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Workshops on Creative Scotland’s Environment Connecting Theme

Creative Scotland has identified climate change and environmental sustainability as one of its cross cutting themes, in line with its duties under the Climate Change Act. This is reflected in its Environment Connecting Theme. But what is the Environment Connecting Theme, and how can arts, screen and creative industry organisations contribute to it?

In February, we will be holding workshops on the Environment Connecting Theme. Read on for more details.

What is the Environment Connecting Theme?

Creative Scotland have provided the following guidance about the Environment Connecting Theme:

Across the network of organisations that we will fund, the key outcomes in relation to Environment are:

• Reduce the direct environmental impacts of our work
• Influence others on issues relating to the environment

What is the criterion for Environment?

How well is Environment embedded across all aspects of your organisation and its work?

How will we assess this?

We will particularly look for:

• Any systems in place to measure your carbon emissions, any policies or plans for environmental sustainability including reducing your emissions.
• A Board or staff member who has responsibility for or actively champions environmental issues within the organisation and that there is a clear structure to address any issues.
• Any opportunities [which you are taking] to influence others with whom you engage

How Creative Carbon Scotland can help

Regarding the direct environmental impacts of your work, Creative Carbon Scotland can help provide support on measuring and monitoring your carbon emissions (whether you’re an individual or an organisation in the arts, screen or creative industries) as well as further explore how you can embed the environment in every aspect of your work.

From April 2015 onwards, Creative Scotland’s Regularly Funded Organisations (RFOs) are required to measure and report their carbon emissions and did so for the first time in September 2016 (see the Carbon Reporting Infographic for an idea of what RFOs voluntary reported on in 2014-15).  We’ll continue to provide support in this area, and any organisation starting out on this journey or wanting further help should contact Fiona MacLennan, our Carbon Reduction Project Manager, to discuss their needs.

Now that carbon measurement and reporting is established in the cultural sector, the development of plans to reduce carbon emissions is the logical next step, and leading organisations will reflect this in their work. We’ll be focusing our technical support on this area in 2017.

Regarding the influencing role identified by Creative Scotland, in February we will run free workshops in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow as well as an online webinar to consider this less developed area:

• Communicating organisations’ own work on environmental sustainability to audiences, suppliers, staff, freelancers and artists
• Programming work that touches upon or explores environmental sustainability and climate change, both within and outwith the organisations’ usual programme
• Engaging staff with climate change and environmental sustainability more widely

We’ll discuss the areas you might think about and provide examples of interesting work from around the world. The workshops will last about 2 hours and refreshments will be provided.

The post Opportunity: Workshops on the ‘Environment Connecting Theme’ appeared first on Creative Carbon Scotland.

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About Creative Carbon Scotland

Creative Carbon Scotland is a partnership of arts organisations working to put culture at the heart of a sustainable Scotland. We believe cultural and creative organisations have a significant influencing power to help shape a sustainable Scotland for the 21st century.

In 2011 we worked with partners Festivals Edinburgh, the Federation of Scottish Threatre and Scottish Contemporary Art Network to support over thirty arts organisations to operate more sustainably.

We are now building on these achievements and working with over 70 cultural organisations across Scotland in various key areas including carbon management, behavioural change and advocacy for sustainable practice in the arts.

Our work with cultural organisations is the first step towards a wider change. Cultural organisations can influence public behaviour and attitudes about climate change through:

Changing their own behaviour;
Communicating with their audiences;
Engaging the public’s emotions, values and ideas.

Go to Creative Carbon Scotland

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