Dance Consortium is committed to exploring ways to reduce the impact of its activities on the environment through its environmental action plan. Whilst acknowledging that international touring creates an unavoidable carbon footprint, we are actively seeking ways to improve and mitigate against this. We endeavour to promote best practice across our membership and to raise awareness of the effects of climate change amongst our members, the companies we tour, suppliers, audiences attending our performances and the young people engaging in our Learning and Participation programme.
We continue to develop and promote new and innovative initiatives across the member venues. In the meantime, here’s a snapshot of some of the achievements that we are really proud of…
Reusable Ocean Bottles for each company member
We supply all visiting companies with reusable Ocean Bottles for each company member and our venues provide water stations next to the stage. Dancers drink LOTS of water, so this reduces plastic waste from single-use bottles of mineral water.
Earlier this year Dance Consortium’s Executive Director was invited to join the second cohort of the International Touring and Environmental Responsibility Programme supported by Arts Council England and the Danish Arts Foundation, sharing ideas for sustainable practice and environmental touring with like-minded international colleagues.
Since installing solar panels, the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury has solar powered the equivalent of 93 main house shows since February 2022.
Solar panels at the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury
Our touring technical team uses Velcro fasteners in place of PVC electrical tape for cabling work wherever possible, reducing the sacks of tape waste usually produced at the end of each run of performances.
Grand Opera House Belfast is 100% powered by local, renewable electricity with zero carbon emissions sourced from renewable resources.
Norwich Theatre Royal installed a 10.6m x 2.6m Living Wall on the side of the fly tower.
Norwich Theatre Royal's Living Wall
Brighton Dome and Festival is on a mission to reduce single-use plastics across the whole organisation and have teamed up with reusable cup experts Green Goblet to serve up audience drinks in an earth-friendly way; 250,000 fewer disposable cups per year will be sent to recycling.
Theatre Royal Plymouth sends food waste to Langage Farm where it’s used in an anaerobic digester to power their dairy….and then the farm supplies the theatre with ice creams – yum!
Langage Farm supplied ice cream at Theatre Royal Plymouth
Each of our member venues has appointed a Green Champion and Dance Consortium facilitates a nationwide e-group to share ideas and resources.
Bradford’s Alhambra Theatre has reduced its energy consumption by upgrading its heating system to run on a lower water temperature and replacing stage and front of house lighting with LED lamps.
Edinburgh Festival Theatre has converted its theatre lights to LED using existing wiring, reducing energy consumption by 80%.
Edinburgh Festival Theatre's LED lights
We’ve arranged a symposium on environmental sustainability for member venues in collaboration with Julie’s Bicycle, a pioneering not-for-profit organisation that mobilises the arts and cultural sector to take action on the climate and ecological crisis.
Greener Touring Symposium
