Sustainability

#WORLDENVIRONMENTDAY: 5 WAYS WE’RE MAKING SADLER’S WELLS A GREENER PLACE

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On World Environment Day, we reflect on the ever-present issue of climate change, highlighting the ways in which we strive to promote the preservation of our environment while sustaining creativity within the sector and society at large.

Humans are both creatures and creators of their environment; nowhere does this ring truer than in the cultural sector. Now more than ever, artists not only have the power to transform and shape the world they contribute creatively to, but also a personal responsibility.

At Sadler’s Wells, we are committed to championing action on climate change, a commitment that extends to all areas of our work. From making more conscious decisions about how we present our productions, to the way we operate our building on a day-to-day basis, or better support the education and environmental awareness of our staff and audiences, here are some of the ways in which we are making Sadler’s Wells, and the wider industry, a greener, more sustainable place.

PLASTIC

Replacing plastic straws, take-away boxes and ice cream tubs in our café and bars with biodegradable paper alternatives such as cardboard seems like a giant leap for humankind, considering we were previously disposing of around 3,000 plastic straws every year!

Front of House staff showcases our biodegradable paper straws.

Installing water fountains backstage to cut down on bottled water use, as well as introducing a 20p discount for reusable coffee cups in our café are among the steps we’ve taken in a bid to reduce plastic waste at our venues.

ENERGY REDUCTION

Since 2014, refurbishments to the theatre have helped us to control and monitor our gas, electricity and water use, reducing our CO2 emissions and energy use year-on-year. Addressing the need to create greener production spaces for the future, we have invested in LED show lighting where possible and converted to LED throughout our foyer spaces, auditorium and backstage areas. We are also part of Arts Basket, a consortium of arts venues purchasing energy together, and 100% of our electricity comes from renewable sources.

Solar panels on the roof of Sadler’s Wells’ building in Rosebery Avenue, Islington, London

Thanks to the energy generated by our solar panels – located on the roof of our foyers and the fly tower directly above the main stage – we’re producing approximately 17000 kwh (kilowatt hours) on average per year – enough to power two family homes for a year!

WATER

Our ongoing programme of monitoring and reducing our carbon footprint not only applies to energy, but also water use.

Sadler’s Wells borehole. Image: Derek Kendall, English Heritage

The borehole, which connects us to the water source or ‘well’ underneath Sadler’s Wells, has been a permanent fixture of our building’s history since the early 1600s. Fast forward to 2019, it has become a vital part of our water reduction efforts – providing us with the water used for our sinks, toilets, heating and cooling.

TRANSPORT AND AIR POLLUTION

At Sadler’s Wells, we actively promote the Cycle to Work scheme. We also strongly encourage public transport use wherever possible. Both modes of transport are proving equally popular and are used by 95% of our staff when travelling to work.

Rachel McClure (left) and Elsa Stevens (right) with drivers they spoke to as part of the Vehicle Idling Action campaign

In a bid to lower levels of pollution in our local community, our Green Team encouraged drivers with idling engines outside the theatre to switch them off as part of the 2017 Vehicle Idling Action campaign, which was supported by the Mayor of London and delivered in association with Islington Council. Since then, we have made a conscious shift to the exclusive use of taxi and courier services with robust green credentials, in order to reduce our carbon footprint and improve the city’s air quality.

Advocacy continues to shape our work around sustainability. We recently joined the Spotlight Programme – a committed group of 29 cultural institutions working across England with the shared aim of driving down the environmental impacts of our activities, both individually and collectively in the sector.

SUSTAINABLE TOURING

As a cultural leader in the arts delivering work locally, nationally and internationally, we strive to operate as sustainably as possible. Since October 2018, we have been part of an ongoing collaboration with our Resident Company New Adventures (in particular, the company’s environmental arm Green Adventures) and Norwich Theatre Royal to develop a new blueprint for environmentally sustainable touring.

This collaboration, made possible by the Arts Council England-funded Accelerator Programme, will develop new and innovative projects and initiatives through to March 2022, helping us to think more creatively about the relationship between touring companies and receiving houses.

Green Adventures Champion Andrew Ashton, fellow dancer Isaac Peter Bowry and Norwich Theatre Royal on their eco-friendly initiatives during the 2019 national tour of Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake

Creativity and sustainability are among our core values; we believe both are not only intrinsically linked, but also integral to the future of arts and culture. We spoke to Jackson Fisch, dancer and Green Adventures Champion about the role both can play in furthering the fight against climate change.

Why is being a green champion important to you?

Being a Green Champion is important to me as it allows me to develop and change my own personal habits while having discussions with people about how and why we need to make changes to our daily lifestyles, as well as our touring habits, to make a positive change for environmental sustainability. I am in no way a perfect Green Champion, but being a part of the conversation has made me more aware and increased my ability to advocate for change.

