This post comes from Creative Carbon Scotland

51 Shades of Green: Action in the Arts will take place on Thursday 27th October 2016, returning to the Pearce Institute in Glasgow for a full day of discussion around the key actions the arts sector is making to reduce its environmental impact.

Last years conference (50 Shades of Green: Stories of Sustainability in the Arts Sector) saw attendees from across the arts sharing their experiences, inventions and approaches to carbon emissions reporting and engaging others with environmental sustainability. This year we’re matching the sharing of best practice with a focus on taking the next step towards carbon reduction, and building the momentum towards action in the arts.

Whether you’re a Green Arts Initiative member, a Regularly Funded Organisation working towards Creative Scotland’s ‘Environment’ Connecting Theme, an arts venue keen to find out what your peers are doing, an arts company who has been working on sustainability for years, or just coming to sustainability in the sector for the first time, there will be something for you!

To register your interest (and be the first to hear when tickets become available), enter your details and ideas here: Save the Date: 51 Shades of Green

The post Save the Date: 51 Shades of Green appeared first on Creative Carbon Scotland.

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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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This post comes from Creative Carbon Scotland

Last week as part of the Edinburgh International Film Festival (running from the 15th-26th June 2016), Creative Carbon Scotland hosted ‘Cinema Verde’, an event exploring the myriad ways for the screen sector to affect environmental sustainability.

Cinema constantly reflects and shapes our society: its immersive nature is a powerful force for visualising our current culture, imagining new worlds, and offering alternative perspectives. The opportunity for filmmakers to explore and address the challenging issues of our time whilst improving their own sustainability credentials and finances is a burgeoning area in the sector – and brought to greater prominence with the increasing Hollywood support of the cause:

We heard from a diverse range of panellists during the event, which was held at the EIFF Delegate Hub at the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh.

First up, Mike Day (of Intrepid Cinema) talked to us about his conceptual content choices in directing a documentary that explicitly tackled issues of unsustainability in the Faroe Islands and whaling. Mike explained how he chose to inhabit the creative space between artist and activist when making work which explores such issues, and highlighted the role of the filmmaker in challenging existing conceptions about less-well documented communities.

The Islands and the Whales Trailer from Intrepid Cinema on Vimeo.

We then heard from Lucinda Broadbent of Media Co-op, a Scottish film production company who specialise in creating digital media and films for the third sector and broadcast television. Media Co-op are committed to increasing their positive social and environmental impact, and have been taking steps to reduce the carbon impacts of their production methods. Lucinda focused on the ‘everyday’ actions individual filmmakers can take when trying to work more sustainably, taking us through the start of her day, and the sustainable choices she makes along the way!

Finally we heard from Naresh Ramchandani of Do The Green Thing (an international organisation focussed on harnessing the power of creativity to tackle global climate change through ‘playful propaganda’) on the implicit actions screenwriters could take to grow the sustainability consciousness of their audiences. To read about some potential examples of this in practice, you can find their inspiring issue on ‘How Screenwriters are Ruining the Planet’ and watch this short clip below:

How to watch a movie from Do the Green Thing on Vimeo.

The Edinburgh International Film Festival is also a member of our Green Arts Initiative: an interactive community of Scottish arts organisations committed to reducing their environmental impact. EIFF has been working on reducing their waste, energy consumption, and business-related travel: even experimenting with video-conferencing guest to avoid trans-Atlantic travel in the past. Find out more on their green page on their website. 

Events like this are just some of the ways through which Creative Carbon Scotland is supporting the screen sector in its efforts to reduce its environmental impact, and think creatively about approaching environmental sustainability.

If you’re working in screen (or in the arts more generally) and are looking for some individual advice improving your environmental sustainability, get in touch!

Fiona (fiona.maclennan@creativecarbonscotland.com) in our team is an expert in all things carbon reduction, and can cannot you with others working towards similar goals. Alternatively, take a look through the links and resources below or on our dedicated page for screen.

The post Blog: Cinema Verde at the Edinburgh International Film Festival appeared first on Creative Carbon Scotland.

