Producing

Set Goals. Collaborate with the creative team to come up with some sustainability goals. Be pragmatic in your approach to goal setting and ensure the team's goals are realistic, manageable, and won’t place unnecessary strain on the team.

Measure. One of the main things that producers and production managers can take responsibility for is recording data for realising these sustainability goals, like reducing the team’s transport emissions or the production’s overall emissions footprint.

• With your production designers and stage manager, record production materials as they are ordered so you can track your goals and streamline their end-of-show life. To do this, use this Production Materials Inventory template and see our End-of-Show Plan Principles.

Discuss. Make sustainability updates and check-ins a standing item on all production meeting agendas. Get each department to share their goals, progress, and obstacles to encourage collaborative problem-solving.

Market. Unless your venue requires physical posters, create an entirely digital marketing campaign. If you have to, use a carbon-neutral printer or one that uses eco-friendly processes. For more information on this, see our Green Your Marketing Principles here.

Advocate Renewables. Gently enquire with your venue about their energy supplier, and ask if they would be open to switching to a 100% renewable provider. The venue may not decide to change immediately, but if enough artists start a conversation, they will get the message! Greenpeace has recently ranked the top renewable energy providers in Australia by state, which can be found here.

Rehearse. Where possible, try to prioritise rehearsal venues that are close to public transport, and have access to kitchenettes to make hot drinks and store/reheat food.

Engage. Consider how you can engage with your community and audience with your sustainability goals. See our Involve Your Audience Principles for more information.

Offset. While offsetting emissions should only be a last resort, consider setting aside some of your budget for them. It’s difficult for indie productions to estimate their emissions in pre-production, but for most indie shows $100-300 should be more than enough.

• Unsure what an emission offset is or why they should only be used as a last resort? See this excellent guide from Arts On Tour.

• We recommend calculating your emissions footprint after the season has closed. Use either Creative Green Tools UK, or Arup’s Circulate Emissions Calculator. If you’ve calculated your team’s travel emissions, you can add that to the total.

• Look for an offset program that is accredited through Gold Standard, Verra, United Nations Certified Emissions Reductions, or the Australian Carbon Project Registry. Carbon Neutral was the first Australian organisation to achieve the Gold Standard certification and offer carbon offsets in different project areas.