Speeches - By Date

Indeed, as the oldest active theater in New York, it is fitting that the New Victory is also setting an important example proving that theaters can be entertaining, energy efficient, and environmentally friendly all at the same time.Over the past year, the New Victory has taken the initiative to implement a series of upgrades to improve energy use. From installing motion sensors and programmable thermostats to replacing the old electric heating system with a more efficient one run by steam, your efforts are getting real results. By achieving a 25% decrease in electricity and gas, you are saving $10,000 a year and preventing104,000 pounds of carbon emissions from harming our environment.

At EPA, our ENERGY STAR program encourages and recognizes the type of environmental leadership that you have shown here. ENERGY STAR provides government agencies, businesses, and consumers with the information they need to choose energy efficient products that save money and protect the environment. Currently, there are more than 13,000 Energy Star products in over 35 product categories, ranging from televisions and telephones to computers and air conditioners. The New Victory has taken advantage of this program to improve the energy and environmental performance of this theater, but for all the students here today I want you to know that you can also make a difference for the environment with ENERGY STAR. Whether you = re buying a CD player, or even a lightbulb, you can look for the Energy Star label. The actual CD player won = t look any different and will play music exactly the same, but it will have an Energy Star symbol that means by choosing that product you are helping the environment.

You may wonder if that will really make any kind of impact. Well, I can tell you that last year alone, when Americans chose Energy Star they prevented the pollution associated with that of 12 million cars. To put that in perspective there are only about 12,000 taxis in all of New York city. If you removed all of them, it would not only be a lot quieter but the air would be cleaner and easier to breathe. So, you can just imagine the kind of impact taking 12 million cars off the road has on the health of our air.

As you can see, every individual that made a choice to buy an Energy Star product helped make a big difference for our environment. You can do the same. Now, before the start of the show, I would like to present the New Victory Theater with this Energy Star Small Business Award for their efforts. This is the first theater in the country to receive such a distinction and to mark this occasion I= d like to ask some special guests to assist me in presenting the award. Thank you.