| trees (and paper, which is a terribly dirty product environmentally for a bunch of reasons) are not just about litter or waste but about global warming. You can of course minimize these things (as others do for global warming in general), but I do not think (based on how many I step on leaving theatres if nothing else) that a large or even significant percentage of theatre-goers hold onto playbills as keepsakes or anything else. There are a lot of things that people "DO want" and we have, slowly but persistently, weaned ourselves off of these things. When I was young, gas guzzlers were the rage. Today, even the extravagant engines do not get close to those Pontiacs and Oldsmobiles with 4 barrel carburetors and 8 cylinder engines. To me the program on paper is a part of the same thing we are seeing with newpapers, magazines, books, etc. Not much longer will it be before everything has gone digital. I guess I was wondering if it was a broader reaction you were having. Your comment about programs for people who DO want one is a good one; I think that is exactly what you get when you print out the program yourself at home. Having the theatre do it is inherently more wasteful. |
