Metta Theatre: A Plan for Net zero Carbon Emissions
Metta Theatre generates only around 10 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year. While this is small (comparable to a single person's carbon footprint in the UK) we want to eliminate this impact on our planet and its societies as a matter of urgency. Our strategy combines reducing our carbon emissions wherever and as fast as possible and offsetting what remains. Key strategic areas for action are outlined below.
We believe cultural organisations should lead on accelerating to net zero. Theatre's footprint is small relative to other industries, but we have an important platform to inform, influence and communicate with the public.
Climate justice is social justice, and this underpins both our strategy and motivation.
Touring & Business Travel & Accommodation
Touring travel is organised by company members and covered by an allowance. Most people already choose to travel by train, and we'll continue to encourage public transport over car use. We strongly discourage domestic air travel. Emissions are included in our footprint.
We value the input of international artists to our productions, but recognise the carbon implications of bringing artists to the UK for a single production. We will assess trip duration and travel carbon in each case, and allow for slow travel whenever possible.
We will assess any requests for international touring based on distance, options for ground travel and duration of booking.
We commit to surface-travel only or online meetings for pitching and preparatory meetings.
Touring accommodation is organised by company members and covered by an allowance. Most people already choose to stay in digs and we will continue to encourage this and staying locally to venues to reduce commuting.
Where accommodation is required for meetings we use digs over hotels wherever possible.
Touring Freight (Set & Technical Equipment)
Freight suppliers for every tour are chosen based largely on location, minimising total distance driven.
We will continue to minimise volume and weight of set and technical equipment required for every production in order to minimise truck size and fuel use.
Office Utilities (energy, water & waste)
Our office is based in the artistic directors home, so emissions are calculated as a portion of their home usage. Freelance office staff also work from home, and their emissions are not included in our footprint.
We have recently moved office, and so will use the next year to collect data and benchmark energy usage.
Electricity is 100% renewable (provided by Octopus), and we commit to maintaining this for the long term.
Heating is electric and wood burner. Our previous home office was heated by gas, provided and offset by Good Energy.
Even with a 100% green electricity supplier, the grid is carbon-intensive and we are focusing on reduction.
Thermostats are already turned down, and we are careful about turning off the lights. We will commission a thermographic survey to identify heat loss and recommended insulation improvements over the next year.
We will assess the possibility of solar thermal water heating and solar PV panels over the next year, and install if viable in order to bring down our electricity consumption from the grid.
We have a water meter fitted in the new office, and will use the next year to benchmark water usage and set a reduction target. We will install rainwater butts for our garden.
We operate a largely paperless office, and will continue to reduce office waste wherever possible. Reduce and reuse are the most important carbon reduction principles. The process of waste, including recycling, is highly carbon-intensive.
Show Power, Production Creation & Disposal
Energy consumption is a design brief consideration for lighting designers, and we will add power consumption reporting to sound and video designers' responsibilities.
We will add materials' use reporting to set & costume designers, production managers and makers' responsibilities.
We commit to a circular economy framework for physical production - designing set and costume elements for reuse and disassembly. In the next year we will aim for 25% of all set/costume to be reused (eg. hired, purchased 2nd hand or constructed from reclaimed materials), rising to 50% within 5 years.
We commit to all new timber being FSC certified, and working with the sector to develop our own lists of banned & alternative materials. This will require deep engagement with freelance designers, production managers and 3rd party makers and workshops.
We will extend design and build deadlines to allow better planning & research for more effective ethical procurement.
We will work collaboratively with peers to share knowledge, storage, materials and services.
Rehearsals
We will appoint Green Champions for all productions - these company members will both encourage others' sustainability efforts and report back from on tour.
We will provide recycling in rehearsal rooms (for at least food, plastic bottles, coffee cups), even when not provided by venues.
We will ban single use coffee cups and water bottles from our rehearsal rooms.
We have been trialling and will continue to use company members' phones and tablets in rehearsals instead of paper scripts.
Industry engagement and climate leadership
We will continue to host the Sustainable Touring Group.
We commit to continued engagement with our peers to encourage sustainable leadership and the promotion of climate justice.
We have recently launched Metta Green, providing Creative Environmental Sustainability Consultancy & Engagement to other organisations in the sector and beyond.
Public engagement
We will create infographics for peers and the public of this strategy and inspirational stories of our successes, as well as tools and resources that can be used by others.
We will continue to give sustainability a prominent position on our website, develop a strategy to promote sustainability and climate justice through our social media channels and commit to developing our sustainability communications in receiving venues when on tour.
Monitoring and review
We will set sustainability as a regular agenda item at all production meetings and weekly office meetings.
We will monitor this strategy throughout the year, aiming to increase ambition wherever possible. A full carbon footprint will be calculated at the end of every year, and any remaining emissions offset through verifiable schemes in the UK.
In 2020 we will offset our actual emissions from the last four years (the years for which we have reliable data), and from 2023 we will offset double our actual emissions.
We will share findings with the Board, staff, peers, ACE, touring venues and our audiences.
Our carbon emissions and an assessment of our exposure to climate and associated extreme weather risks will be included in our next annual report and statutory accounts.