Thrive
Ruth Eckerd Hall adopts sustainability plan for The Sound
Performers at the soon-to-open amphitheater in Coachman Park will have to hold back on shooting confetti into the air, as it will be among several environmentally damaging activities banned at the Clearwater venue.
During a Clearwater City Council work session, Ruth Eckerd Hall Director of Operations Brianna Hartigan presented administrators’ sustainability plan for the amphitheater – recently named The Sound – that’s part of the City’s $84 million waterfront project Imagine Clearwater.
Once completed, the venue, which Ruth Eckerd Hall will fully operate, will have a 22,649-square-foot bandshell with 4,000 covered seats and lawn space for another 5,000 people. REH is programming at least 35 events a year and will also provide staffing and manage the food and beverage services.
Hartigan said REH will ban plastics including balloons and single-use plastic cups and straws.
Additional sustainable practices REH will be adopting for The Sound:
- REH will distribute reusable containers, such as aluminum cups.
- Electricity is the biggest contributor to greenhouse gases, and the city has already implemented green building initiatives for Imagine Clearwater and will promote the use of multi-model transportation such as buses, bikes and electric vehicles.
- The Sound will have over 100 solar panels.
- There will be stickers posted around the property educating the public on how to conserve water and energy.
- REH will explore opportunities to transport food waste for off-site composting.
- REH plans to partner with local farmers and vendors to offer healthy food options.
“This is the first step of an ever-changing document,” Hartigan said, noting there will be a sustainability coordinator who will monitor the progress of the practices and report to the city’s sustainability team.
“There is such potential for the city and Ruth Eckerd Hall to be seen as leaders in the state, if not the nation, for a venue just feet from the water,” Clearwater Councilwoman Kathleen Beckman said.
A rendering of Imagine Clearwater’s splash pad and park.
The 19-acre Imagine Clearwater project, anchored by The Sound, is expected to open in July. Additional components of the redeveloped park include a playground, a splash pad, a bay walk promenade overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway and a bluff walk connecting the park to downtown, among other amenities.
The city is working with general contractors Stantec and Skanska Inc. on the project.
