ARTS ON TOUR GOING GREEN

Environmental Sustainability at Arts on Tour

ARTS ON TOUR NET ZERO EMISSIONS BY 2024
In 2019 Arts on Tour launched its Green Touring Initiative,  to work towards carbon neutral touring and reducing the environmental impact of both Arts on Tour’s touring activity and that of the performing arts sector as a whole. In 2021 we developed and signed the Net Zero Commitment Statement, committing to net zero emissions by 2024, and in 2022 we will measure our emissions and finalise our sustainability action plans.

Ready to make a commitment to a net zero emissions target? Interested in arts organisations that already have made the commitment, or that are already net zero? Visit here.

NET ZERO COMMITMENT STATEMENT
Arts on Tour commits to net zero emissions across our operations by 2024, by:

• Measuring emissions, setting reduction targets, and developing an action plan to reduce emissions from energy usage, procurement, travel, food and waste
• Working to implement reduce and redesign strategies across the entire process of making, presenting and touring performing arts productions, working hand in hand with the artists, creatives and suppliers we collaborate with
• Working with our touring venue partners to reduce operational and audience emissions associated with presenting performances on tour
• Identifying emissions throughout our value chain and choosing suppliers with sustainable practices and commitment to net zero emissions
• Sharing climate action knowledge and resources with other arts organisations to support the adoption of carbon reduction goals across the sector
• Advocating to our stakeholders, suppliers and government to adopt ambitious emission reduction targets

WHAT ACTIONS ARE WE TAKING?
View Arts on Tour’s Environmental Policy opposite.

1. OUT ON THE ROAD
For Arts on Tour’s Touring Program and to facilitate carbon neutral touring across the sector, we have developed a Touring Sustainability Action Plan (see opposite) to map out strategies for reducing touring emissions and offsetting unavoidable emissions through investing in high-impact offset projects.

The Touring Sustainability Action Plan has the following goals:

         GOAL 1 – To achieve carbon neutral touring for Arts on Tour’s touring activity by 2024, by:

• Working with our producer partners to support the prioritisation of sustainable practices from the beginning of the creative process
• Applying remove and redesign strategies to all aspects of tour planning
• Inspiring and facilitating touring company members to contribute to the reduction of energy and waste emissions while on tour
• Minimising waste from set disposal by adopting re-form, re-use and recycling practices post tour
• Evaluating and measuring emissions post tour and purchasing carbon credits to offset remaining emissions

           GOAL 2 – To facilitate carbon neutral touring becoming a sector-wide goal, by:

• Providing tools and resources for producers to adopt emissions reduction strategies, including the Green Touring Toolkit, accompanying Resources and details of ‘How to’ webinars (visit Green Touring for more information)
• Advocating to suppliers, government agencies and other stakeholders to adopt sustainable practices and ambitious emission reduction targets

Green Accommodation Reference Database
Ascertaining the sustainability credentials of accommodation providers is currently a challenge. In response to this in 2022 AOT is building a Green Accommodation Reference Database to support decision-making. Every time we book accommodation, we ask the provider to complete a questionnaire on their sustainability measures and policies. We then give the provider a rating, based on this information, in the database. This will be a live document that will continue to evolve over time and will be freely accessible.

2. IN THE OFFICE
We are currently developing our Office Sustainability Action Plan, which will be completed in 2022. Actions we have already taken or are in the process of taking are listed below.

For renewable energy, we:

• Switched to 100% renewable energy from Diamond
• Switched our banking to a fossil fuel free bank, Beyond Bank, which also offers better interest rates
• We are in the process of recommending fossil fuel free super funds to employees, such as Future Super and Australian Ethical, which also offer competitive returns (add links)

To reduce energy consumption, we:

• Switched our lighting to LED fixtures. With a subsidy from the NSW Energy Saving Scheme the energy saving in the first year far exceeds the cost of installing
  Set the air conditioning to 18-20 degrees in the winter and 24 degrees in the summer
• Turn off office equipment at the end of the day, including printer and computers, rather than leaving them in sleep mode
• Travel to Sydney-based meetings by train or by foot where possible
• Minimise intra and interstate visits for meetings and venue visits, and combining visits to venues in close proximity in the one trip to minimise emissions

To reduce our landfill waste, we:

• Utilise Doyle Bros, a leading waste and recycling service, to manage our waste and recycling and minimise our landfill
• Recycle our toner cartridges, retired computers and mobile phones responsibly
• Use recycled batteries where batteries are required 

To reduce paper usage and printing, we:

• Use FSC Certified recycled paper (Recyled Reflex), minimising our printing, and printing double sided in black and white unless colour is absolutely necessary
• Issue contracts and agreements digitally, signed electronically
• Utilise a digital cloud-based accounting system (Xero) that eliminates the need to print and keep paper receipts and invoices

To green our supply chain, we:

• Are in the process of developing a questionnaire for suppliers to evaluate sustainability credentials to green our supply chain

To reduce AOT event emissions, we:

• Are in the process of measuring our emissions for sector events such as Salon and the Touring Lab
• Are in the process of developing a decision-making framework to assess the positive and negative impacts of online and in person delivery formats for future events

Top banner image: Mark Rogers