Resource & Tools

Arts Certification, Guidance and Assessment

Arts:Earth Partnership

The Arts: Earth Partnership (AEP) is an environmental sustainable certification program and dynamic materials resource exchange specifically developed for the creative sector. Endorsed by the cities of Los Angeles and Santa Monica, the Cultural Affairs Departments of both have pledged resources and incentives to assist member organizations.


Centre for Sustainable Practice in the Arts


Creative Carbon Scotland

Green Arts Initiative
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The Green Arts Initiative supports Scottish arts organisations to be at the forefront of growing an environmentally sustainable Scotland. Run by Creative Carbon Scotland and Festivals Edinburgh, it’s a simple accreditation scheme designed to give venues and organisations the advice, support and tools they need to become greener and let audiences and the public know what they are doing.

Creative Carbon Scotland will also support Green Arts organisations to get further industry accreditation where appropriate, including Julie’s Bicycle Industry Green accreditation and ISO20121.

Carbon Management Tools

How will you start your Carbon Management journey? Creative Carbon Scotland have a number of tools and resources to help you measure, monitor, and reduce your carbon emissions.

In addition to the resources below, you can also read a blog by Caro Overy summarising the emissions and carbon reporting for 2019.

https://www.creativecarbonscotland.com/carbon-management/tools-and-resources/


Creative Green Tools – Canada

With the generous support of the Canada Council for the Arts, we tested the feasibility of adapting the innovative Creative Green Tools to the Canadian context. We did this by carrying out a year-long research and consultation process involving members of the arts sectors from across the country. Our process included:

  • Consultations with 44 arts organizations representing every province and territory in Canada – representing a range of different organizational structures and artistic disciplines – to determine the needs of intended users;
  • Pilot testing of the Tools with 23 user organizations to assess user experience and functionality of the online platform;
  • Development of a methodology for adapting the tools to the Canadian context, with expert review; and finally,
  • A published feasibility report (available for download in English and French) based on the above activities that will help to guide the development and implementation of the Creative Green Tools in Canada!

Completing this rigorous research and consultation process allowed us to confidently progress forward with the next steps in a way that was clear, equitable and sensitive to the demonstrated needs of the Canadian arts and culture sector.


Julie’s Bicycle

Established in 2007 by leading figures in the UK music industry, Julie’s Bicycle is a non-profit company working across the arts and creative industries, providing expertise in environmental sustainability to over 350 organisations in the UK and internationally.

JB offers practical advice, tools, resources and Industry Green environmental certification, informed by world-leading research into the environmental impacts of the creative industries.


REFOCUS – Harbourfront Centre

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REFOCUS provides a roadmap for developing a transformation program that can actually establish sustainability as a key priority. The program delivers advanced theory, executable know-how, and a wealth of supplementary resources that help put learning into practice.

REFOCUS helps leaders build the capacity needed to maximize the benefits of pursuing sustainability. Once it’s recognized that sustainability can strengthen the bottom line, decision makers will be naturally motivated to invest.

REFOCUS is applicable to a variety of audiences including students, consultants and industry professionals alike. At its core, this education was designed for leaders responsible for improving the sustainability of their organization; whether starting from scratch or taking an existing sustainability program to the next level. The experience can be applied to businesses, non-profits, and government bodies alike and is best suited to small and medium-sized organizations.


Exhibition

Chrysalis Arts (Public Art Sustainability Assessment)

Public Art Sustainability Assessment or PASA is an initiative by Chrysalis Arts to promote good sustainable practice in public art. It is available for artists, commissioners and anyone else who may be involved in the development, creation, maintenance and decommissioning of public art. It is distributed free of charge to promote sustainable practice in public art as widely as possible and to provoke action for change where it is needed.


Coalition of Museums for Climate Justice

The Coalition of Museums for Climate Justice mobilizes and supports Canadian museum workers and their organizations in building public awareness, mitigation and resilience in the face of climate change.

The Coalition welcomes participation from people who support the goals outlined below and who are employed within Canadian museums and other cultural institutions along with those who work in support of museums in Canada and around the world including, among others, board members, volunteers, consultants, students, scholars and public servants.

CMCJ Resource Page


Gallery Climate Coalition Carbon Calculator

The Gallery Climate Coalition (GCC) is a charity founded by a voluntary group of London-based gallerists and professionals working in the commercial arts sector as an attempt to develop a meaningful and industry-specific response to the growing climate crisis.

Although public institutions have been taking significant steps to reduce their carbon footprint and control waste for some time, there seemed to be a lack of equivalent initiatives in the commercial sector. This prompted a group of us to set about  developing the tools, strategies, and research required to help make a positive change. This is a work in progress that has extended to all aspects of the visual arts sector. 

The GCC website aims to inspire and educate, as well as provide practical tools and information. 

