar power, and the company has also offset the carbon emissions from creating its flyers and posters.

The Pianodrome is a 100-seat amphitheatre on Pitt Street that is open to community groups and for music events throughout the fringe. The structure is made from more than 50 discarded pianos.

The awards are being run for the first time this year by climate change charity Creative Carbon Scotland and Staging Change, which is described as a sustainable theatre network.

The two winners were announced at a reception during the fringe on August 5, which was co-hosted by the University of Edinburgh.

Ben Twist, director of Creative Carbon Scotland, said: “The Sustainable Fringe Awards celebrate the creative optimism and innovation we need to tackle climate change through our culture. We’re pleased to be working with local, national and international companies and venues to celebrate and reward sustainability in the arts and hope to see these awards grow next year and beyond. We thoroughly congratulate these two inspiring winners.”

Two additional productions were commended for their ideas and actions. They were Alanna Mitchell’s Sea Sick, at CanadaHub, which is offsetting emissions from its artists’ travel by working with the Ocean Foundation to plant carbon-consuming sea grass, and Rose Eye Productions, which stopped using flyers for its 2019 show Hatch. The company used stamps on scrap paper or on audience members’ hands, which show the production information.

Every participating venue or company at the 2019 fringe was eligible to submit itself for the awards.

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