Eco-Producers Unplugged

Theatre Green Book

When I sat down to write this, I wondered where to start… There is so much information out there, and I spend a lot of my time trying to collate it into one place and then make sense of it. The Theatre Green Book has done a lot of that really well already. It’s not a short read, but it is super useful at every level. There is a specific section dedicated to Producing – which for us lot, is a great place to start (that said, as someone overseeing the whole of a project, dipping in and out of the other sections will be really useful for helping to guide the rest of your team). 

Setting yourself some guidelines

I find it really useful to set myself some goals around environmental sustainability in relation to a project I am producing – some hopes alongside some hard boundaries. I am sharing an example of this below.

I hope that sharing this might be a useful starting point for independent producers who might not have experience in designing and delivering a green(er) project already. 

This is the Environmental Sustainability section of a show rider I created for a small-scale touring show. It outlines what we were doing (as a team/production), what we needed from the venues we were touring, and what we would have liked from them.

What we are doing

• Using the Theatre Green Book to set goals, inform green choices at every stage of set & costume design and record an inventory of material items

• Working with an environmental sustainability consultant

• Using public transport where possible

• Touring with reusables, e.g. Tupperware, keep cups etc. 

• Staying in accommodation with access to a kitchen where possible

• Using only recycled and recyclable marketing materials

• Asking questions to our partners and host venues (you) about how they (you) incorporate sustainability into what they (you) do 

• Delegating green jobs amongst the touring team – each member of the company will be led on certain aspects, e.g. recycling, turning off lights, or creating a cooking rota, etc.

• Incorporating environmental sustainability in all contracts

• Beginning rehearsals with a conversation about the environment and how the climate crisis will affect choices in making and touring a production with the entire creative and producing team

• Scheduling space for green meetings into a production timeline
• Budgeting for freelancers’ time on sustainable sourcing and reporting

What we need from you

• Access to a kettle and microwave

• Reduce the ask of printed marketing materials

• Recycling bins front and back of house

• Environmentally friendly cafe/restaurant options e.g. selling locally grown produce or having vegan and vegetarian options 

• Offering reusables in its bars and cafés

What we would like from you

• Working with / in line with Julie’s Bicycle

• Use renewable energy suppliers

• Offset carbon from visiting shows 

• Using sustainable couriers and transport

• A conversation around helping audiences make greener choices e.g. considering a pick up / carpool option in booking tickets, maybe including an offset option in buying tickets

• Paperless tickets
• Find out who your organisation is banking with, and consider changing to a more ethical and environmentally sustainable bank (unless you already are!)

A short and sweet checklist

Here is a really simple (basic) checklist for producing a project with a thought or more towards the environment:

• Attend Carbon Literacy Training – Carbon Literacy Project has some great facilitators. I would personally recommend Jenifer Taillefer
• Read the Theatre Green Book
• Budget for an Environmental Sustainability Consultant to support you
• Set yourself some guidelines – you might use one of the standards from the Theatre Green Book as a tangible goal post
• Create your own Green Rider – Theatre Green Book has an ace Green Rider Template you can use when negotiating with venues
• Hold yourself accountable to the above – this might be by finding an accountability partner – someone who can check in with you regularly. This could be your environmental sustainability consultant or another producer. It could even be Producer Gathering as a network!)
• Debrief and evaluate, then, share your learnings (see below for links to example reports). If everyone shared what they’re trying to do, the mistakes they’ve made and the solutions they’ve found, the pace of change would only get quicker!!