Our easy-to-use carbon calculator is available free of charge to all GCC members. This tool has been specifically tailored to the art world and allows users to quickly identify the main elements of their carbon footprint and take immediate action. Data collected (anonymously) via the carbon calculator will also help track progress across our sector.


Ki Culture

Ki Culture is committed to creating a sustainable future through the cultural heritage sector. We provide solutions to promote sustainable practices for professionals and leverage cultural heritage to effectively make industry wide impact.

We work across sectors to make our field sustainable and to make the world a better place through culture. We unite the sector to drive collective action, resulting in global change.


OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry) Exhibition Design

The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) is a scientific, educational, and cultural resource centre dedicated to improving the public’s understanding of science and technology. OMSI makes science exciting and relevant through exhibits, programs, and experiences that are presented in an entertaining and participatory fashion.

The Green Exhibit Checklist is a tool to evaluate the environmental sustainability of exhibits. The goal of the Checklist is to inspire exhibit/design teams to plan exhibits with environmental considerations in mind.


STiTCH – Sustainability Tools in Cultural Heritage

The first introduction to LCA for cultural heritage preservationists in the United States began with conservator Sarah Nunberg and engineer Matthew Eckelman’s initiatives in 2012 when Nunberg invited Eckelman as the introductory lecturer at the AIC Albuquerque Annual Meeting Sustainability Committee Luncheon. Starting in 2013 they worked closely with Pamela Hatchfield and the MFA Boston, providing scenarios for six LCA case studies. Nunberg and Eckelman were joined by museum professional Sarah Sutton in 2016. The project earned a Tier I 2017-2019 National Endowment for Humanities (NEH) research grant awarded to The Foundation for the American Institute for Conservation (FAIC). In 2020 the project was awarded a Tier II NEH Research and Development Grant, which has funded the STiCH project. At this time PhD candidate Sarah Sanchez joined the project in partial fulfillment of her dissertation. Together the team has developed STiCH.

https://stich.culturalheritage.org/


Film Production

albert

albert is leading a charge against climate change; bringing the film and TV industries together to tackle our environmental impact and inspiring screen audiences to act for a sustainable future. Founded in 2011 and governed by an industry consortium, we support everyone working in film and TV to understand their opportunities to create positive environmental change.

https://wearealbert.org/


Environmental Media Association

The Environmental Media Association (EMA), a nonprofit 501(c)3, is a diverse subsection of entertainment industry influencers, entrepreneurs in business, and green icons dedicated to the mission of promoting environmental progress. EMA is a movement powered by celebrity role-modeling, campaign work, social media messaging, year-round programs, including the EMA Green Seal for Production, EMA Talks and two high-profile events:  EMA IMPACT Summit, and EMA Awards & Honors Benefit Gala

EMA serves as a valuable link between the world of media and the environmental community, working tirelessly to bring the planet’s most pressing issues to the forefront and make true change by inspiring millions of people across the globe to live sustainable lifestyles and to use their voice to help our planet.

https://www.green4ema.org/


Green Production Guide

The Green Production Guide (GPG) is the premier industry online toolkit designed to reduce the film, television, and streaming industry’s carbon footprint and environmental impact. The GPG was established in 2010 in a joint effort between the Producers Guild of America Foundation’s PGA Green committee and a major studios partner group, now known as the Sustainable Production Alliance (SPA).

This site features a worldwide database of vendors that provide sustainable goods and services for film, television, and streaming production. The GPG also offers tools and resources to help implement a sustainable plan for any size or kind of production. These tools include the Production Environmental Accounting Report (PEAR), which calculates a production’s carbon footprint; the Production Environmental Actions Checklist (PEACH), which details best practices for each department on a production; Sustainable Production Infographics, which provide helpful visual guides to ensure best practices in the office, on location, and on stage; and sample memos, signs and flyers to help communicate sustainability efforts to cast and crew.

https://www.greenproductionguide.com/


Ontario Green Screen

Ontario Green Screen is a group of 20 organizations from screen industries and government agencies, with a coherent green plan for sustainable film and television production in Ontario.

We created the OGS Strategic Plan in collaboration with the OGS Advisory Committee and industry subject matter experts. This plan lays out specific, measurable and timely goals for the initiative, based on four key pillars:

  • Develop an engaged, diverse and inclusive community that advances and enables sustainable production practices.
  • Inform and educate Ontario’s film and television production workers and companies, production clients and government partners on sustainable best practices.
  • Deliver resources, tools and initiatives to empower the industry to carry out sustainable implementation strategies and protocols that will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions on sets across Ontario.
  • Create a framework to effectively measure and report on environmental impacts and industry-wide progress.

https://digitallibrary.ontariocreates.ca/DigitalLibrary/OGS/AboutUs.aspx


ReelGreen – Creative BC

Sustainable production efforts in British Columbia were formalized 10 years ago through the Reel Green initiative, a resource centre with a collection of best practices to help productions reduce their environmental impacts and improve their overall environmental footprint.