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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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This post comes from Creative Carbon Scotland

How do you connect local communities, creative performers and environmental sustainability all in one? In our yearly #GreenFests blog series, we have explored many a way to do this, and this weekend’s Power of Food Festival kicks off this year’s blog just as the summer festival season is gaining speed.

Edinburgh’s community gardens will open their gates again this Saturday and Sunday (18-19 June) following last year’s successful inaugural celebrations. Not only will the gardeners themselves be present and their produce be available for admiration and in some cases delectation, but also many of the gardens have organised activities for their visitors.

Making food production sustainable is one of the biggest challenges our society is facing, and inviting, encouraging and educating people about home-grown and communal food is one of the best ways to tackle this issue. The Power of Food Festival and team behind it are specifically promoting environmental sustainability; giving people an opportunity to source their food locally and learn about the processes involved in growing food. Additionally, the Festival and the gardens themselves teach visitors how to use seasonal produce, showcase opportunities for composting food waste rather than sending it to landfill and encourage people to be mindful about their food and their community. In the association’s words: “Community gardens (…) bring people together around a meaningful concept of growing food together.”

It seems like a perfect match to join community artists with community gardeners. Not only are creative activities attracting visitors, but also artists can engage their audiences with sustainability, and show its possibilities and advantages for everyone. The festival may also encourage the artists themselves to do work sustainably, on sustainability or both. Artists of all kinds have the chance to lead and support communities in their awareness of sustainability issues and how to tackle them. Projects like reusing and recycling materials and thinking more creatively can turn a simple shared space like a garden into one shaped by and representing the community tending to it.

The Power of Food Festival is also encouraging people to explore the gardens by bike, offering both a map with cycle routes to those interested and two guided cycle tours from garden to garden, organised by the charity, Sustrans.

The festival runs in the same vein as CCS’ Green Tease event series, connecting cultural practices and environmental sustainability. So have a look at the PoFF programme, check our Sustainable Travel Policy to find out how to best travel from garden to garden, and after a weekend exploring Edinburgh’s Community Gardens get excited about the upcoming festivals organised by members of the Green Arts Initiative.

Image courtesy of the Power of Food Festival Association.

The post #GreenFests Blog: Celebrating Edinburgh’s Community Gardens appeared first on Creative Carbon Scotland.

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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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This post comes from Creative Carbon Scotland

At last week’s Beautiful Renewables Practical Workshop, two interesting ideas arose that support one of Creative Carbon Scotland’s main aims: to encourage and support more cross-fertilisation between the arts and cultural sector and others working on sustainability. (I hesitate to call it the ‘sustainability sector’ because it is so broad and all-encompassing: renewables, low-carbon technologies, energy demand management, clean-tech, adaptation, environmental pressure groups… and that’s just the beginning of the environmental sustainability part).

1. Chloe Uden from RegenSW, a community energy organisation in Exeter, argued that every community energy group should invite an artist onto its board, an idea she has followed up in her blog at Power Culture. Interestingly, her list of characteristics and skills – that artists might have and the boards might find useful – has some similarities with the American artist, Frances Whitehead’s, piece What do Artists Know?, that I blogged about recently.
2. Elizabeth Monoian and Robert Ferry from the Land Art Generator Initiative posed the idea for a ‘Percent for art’ as a requirement for energy projects, adaptation projects, environmental remediation etc. Some people may remember that this was an idea that used to have some currency, mainly for more general civic development, new office buildings etc. Section 75 of the Town & Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 provides the opportunity for local planning authorities to ask for some planning gain when approving a planning application (in England it’s Section 106, and thanks to Ross Anthony of the valuable Theatres Trust for his advice on this). So the mechanism exists.

We at CCS would support both of these ideas – of course we would! And both the LAGI team and Chloe provide a good set of reasons why each idea is a good one. I want to add a few more comments.

First, I’d argue that not only should community energy groups look for artists to join their board, but also artists should fight to join them. Why? Because they’ll find it interesting, they’ll meet all sorts of interesting people who they otherwise wouldn’t – engineers, project managers, even planners! They’ll be escaping from the art-world bubble and they’ll be playing a full part in civic life. The benefits will be to both sides. Both of the case studies we used during the Beautiful Renewables workshop brought together cultural heritage and renewables.