What do you feel is your responsibility as an artist to ensure a greener, more sustainable world?

I believe my responsibility is to notice where I personally can change and develop greener habits, then to talk to and inspire others to do the same! A few months ago I became aware that, as a company, we were using copious amounts of paper towel to wipe the sweat off of ourselves while backstage during a performance. After noticing this, I went out and bought my own towel that I could reuse show after show in place of the paper towel that was just thrown away. As a company now, each dancer has a sweat towel provided to them and paper towel is no longer used!

Creativity and sustainability: What is the relationship between the two? How can we be more creative in our approach to protecting our environment?

All over the world artists, creatives and environmentalists are collaborating and thinking of new, sustainable ways to achieve what we now consider necessary ways of working and living. From fashion houses using sustainable materials, to architecture embracing natural materials and encouraging horticulture – the collaborative nature to advocate change always has a creative drive. Without creativity, new ideas driven by this passion and a desire for change would not come about.

New Adventures Green Champion Jackson Fisch. Image: Pamela Raith

Find out more about our Sustainability Policy on our website.

Sadler’s Wells scores top rating for environmental best practice

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Sadler’s Wells was awarded an outstanding five-star rating (out of 5) in the Creative Green certification by environmental charity Julie’s Bicycle.

“We’re delighted to have been awarded a five-star rating for 2017-18, improving upon the four stars we obtained the previous year,” said Emma Wilson, Sadler’s Wells’ Director of Technical and Production, and Chair of the theatre’s Green Team. “To be part of a collective approach towards environmental sustainability gives strength to all our voices, and we are proud to stand alongside our colleagues across the cultural sector.”

Sadler’s Wells achieved the top rating for the first time this year, alongside the Lyric Hammersmith, Battersea Arts Centre and Almeida Theatre. This is the third year we’ve been working with Julie’s Bicycle toward the Creative Green certification, an accreditation that recognises environmental awareness and achievement within the creative sector.

Among the initiatives implemented in 2017-18 – overseen by our Green Team, a dedicated group of staff who meets regularly throughout the year to discuss new ideas and the implementation of our Sustainability Action Plan – were the presentation of a sustainable refurbishment workshop in collaboration with the Islington Sustainable Energy Partnership (ISEP), the participation in the Vehicle Idling Action campaign to reduce pollution, and the planting of a herb garden in the Sadler’s Wells courtyard for the benefit of our kitchen and cafe staff.

Members of Sadler’s Wells’ Green Team tend to our herb garden

An area we scored particularly high in is our understanding of the impact of emissions, energy and water use, and waste facilities onsite. Our energy use, energy-related emissions and water use all fell in comparison to data from 2016-17. Through our involvement in the Arts Council England’s Spotlight Programme – also delivered by Julie’s Bicycle – we intend to further improve our environmental literacy and reduce carbon emissions.

Sadler’s Wells’ five-star Creative Green certificate 2017-18

A future project we are proudly taking part in is the Accelerator Programme. Together with our Resident Company New Adventures and Norwich Theatre Royal, we aim to develop a new blueprint for environmentally sustainable touring by creating a change in the relationship between touring companies and receiving houses, starting with the upcoming Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake tour.

Julie’s Bicycle has been working with Arts Council England for over a decade to inspire environmental action across the arts and cultural sector, and we work closely with them in our drive to be more sustainable in all areas of our work, and contribute to global sustainability goals.

Find out more about our Sustainability Policy on our website.

Sadler’s Wells axes use of plastic straws

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Creativity and sustainability are central to the future of arts and culture. Which is why, as part of our ongoing commitment to being as green as possible, we have stopped using plastic straws across our venues’ cafes, restaurants and bars. These have been replaced by biodegradable paper straws, which are less harmful to the environment and will now only be available on request. Previously, we were disposing of around 3,000 plastic straws every year at our venues.

“Removing plastic straws is one of many measures we are undertaking to make Sadler’s Wells as sustainable as possible. We are delighted to join the Evening Standard’s campaign to help reduce non-biodegradable waste and raise awareness of this important issue,” said Emma Wilson, Director of Technical and Production and Chair of Sadler’s Wells’ Green Team.

“Other initiatives for our café and bars include replacing plastic cutlery with biodegradable cutlery made from corn starch, and swapping polystyrene takeaway boxes with biodegradable kraft board ones. We are also investigating alternatives to the plastic cups that audiences use to take drinks into the auditorium. We get through an awful lot of those, so we are looking to replace them with something much more sustainable.”

