Arts Culture sustainability

Sustainability (Performance, Touring, Installations, Festivals, Events)

Contents

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Overview

Bradford Council are working internally and with our partners to support our journey to working in a more sustainable way, limiting our impact on the environment. With that in mind, we are asking those who receive support, funding, commissions, and presentation opportunities to support this journey.

Over the next 2 years we hope to support and help the culture sector to explore how they can play a part in reducing our impact on the plant, developing relevant and appropriate sustainability plans for delivering quality and exciting culture activities.

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Considerations

Before embarking on your cultural intervention, we ask that you consider the below bullet points:

  • Have you allowed for sufficient planning time? This will allow more time to source materials and resources, considering repurposing and local sourcing.
  • Please consider the use of materials and resources that you are using when you develop your cultural intervention. Thinking about:
    • Where are those materials sourced?
    • Who made them and how they are made?
    • The journey your materials have been on to make it to you.
  • Could you have sourced this locally?
  • Conserve energy and other natural resources, such as water and minerals.
  • Reduce the use of toxic materials that are hazardous to the environment and human health.
  • Reduce pollution and consider materials that do not contribute to pollution of the environment.
  • Consider materials which are durable and reusable or recyclable, compostable or biodegradable.
  • Can you use ethically produced materials?
  • Source electricity from the mains and, wherever possible, always on a renewable tariff.
  • Reduce packaging and other waste.
  • Reducing / avoid printing where possible.
  • Can you enforce a plastic free process?
  • How can you support reducing impact on the environment via travel?
    • Using sustainable, low carbon methods for artist and artwork transportation
    • Share transport where possible for staff team?
    • Encourage the use of public transport for staff, audiences and artists.
  • When working with artists/visitor help to plan routes efficiently and arrange journeys at appropriate times to avoid travelling during rush hour to reduce idling.
  • Can you arrange your event times to reduce idling and avoiding rush?
  • Have you considered the future of your cultural intervention?
    • Is your set moving onto tour?
    • Have you considered how your materials dismantle for recycling?
    • Have you considered how you will reuse or recycle?

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Let's do this together!

If we collectively work together and support each other, sharing best practice we will make a significant impact in the development of our sustainable working.

We hope that all those engaging with the Culture/Policy/Events team over the next 12 months will consider:

  • Developing a sustainability action plan/strategy
  • Begin to monitor their impact on the environment
  • Increase knowledge and understanding of working sustainably

Please note: This is an ever developing document that will change, adjust and renew over time. Please treat this as a supporting document for your own further research and development.

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Useful links

Below is arrange of useful links that could help with developing further understanding of sustainable working across the culture sector: