SUSTAINABILITY

We have an end-to-end approach to how we plan and manage our projects and we:

• Implement and consider sustainability from every project’s start –schedule, locations/ travel, equipment, costume design/ materials, hire local supply crew and provide all contractors with a Sustainability Policy.
• Send out a green memo to everyone on the production to ensure all team members understand the sustainability values of the production.
• Include green clauses in venue riders.
• Ensure production meetings are remote where possible.

When travelling and transporting resources, we:

• Seek out accommodation for talent and crew that strives for environmental sustainability.
• Reduce travel, where possible, through careful scheduling and planning.
• Promote low emission transport to venues such as cycling, walking, public transport or car sharing where safe and feasible.
• Encourage audiences to travel sustainably.

When using energy and water, we consider:

• Reducing energy and water usage where possible.
• Prioritising sustainable energy sources.
• Requesting our equipment suppliers, to provide low energy equipment.
• Using natural light, where possible, in studios/venues.
• Switching off and saving energy (lights when using natural light is not possible, heating/air con) when leaving studios/venues.

We take the following approach when using materials:

• Reducing waste and recycling as much as possible.
• Setting up recycling/ waste stations when rehearsing and in dressing rooms.
• Minimising printed material by communicating electronically as much as possible.
• Only printing production documents when essential e.g., for disability access.
• Printing double sided, where necessary.
• Upcycling/ repurposing materials for set/costume construction/ make.
• Discussing green design choices with design partners:
• upcycling/repurposing set materials/costume fabric, reduced shipping distances, packaging reduction.
• Ensuring hair and make-up products are ethical and responsibly sourced.
• Avoiding disposable water bottles/ hot drinks cups/ single use food packaging by using refillable water bottles/reusable hot drinks cups/ food containers.
• Reducing the number of online orders made to minimise reliance on unsustainable and unethical conglomerates (eg. Amazon) and to support independent and local businesses/craftspeople instead.
• Encouraging use of recycled paper for notes, notebooks, etc.
• For printed marketing material (banners, flyers for those without online access), using a supplier that prints on recycled or FSC certified paper with non-toxic and biodegradable ink and only prints what is needed.
• Promoting vegetarian, vegan and locally sourced food amongst project  teams.

We take the following approach when working with our partners:

• Complying with environmental legislation, liaising with local authorities on up-to-date environment strategies, and adhering to venues’ environment policies.
• Taking a reflexive approach to learning more and developing understanding on how to make projects more environmentally responsible.

We monitor our carbon footprint using Julie’s Bicycle creative climate tools and we record this for each of our projects on our data dashboard https://juliesbicycle.com/our-work/creative-green/creative-climate-tools/

We ask all of our artists, production team and crew to sign up to our Green Memo.

GREEN MEMO

At Tala Lee-Turton Productions, we believe in climate justice and are developing our understanding of the systemic causes that are contributing to the climate crisis. We are making transformative interventions in our creative practices to affect change and raise awareness about climate justice, tackling intersecting ethical, social, environmental and political vectors of inequality. This involves constantly reevaluating our strategy, production operations and creative decisions.

We request that, as a member of our team, you commit to developing your understanding of climate justice and implementing green protocols in the following ways:

Developing collective understanding

• We encourage you to be part of the climate justice conversation and how different team members, partners and audiences relate to it. Please be open to new creative and practical ways of working.
• We encourage taking a reflexive approach to learning more and developing understanding on how to make everyone’s creative practices more environmentally responsible. Please share the ways you think the production can do more for climate justice and environmental sustainability.
• Please read and apply our Sustainability Policy.

Energy and water conservation 

• If providing equipment (technology/electronic instruments), try to ensure it is low energy. 
• Please use natural light, where possible, in studios/venues and switch off lights/heating/air conditioning when not in use.
• Please turn off taps fully.

 Waste, recycling and materials 

• Please use recycling bins where available and bring reusable water bottles/containers/hot drink cups.
• Please use environmentally friendly, non-toxic and ethically sourced make up/hair/cleaning products.
• Please use the designated WhatsApp group to minimise emails.
• When necessary, please try to reduce the number of online orders made to minimise reliance on unsustainable and unethical conglomerates (e.g., Amazon) and to support independent and local businesses/craftspeople instead.  
• Please try and use electronic means or recycled paper for notes.
• We encourage vegetarian, vegan and locally sourced food amongst project teams. 

 Travel, transport and locations 

• Please seek out accommodation that is close to rehearsal and tour venues to minimise travel.  
• Please take advantage of the production car share schedule.
• Please walk/ cycle to venues in close proximity.

 We are committed to reviewing our green memo and good practice annually.

Definitions

Climate Change:

Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns, mainly caused by human activities, especially the burning of fossil fuels, which emit greenhouse gasses like methane, nitrous dioxide, and of course carbon dioxide, or CO2. And the more greenhouse gasses we emit, the hotter the planet gets, the more the weather patterns are disrupted or intensified, and the higher the risk for everything. So these climate feedback loops can look like hotter temperatures causing glaciers to melt for example. 

When this happens, it means:

• Less solar energy is reflected back into space and more is absorbed by the earth, heating it up more. 
• Sea level rise is increased.

This increases coastal erosion, putting coastal communities and ecosystems at risk because the warming air and ocean temperatures create more frequent and intense storms. All of these changes have knock-on effects for nearly everything happening on this planet.

Climate Justice:

Climate justice is not a singular issue. It is tied to land justice, water justice, environmental justice, disability and racial justice. In addition to measuring carbon emissions and temperature data, we must relate the effects of climate change to systemic inequality, the legacy and continuation of Colonialism, human rights and the rights of nature, Capitalism and the historical responsibilities for emissions.

Climate justice interrogates the root cause of the injustices and inequalities born from climate change, which lie heavily in the extractive nature of colonial capitalism and the expansion of empires, using violence and control to colonise and settle into lands inhabited by Native peoples, erasing their cultures and exploiting resources like fossil fuels, minerals, food, wildlife, water, and even people for profit.

Our definitions are drawn from information and data on Julie’s Bicycle where further resources are available:

Welcome to Julie’s Bicycle | Homepage | Culture & Climate Non-Profit (juliesbicycle.com)

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