Sadler’s Wells supports air quality campaign

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Sadler’s Wells staff encouraged drivers with idling engines outside the theatre to switch them off and reduce pollution today as part of the Vehicle Idling Action campaign. Supported by the Mayor of London and delivered in association with Islington Council, the initiative aims to improve the city’s air quality.

Four volunteers from Sadler’s Wells’ Green Team, the group of staff responsible for driving and monitoring our Sustainability policy and action plan and supporting environmental initiatives, took time away from their desks to speak to drivers outside the theatre, asking them to switch their engines off when not in use and encouraging them to make a ‘no idling’ pledge. They also thanked those drivers who weren’t idling. The volunteers were able to speak to a number of drivers and spread the word about how switching off their engines could lead to better air quality.

As a cultural organisation working locally, nationally and internationally, Sadler’s Wells is committed to reducing the impact of our activities on the environment, as well as to raising awareness of, and promoting debate on, climate change. We were pleased to take part in the campaign and contribute to lower levels of pollution in our local community.

You can read more about Sadler’s Wells sustainability policy here.

Images: Rachel McClure and Elsa Stevens with drivers they spoke to as part of the Vehicle Idling Action campaign. 

Herb planting at Sadler’s Wells

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At Sadler’s Wells, we have a Green Team that makes sure that all we do is as environmentally friendly as we possibly can. The team is responsible for overseeing the implementation of our Sustainability Action Plan and meets regularly throughout the year to review progress and discuss new ideas on how to further improve our environmental performance.

One of these ideas was for us to have our own, Sadler’s Wells-grown herbs. And so it was that Emma, our Director of Technical and Production and Chair of the Green Team, and Elsa, Administrative Assistant of the Visitor Services & Estates team, came in early one recent morning to haul around sacks of compost in our courtyard and plant parsley, sage, thyme, marjoram, chives and mint in a brand new planter built by Ghion, our resident carpenter in the Building Services team. The wooden herb planter is on wheels, so that it can be moved around to make the most of the sun.

Those summer mojitos will taste even better, knowing the mint comes from our own, mini herb garden!

 

Image: the new herb planter in the Sadler’s Wells courtyard.

Sadler’s Wells soaks up the sun and turns it into electricity

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What better way to celebrate the summer than giving your photovoltaic cells a good clean? That’s exactly what Sadler’s Wells has done this week, as we prepare for the summer months. With average highs of 28 degrees this weekend, the solar panels will be working overtime to gather as much light as possible to turn in to sustainable energy.

Find out more about Sadler’s Wells’ sustainability policy on our website.

 

Image: solar panels on the roof of Sadler’s Wells’ building in Rosebery Avenue, Islington, London.

Sadler’s Wells celebrates Earth Hour

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Sadler’s Wells will be joining millions of people, landmarks and businesses around the globe in support of Earth Hour, the world’s largest demonstration of support for action on climate change, by switching off our external lights on 25 March 2017, 8.30-9.30pm.

A global movement organised by WWF, Earth Hour has been working since 2007 to achieve positive environmental impact through a number of initiatives, such as pushing for climate-friendly policy changes and lighting up homes and lives with renewable energy.

Join us in marking Earth Hour by turning off non-essential lights for an hour. Find out more on how to take part at https://www.earthhour.org/celebrate-the-hour

Sadler’s Wells reduces its electricity usage by 10%

News,

Sadler’s Wells recorded a 10% decrease in electricity usage throughout the building for the period from January to March 2015, compared with the same period last year. The theatre is undergoing an extensive refurbishment project aimed at improving facilities and energy efficiency. The second stage of development was completed in September 2014.

The 10% year-on-year energy saving is a result of a targeted investment in switching to more efficient technologies, as part of Sadler’s Wells ongoing commitment to minimise its impact on the environment and develop increasingly sustainable ways of operating. Works have so far included the installation of energy saving LED lighting, chillers and air handling units, as well as solar panels to generate power.

Sadler’s Wells’ Event Manager Georgie Smith said: “Sustainability is very much a key topic on the events industry agenda so we’re delighted to be offering such great facilities here at Sadler’s Wells. The refurb project has meant that we can offer the very best, state-of-the-art facilities in terms of tech-support for our clients, while also making sure that we have the procedures in place to really reduce our carbon footprint. We aim to achieve a total 12% reduction in carbon emissions by the end of this year.”

As part of its sustainability monitoring, Sadler’s Wells also recently carried out a staff travel survey, which found that 95% of its employees use public transport to travel to work. The organisation also offers a cycle to work scheme and cycling facilities to encourage staff to travel to and from work by bicycle. Other initiatives include the sponsorship of a polar bear through taxi supplier Green Tomato and WWF. Sadler’s Wells is currently working toward obtaining the ISO20121 sustainability accreditation.

 

Image: Derek Kendall © English Heritage