Ruth is a set and costume designer based in South Wales, with an MA in Theatre Design from Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. Ruth is a strong advocate for working sustainably in the performance industry. Ruth has been designing sets and costumes for theatre, opera, dance and installation for over 10 years. Her favourite projects seek out unusual and outdoor spaces, embed the heart of the community, and celebrate green practice in their design and realisation. Ruth is a core member of the Ecostage team, and of the Society of British Theatre Designers Sustainability Working Group.

I think ecologically awareness has been a part of my consciousness from when I was a child - I remember being pretty adament that I didn't want to learn to drive because cars were bad for the environment! (I did learn to drive, and have so far resisted buying a car).

I vividly remember at the age of 10 having a supply teacher for the afternoon, who was teaching us where our rubbish went, and explaining how humans will fill up a hole in the ground with rubbish and then cover it with earth, "where we hope it will stay forever...but forever is a very long time." I remember thinking that this was really irresponsible of us and that we needed to do better.

My decision to take action stemmed from working in theatre design, in a job I love, but seeing how readily we accept the use of harmful materials and waste.