The Reel Green™ initiative is a mainstay at Creative BC and we are looking ahead to the next decade and how we can empower and inspire productions to innovate and implement sustainable production practices, and industry stakeholders to collectively support this effort.  We are prioritizing education, engagement, communications, and resources as we develop a platform for the reduction of environmental impacts and stakeholder engagement at the local level to set an example for other jurisdictions globally.

https://www.creativebc.com/industry-sectors/motion-picture/reel-green/


Graphic Design, Printing, Publication

Re-nourish

Re-nourish is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides online tools advocating awareness & action for sustainable systems thinking in the communication design community. 

https://re-nourish.org/tools/


Performance

Broadway Green Alliance

The BGA (formerly Broadway Goes Green) was launched in 2008 as an ad hoc committee of The Broadway League. The BGA brings together all segments of the theatre community, including producers, theatres in New York and around the country, theatrical unions and their members, and related businesses. Working closely with the Natural Resources Defense Council, the BGA identifies and disseminates better practices for theatre professionals and reaches out to theatre fans throughout the country.


Canadian Green Alliance

The CGA was founded in 2019 by Canadian performers Julia McLellan and Tess Benger, as their response to the theatre industry’s structural lack of organized climate action. After years of having to leave our values at the door when we entered arts organizations, we started to wonder what our national theatre community would need to feel like they had the skills to embody their climate action in their artistic work.

Their growing membership is a collection of theatre organizations and arts workers who want to access the full extent of the CGA’s resources, including their Sustainable Theatre Guidebook written by experts across the country and compiled by the CGA.


Green Theatre Programme for London

The Green Theatre Programme for London is the Mayor’s response to the overwhelming concern of the theatre sector to reduce any negative impact on the environment. This plan is for anyone working in London’s theatre industries. If all actions recommended in this plan are taken, London theatres can reduce their CO2 emissions by almost 60 per cent by 2025.


Mo`olelo Performing Arts Company – Green Theatre Choices Toolkit

Mo`olelo Performing Arts Company was founded in 2004 as a community-focused, socially-conscious, Equity theater company. Since their inception, they made a commitment to represent diverse voices on stage, pay local San Diego actors Equity wages, health and pension, and focus on serving their community. In 2006 they started realizing that our socially-conscious operations conflicted with the reality that theater, as it is traditionally practiced, can be damaging to the environment. From the woods, paints, dyes and energy used to the seasonal nature of theater, our industry is consistently creating toxic waste at a high rate with each production. In recognition of this problem, and as a natural extension of our socially-conscious principles, Mo`olelo developed a greening initiative in January 2007.

Through consultations with LEED-Accredited Professional Preeti Gupta the first step was to develop the GREEN Theater Categories and Sustainable Guidelines. In Fall 2008, Mo`olelo received a MetLife/TCG A-ha! Think it, Do it grant to research and develop a tool to measure the environmental impact of theater and help the industry make choices that do not cause long-term damage to our communities. We partnered with Brown & Wilmanns Environmental, LLC and adapted their Green Choices methodology to theater.


Sustainable Production Toolkit

The toolkit provide a guide, with concrete tools and best practices for guiding your organization to a new normal that prioritizes the intertwined needs for greater environmental, human, and financial sustainability in our industry. Our focus here  is on sustainability tools, especially for design and production, but we recognize the need for a broader conversation and invite the creativity and wisdom of our colleagues across the country in re-imagining a more sustainable and equitable American Theatre.

https://www.sustainableproductiontoolkit.com/


Theatre Green Book

We’re living in a climate crisis. The Green Book is an initiative by the whole of theatre – working with sustainability experts Buro Happold to work more sustainably. In three volumes it sets standards for making productions sustainably, for making theatre buildings sustainable, and for improving operations like catering and front of house. If theatre is to be part of the most vital conversation humanity faces, then it has to change its practice. The Theatre Green Book sets out the path to a sustainable future.


Theatres Trust

The Theatres Trust is the National Advisory Body for Theatres, protecting theatres for everyone. Ecovenue was a significant theatre-specific environmental project run by The Theatres Trust. It aimed to improve the environmental performance of forty-eight London theatres and raise awareness of how to make theatres greener. Ecovenue was created to promote the sustainability of theatres and the reduction of carbon emissions through the provision of free environmental advice.


White Light LTD

The UK’s premier entertainment lighting supplier. They supply everything from the smallest school play to the largest West End musical, as well as countless conferences, corporate dinners, parties, events and exhibitions.

http://www.whitelight.ltd.uk/about-us/environment/

White Light Green guide


International Certifications

BRE (Building Research Establishment)


ISO (International Organization for Standardization)


LEED/USGBC (United States Green Building Council)

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