Rolling out the Green carpet to highlight ‘small changes’
THEY will be rolling out the Green carpet at the National Opera House early next month when the EPA and Wexford Festival Opera come together to highlight how even small changes can have a positive impact on the environment.
The Festival and the EPA introduced the Green Carpet Night event last year and it was met with an overwhelming response from the audience and volunteers.
The initiative invites opera-goers on the night - Wednesday, November 1, this year - to make a small, symbolic change to their attire, signifying a commitment to making ‘small changes’ in their lives to help the environment.
People are encouraged to make a small change to their opera-wear that evening, such as a green bow-tie, a green piece of jewellery, a green pocket square, green shoes, green nail varnish; the possibilities are endless! Patrons will also enter that night via a green carpet at the front entrance of the National Opera House, which will be bathed in green light. The EPA’s headquarters are based in Johnstown Castle Estate, Wexford and the agency has been part of the local community for the last 24 years. It has worked with Wexford Festival Opera for many years through various EPA-led initiatives to raise awareness on a variety of environmental issues such as how we can all make choices about how we heat our homes; how we consume water and how we manage our wastes. ‘We all own the environment and have a responsibility for its care and protection. Even small changes are very welcome,’ said Laura Burke, Director General of the Environmental Protection Agency. ‘By promoting the importance of the environment at Wexford Festival Opera we would hope to inspire people to take some small steps for the environment, be it in their Picture by Patrick Browne homes and personal lives or workplaces, colleges, schools and communities.’ One of the key action priorities identified in the EPA’s recent State of the Environment Report deals with the engagement of communities and citizens in relation to environmental protection. We all, as citizens, need to get involved locally and become more informed about, and engaged with, sustainability issues. And the EPA is committed to supporting homes, businesses and local communities in this,’ she said. ‘By rolling out the green carpet for the environment and lighting up the National Opera House, we hope to inspire our patrons, performers and the public to make simple and practical changes in their everyday lives that benefit the environment,’ said Chief Executive of Wexford Festival Opera David McLoughlin.