Environmental Performance

UK: Certificate improves arts institutions’ environmental performance

This post comes to you from Culture|Futures

“Understand, commit and improve.” That is what is requred from the increasing amount of British arts organisations and institutions which undertake the so-called ‘Industry Green’ certification.

industry-green

The Industry Green certification was developed for the music, theatre and the wider creative industries to recognise commitment and achievement in managing and reducing carbon. It was developed by Julie’s Bicycle, a not-for-profit organisation working with the arts and creative industries to cut carbon emissions and make environmental sustainability a core component of their work. Established in 2007 by the music industry, Julie’s Bicycle has since extended its remit to the performing arts, visual arts and fashion.

With an audit report of the organisation’s environmental performance – covering energy, waste, water and travel – the Industry Green certification process is providing ever more organisations in the UK with the evidence to shout about their environmental successes. A certification of one, two or tree stars show staff, suppliers, artists and audiences that here is an organisation which is committed to going green.

Three stars to three organisations
In 2013, the outstanding three stars have been awarded to the opera institution Glyndebourne and the theatre production company Lyric Hammersmith both for the second year in a row – and they have been joined for the first time by Battersea Arts Centre.

Lyric Hammersmith is committed to becoming more environmentally friendly by reducing our carbon emissions by 10 percent each year

Nine British arts companies were successfully awarded the two star rating: Live Theatre, Northern Stage, The Sage Gateshead, Tyneside Cinema, Seven Stories, Greenwich Theatre, Hampstead Theatre, Soho Theatre, Young Vic.

And a one star certification goes to twelve organisations across the UK: Centre for Life, Dance City, Theatre Royal, Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums, Glasgow Film Theatre, Almedia, Bush Theatre, Donmar Warehouse, Royal Court, Theatre Royal Stratford East, Tricycle, Norwich Theatre Royal.

The Industry Green certification is compatible with, and complimentary to other environmental certification schemes including BS8901, ISO20121, ISO14001 and the Carbon Trust Standard.

“UNDERSTAND your environmental impactsPREPARE for compliancyREDUCE carbon emissions SAVE money SHARE the story BUILD your brand JOIN a community of companies working together to green the industry”

» See who is currently certified

» Download the Industry Green brochure (PDF) for more information.

» More info: juliesbicycle.com/industry-green

Culture|Futures is an international collaboration of organizations and individuals who are concerned with shaping and delivering a proactive cultural agenda to support the necessary transition towards an Ecological Age by 2050.

The Cultural sector that we refer to is an interdisciplinary, inter-sectoral, inter-genre collaboration, which encompasses policy-making, intercultural dialogue/cultural relations, creative cities/cultural planning, creative industries and research and development. It is those decision-makers and practitioners who can reach people in a direct way, through diverse messages and mediums.

Affecting the thinking and behaviour of people and communities is about the dissemination of stories which will profoundly impact cultural values, beliefs and thereby actions. The stories can open people’s eyes to a way of thinking that has not been considered before, challenge a preconceived notion of the past, or a vision of the future that had not been envisioned as possible. As a sector which is viewed as imbued with creativity and cultural values, rather than purely financial motivations, the cultural sector’s stories maintain the trust of people and society.
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Arcola joins the theatre DEC pool

The Theatres Trust and Julie’s Bicycle have joined together to undertake a comprehensive survey of environmental and sustainability issues facing performing arts venues in the UK.

Arcola is participating in the Theatres Trust Ecovenue project, which is improving the environmental performance of 48 London theatres by providing theatre-specific advice and awards of Display Energy Certificates. The Theatres DEC Pool will compare the performance of participating London venues with national theatre building performance.

The Theatres DEC Pool will cover all theatres throughout the UK and enable venues of similar types to compare approaches and share best practice. Theatres will also be able to see where they can contribute to promoting a more sustainable theatre sector. Analysis of the data will inform the next series of Government DEC benchmarks so they can be relevant to the theatre industry as a whole and will be incorporated into the Trust’s established Theatres Database.

See the Theatres Trust press release for further information: HERE

Go to Arcola Energy

Public Art Team realities:united Sends Smoke Rings as a Reminder of CO2 Emission

Rendering ©2010 by BIG http://www.big.dk

This post comes to you from Green Public Art

BIG architects, developed in collaboration with art studio realities:united, AKT, Topotek 1 and Man Made Land, has won an international competition to design a new Waste-to-Energy Plant for Copenhagen that doubles as a ski slope for Copenhagen’s citizens and a public art symbol of the city’s CO2 emission.

The new Waste-to-Energy plant will be an international model in the field of waste management and energy production, as well as an architectural landmark in the cityscape of Copenhagen. The project is the single largest environmental initiative in Denmark with a budget of 3,5 Billion DKK (approx. 658 million USD), and replaces the adjacent 40 year old Amagerforbraending plant, integrating the latest technologies in waste treatment and environmental performance. BIG’s progressive building design will turn the roof of the new facility into an ecological ski slope deepening the connection between the citizens of Copenhagen and redefining the relationship between the waste plant and the public.

