What is this task trying to achieve?

Giving you ideas of how our physical spaces could be more environmentally-friendly, either for you to make changes if you have the responsibility, or to talk to those who do.

How should I do it?

Twice this month, take the time to go around one of the spaces in which you rehearse/perform and if you can, make 1 of the changes listed below, or talk to the person responsible to see if they can make the change.

BUILDING

• Do you see many plants around? They clean the air (which is especially useful if chemical cleaning products are used) and bring more oxygen into the area (good for you!).

• Are recycling facilities easily accessible? If not, you don’t need to buy expensive bins; you can make them out of boxes and someone can be assigned to empty them regularly.

• Balcony/rooftop terrace - Is there an outdoor space where you could plant something? The benefits of adding more plants to our world are endless. Watch life return: birds, bees, insects etc.

• Are heating or cooling systems on when people aren’t around? These use huge amounts of energy. Turn them down when you’re not around.

• Before you leave the office, make sure you have turned off all electronic devices. Standby mode still uses energy, and if you imagine everyone on the planet doing that, you can assume it’s a big waste of energy.

• Is there a safe place to store bikes? Constructing one will encourage people to cycle to work.

• Are the cleaning products used full of dangerous chemicals, or are they environmentally friendly? Encourage whoever cleans the building or manages the cleaning for environmental (and therefore human!) friendly products to be bought.

• Take an interest in finding out where the energy used to power the building comes from. Is the energy company you use burning fossil fuels or are they using a sustainable source (such as wind or sun)? Renewable energy may be more expensive, but we all need to make this investment.

STAGE

• Does it get hot on stage? Switch to LED lights, and take advantage of these financial and ecological benefits

WORKING PRACTICES

• Are you printing more than you need? It’s good to get used to reading things on the screen rather than printing them off. According to a 2014 study conducted by Catalog Spree and PaperKarma, if the US alone cuts its office paper use by just 10% by moving to digital, the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions would be equivalent to taking 280,000 cars off the road for an entire year.

We’re counting! Please let us know if you’ve finished this task so that your help is add to our counters.

We’re listening! If you have any thoughts or questions about this task, please get in touch with us or post them on our Facebook group.