In Hawick particularly, there’s a large flood prevention scheme underway with the potential to use the project to reinvigorate the town’s relationship with energy derived from the power of the river. Water power, which can be devastating if not managed, is also at the heart of the town’s history with numerous textile mills, and so its history of crafts and textiles. Borders choreographer Claire Pencak is working to ensure that the arts are involved in the project, but without that effort, culture could get left out. Artists of Scotland, get out there and find your board to join!

Second, why should community energy groups have all the fun? The boards of arts organisations are always being urged to find a lawyer, a marketing expert and an accountant to join them. Why not an energy or a sustainability specialist? Think how it would change their approach and broaden their viewpoint – not to mention improve their bottom line – if they had someone who really knew about building management, renewables generation or resource efficiency round the table. And for the sustainability person, they’d be thrilled to get to know the arts from the inside out. Arts boards of Scotland, advertise your vacancies in different networks!

And similarly, in exchange for a ‘Percent for Art’ from energy projects, what about a Percent for Sustainability in arts projects? If every funding application had to demonstrate how the project would contribute to future sustainability, how many exciting ideas could we develop and how many new audiences could we appeal to? This applies to capital projects, where renewables, low-carbon technologies and so on could ensure that our new arts buildings are as leading and modern as we hope the organisations are that build them. But it could equally apply to other projects, with creative thinkers progressing sustainability by applying their non-linear thinking, their invaluable and extensive experience of taking ideas from conception to reality and their ability to understand, synthesise and disseminate complex ideas from other fields of thought to a wide and hungry audience.

Creative Scotland’s Environment Connecting Theme is one mechanism here, and although the Open Project Fund doesn’t yet ask a question about a project’s contribution to the Theme, if piles of applications start demonstrating their commitment, they’ll have to take notice! Funding applicants, add a percent for sustainability to your plans and your budgets!

Read more of Ben’s Strategy Blogs:

• Exploring Creative Scotland’s Environment Connecting Theme
• Disinvestment
• Happy Museum and Salzburg

The post Ben’s Strategy Blog: Art+Renewables Connections appeared first on Creative Carbon Scotland.

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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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This post comes from Creative Carbon Scotland

Along with partners, Creative Carbon Scotland will be making the journey to London with ‘When Tomorrow Becomes Yesterday: Sustainability in Song’, an AHRC funded project, part of the Connected Communities Programme.

‘When Tomorrow Becomes Yesterday’ examines how songwriting might help us to imagine the future in light of climate change concerns. It brings together musicians, climate change adaptation researchers, and civic movements such as Manchester a Certain Future, to explore how music can affect a wider cultural transition towards a more sustainable society.

The Utopia Fair will showcase the creative outcomes from the ‘When Tomorrow Becomes Yesterday: Sustainability in Song’ project, led by University of West of Scotland researcher Jo Collinson Scott AKA singer-songwriter Jo Mango. This includes the installation of a short film showcasing the project and a live performance with singer-songwriters such as Scotland’s Louis Abbott, London’s Adem and Sheffield’s Craig B.

The project has been led by Jo Collinson Scott (UWS), Gemma Lawrence (Creative Carbon Scotland), Angela Connelly (The University of Manchester) and Matt Brennan (The University of Edinburgh), and features songs written by Adem, Louis Abbott (Admiral Fallow), Craig Beaton (A Mote of Dust) and Jo Mango. The film was made by WakeUpAdvice.

Interested in finding out more about sustainability efforts in the Scottish music industry? Read ourSustainable Music Festivals Guide created as part of the Fields of Green music festivals research project.

Festival details:

Address: Somerset House, Edmond J. Safra Fountain Court, London
Dates: 24 -26 June 2016
Times: Friday: 17.00-22.00; Saturday: 10:00-18.00; Sunday: 10.00-17.00
Free admission

Sustainability in Song is funded by the Connected Communities grant (Arts and Humanities Research Council), and supported by partners including University of West of Scotland, University of Manchester, University of Edinburgh, Creative Carbon Scotland, Manchester a Certain Future and Julie’s Bicycle.

The post News: Sustainability in Song at Somerset House appeared first on 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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