Photo ©2000 by Jürg Alean http://www.swisseduc.ch/stromboli/

The public art component of the project, BIG VORTEX, designed by Berlin-based artists realities:united answers the question “What does a ton of CO2 look like?” The modified smokestack acts as a gentle reminder of the residues of waste burning. The gas will leave the smokestack as revolving gas clouds in the shape of smoke rings (toroidal vortex shape), which become visible due to the condensation of water in the flue gases as they slowly rise and cool, before slowly resolving into the air.

Each smoke ring, approximately 30 meters in diameter and 3 meters in height, constitutes exactly one ton of fossil carbon dioxide, which is added to the atmosphere. By using art to make the waste visible to the public the rather abstract pollution aspect becomes something the public can see and relate to.  On average the ring will remain stable for about 45 seconds, serving as a gentle reminder of the impact of consumption. At night, heat tracking lights will be used to position lasers onto the smoke rings turning them into glowing artworks over the city.

realities:united studio for art and architecture. E-Mail: info@realU.de

realities:united studio for art and architecture. E-Mail: info@realU.de

PROJECT INFORMATION:

Project: Waste-to-Energy Plant

Client: Amagerforbraending

Location: Copenhagen, Denmark

Budget: 3,5 BL DKK; 650 MIL USD, 460 MIL EUR

Smoke Rings: approx. 30m diameter, 3 meter height, 1 ton Co2

Architect: BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group

Project Artist: realities:united, studio for art and architecture (Smoke Ring Generator), Jan Edler, Tim Edler, Erik Levander, Daniel Mock

Collaborators: AKT (Façade & Structural Consulting), Topotek 1/Man Made Land (Landscape)

BIG Team: Bjarke Ingels, David Zahle, Brian Yang, Jelena Vucic, Alina Tamosiunaite, Armor Gutierrez, Maciej Zawadzki, Jakob Lange, Andreas Klok Pedersen, Daniel Selensky, Gül Ertekin, Xing Xiong, Sunming Lee, Long Zuo

Rebecca Ansert, founder of Green Public Art, is an art consultant who specializes in artist solicitation, artist selection, and public art project management for both private and public agencies. She is a graduate of the master’s degree program in Public Art Studies at the University of Southern California and has a unique interest in how art can demonstrate green processes or utilize green design theories and techniques in LEED certified buildings.

Green Public Art is a Los Angeles-based consultancy that was founded in 2009 in an effort to advance the conversation of public art’s role in green building. The consultancy specializes in public art project development and management, artist solicitation and selection, creative community involvement and knowledge of LEED building requirements. Green Public Art also works with emerging and mid-career studio artists to demystify the public art process. The consultancy acts as a resource for artists to receive one-on-one consultation before, during, and after applying for a public art project.

Go to Green Public Art

“Recycled Comedy” and the Ambassador Theatre Group

Reprinted from Broadway World: “Mark Rylance Visits Comedy Theatre’s “Recycled Comedy” Exhibit, Runs Through 9/4″ June 17, 2010

Actor Mark Rylance, who will be in the upcoming revival of David Hirson’s La Bête at the Comedy Theatre, visited the theatre’s current exhibition, “Recycled Comedy.” Rylance will be starring in La Bête alongside Joanna Lumley and David Hyde Pierce at the Comedy Theatre from 26 June until 4 September.

The “Recycled Comedy” Exhibition showcases replica costumes from past productions that have played at the theatre made entirely from recycled and recyclable materials. Each costume sits in its own ‘environment’ which is complemented with light and sound. For the past month front of house, management, crew and box office staff at the Comedy Theatre have been working hard to develop and realize the exhibition which promotes recycling and raises environmental awareness.

Rylance, who has a strong interest in environmental and recycling issues, won two Olivier Awards with his roles in MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHIN and JERUSALEM. He was also honored with a Tony Award for BOEING BOEING. He served as the Artistic Director of the Shakespeare Globe Theatre from 1995-2005.

The Comedy Theatre is owned by the Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG). ATG is committed to achieving the highest standards of environmental performance, preventing pollution and minimising the impact of its operations on the environment.

ATG believes it is both good business practice and our duty to protect natural resources and therefore aim to conserve energy, water, wood, paper and other resources – particularly those which are scarce or non renewable. ATG also aims to reduce waste through re-use and recycling and by using refurbished and recycled products and materials where such alternatives are available.

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Go to the Green Theater Initiative

APInews: Werewolves & Coastal Land Loss in Louisiana

A werewolf will prowl at dawn and dusk in the abandoned City Park of New Orleans as residents gather for “Loup Garou,” “part performance, part ritual, part howl to the world about southeast Louisiana’s plight.” The artists of Mondo Bizarro and ArtSpot Productions will present the outdoor performance Thursdays-Sundays, October 8-25, 2009, including post-show discussions about coastal land loss with experts from the Gulf Restoration Network. The artists say a “loup garou” is a “wild and dangerous entity some say a werewolf well anchored in the folk traditions of southern Louisiana,” going back to France and Acadia. The event is “environmental performance that uses rigorous physicality, poetry, music and visual installation to investigate the deep interconnectedness between land and culture in Louisiana.” Thursday performances begin at sunrise and weekend performances end at sunset; free gumbo on Fridays.

via APInews: Werewolves & Coastal Land Loss in Louisiana .