The damaging environmental cost of theatre companies touring in Britain has been calculated and published in a new report from Julie’s Bicycle. The report ‘Moving Arts: Managing the Carbon Impacts of our Touring’, links, for the first time, the cumulative effect of moving sets, transporting casts and lighting hotel rooms. The British touring theatre industry generated 130,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2009 the equivalent of flying around the world 2,860 times. The figure would be significantly higher if it were to also include the emissions generated by the venues themselves or by audiences travelling.
Julie’s Bicycle, an environmental consultancy comprising music, theatre and scientific experts committed to making the creative industries green, has now launched a UK-wide programme working to improve the environmental sustainability of theatres has been launched by. As first reported in AP218, the programme aims to use research findings to reduce carbon emissions across the industry, in both subsidised and commercial sectors.
Julie’s Bicycle will work with organisations across the country to establish best practice in tackling green issues with theatres. The programme aims to develop new ideas, build on existing resources and work done to avoid wasteful duplication, and support more accurate benchmarking for the industry and feedback on its progress. An annual theatre report analysing greenhouse gas emissions and progress on set targets will also be published by the organisation.