The Creative Green Tools Canada (“CG Tools”) powered by Julie’s Bicycle CG Tools are a free set of carbon calculation and reporting tools that allow organizations in the arts and culture sector to record, measure and understand the impacts of their venues, offices, tours, productions, festivals and more!
They were created in 2009 by Julie’s Bicycle, and were designed specifically to be simple and accessible, and to motivate change in the arts and culture sector. Since the Tools were created, they’ve been continuously improved and updated based on feedback from the sector. They have been a key aspect of Arts Council England’s incredibly successful program to engage the arts and culture sector in environmental sustainability and reduce carbon emissions in the industry, and they are now used by over 5,000 organizations in 50 countries worldwide.
The CG Tools make it easy to measure your energy use, water consumption, waste generation and recycling, travel and production materials. The results can then inform your environmental strategy and organizational priorities.
The CG Tools can be used across arts and culture sub-sectors, including theatre, dance, museums, galleries, music, libraries, archives and more!
STATEMENT OF PLACE
The CSPA is a leader in a coalition of arts and environmental practitioners interested in promoting environmental stewardship in the Canadian arts and culture sector, and we have done so by adapting an arts and culture-specific carbon calculation tool created by the UK organization Julie’s Bicycle to the Canadian context. We are committed to equity and inclusion within artistic and environmental spaces, and we want to acknowledge that Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit, and Métis individuals, groups and organizations) cultures and peoples, as well as all marginalized communities, are disproportionately affected by the impacts of the climate crisis and environmental policies.
Through this work, we have an opportunity for us to de-centre the Western perspective most commonly held in environmental spaces and learn from Indigenous environmental stewardship and knowledge systems.
WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO
We want to fully develop and disseminate Creative Green Tools Canada to arts and culture users throughout the country, across sub-sectors of arts and culture. We want to do this within a framework of accessibility and equity, while fostering environmental stewardship.
The Creative Green Tools allow arts and culture organizations to understand and reduce their negative environmental impacts, and facilitate inclusive conversations with users by presenting environmental issues through an intersectional lens. The CG Tools will also contribute to increased societal benchmarks of inclusivity by meeting web accessibility standards, and being accompanied by programming designed to support IBPOC groups and other marginalized communities, such as hosting workshops and events that amplify a diverse range of perspectives.
We will advocate to our community for reconciliation and unlearning by engaging in ongoing relationship development and learning with Indigenous communities, Indigenous-led organizations and Indigenous Knowledge Keepers, thus deepening our understanding of the concerns and priorities of Indigenous artists and allowing us to produce more equitable programming.