Environmental sustainability

Equity has published a statement signed by over a hundred actors in favour of the union’s Green Rider, which aims to promote better environmental practices in TV and film.

The proposed contractual agreement between artists and productions focuses on sustainability and aims to spark a cultural shift in the UK’s entertainment industry, prioritising positive behaviour and influence rather than consumption of resources.

The rider can be adapted before being added to screen artists’ contracts, allowing actors to state their own sustainability commitments and to negotiate broader on-set standards before accepting a role.
 
Equity’s overarching aim is for the Green Rider to be included in the collective agreements that the union holds with producers. 

“Equity’s Green Rider is a tool to empower artists,” the statement said. “It provides a framework with which to negotiate better practices in TV and film. As actors and creatives, we support the creation and implementation into standard Equity contracts of a Green Rider”.

The statement has been signed by prominent British actors including include Mark Rylance, Hayley Atwell, Ben Whishaw, Bill Nighy, Gemma Arterton, David Harewood, Bella Ramsey, Paapa Essiedu, Nabhaan Rizwan, Juliet Stevenson, Harriet Walter, Maxine Peake and Miranda Richardson.

The union is in discussions with the BBC, ITV Studios and Sky Studios to pilot the Green Rider in upcoming productions.

“Film production is notorious for its waste and unecological practices,” said actor Mark Rylance. “This Green Rider is a template to help all film and TV artists to ask for more ecological practices. Just because we can’t do everything, doesn’t mean we can’t do anything. Let’s clean up our workplace.”

Actor Bella Ramsay said the Green Rider is a “practical route to positive change”.

“We can make all the films in the world about climate change but unless we are environmentally conscious in the process of making them, our efforts are superficial,” she added.

The National Theatre has submitted a planning application to modernise some of its backstage departments, which have not been refurbished since the 1970s.

The plans, which were submitted to Lambeth Council by architects and designers Tom Wilson Studio, detail refurbishments intended to bring the theatre’s back-of-house facilities in line with current health and safety requirements, to better reflect new staffing levels and to meet contemporary workplace and rest area requirements.

The areas scheduled for upgrade include the Grade II-listed theatre’s textiles studio, costume and prop workshop, wig, hair and make-up department and laundry room, located on the building’s fifth floor, the Stage reported.

The planning application said these areas as “no longer support the working requirements and practices expected of a modern theatre”.

“The area has been largely unaltered since the 1970s and in some cases does not meet the needs of modern shows or current health and safety standards,” said Tom Clarke, National Planning Advisor at Theatres Trust.

“Furthermore, its extract ventilation equipment has reached the end of its life. It is therefore proposed that these facilities will be upgraded with improved equipment installed to provide a safer and fit-for-purpose working environment.”

The proposal also specifies that the lighting needs replacing in all areas and puts forward suggestions for minor changes to the layout of the fifth floor, including a new doorway and the removal of dye vats from the textile studio.

“The National Theatre is working to reduce its carbon impacts, with a plan to achieve net zero in 2030,” it says. “The project should seek to reduce energy use through design and as these workshops contain some of the last remaining gas-fired equipment in use in the building, we should remove these to improve safety and help us reduce our fossil fuel impacts."

New research will explore how access to music and live events for disabled people can become more environmentally sustainable.

Julie’s Bicycle, Attitude is Everything and A Greener Future are calling on disabled, artists, audiences, volunteers and professionals to participate in a survey looking at how accessibility can be more considered in environmental initiatives.

“Disability access must be a key part of how we design climate solutions and orient our world towards justice. It is the embodiment of care and solidarity in practice,” said Farah Ahmed, Climate Justice Lead at Julie’s Bicycle. 

“We are really excited to be partnering with Attitude is Everything and A Greener Future to develop the tools and resources the sector needs to engage with accessibility as a core principle for environmental action.”

The research will be used to create a toolkit for the music and live events sectors, containing practical solutions and case studies. 

The first edition is to be published in early 2024.

Dulwich Picture Gallery has received planning permission for its biggest redevelopment in over 20 years.

The £4.6m transformation will include the addition of a interactive sculpture garden and a new building for families, both located in previously inaccessible areas of the gallery’s three-acre garden.

Architects Carmody Groarke will design the new pavilion building and an extension for the site’s existing cottage, which will both be constructed with lightweight timber frames to ensure low embodied carbon construction.

The new structures will be used to provide activities focused on art and creative play for school groups and young children.

Leading landscape artist Kim Wilkie has been selected to design the new outdoor gallery and to transform an underutilised field into a meadow and ‘art forest’, which will host a new biennial sculpture competition. The addition of 150 new trees and the sowing of wildflowers will enhance biodiversity by an estimated 17%.

As part of the gallery’s push towards environmental sustainability, a new ground source heat pump will be installed to decarbonise the existing gallery’s heating systems and to supply new buildings.

The gallery will remain open throughout the construction period, which is scheduled to start this winter and to finish in early 2025.

“The vision for Open Art is grounded in the principles of innovation and inclusion which have defined the gallery since we first opened to the public in 1817,” said Jennifer Scott, Director of Dulwich Picture Gallery.

“This exciting project will transform our green spaces into London’s only gallery-based sculpture garden, providing new creative experiences for everyone and inspiring the artists of the future.”

Protesters from campaign group Just Stop Oil halted an opera performance at Glyndebourne yesterday (15 June).

The BBC reports that three protesters purchased tickets for a performance of Dialogues des Carmelites at the East Sussex venue before setting off a confetti bomb and blowing an air horn an hour in.

The performance was halted for around 20 minutes while the protesters were removed from the auditorium.

A statement put out by Glyndebourne following the incident said: "We are very sorry to everyone whose visit to Glyndebourne was affected by the protest action today. 

"Our highest priority was the safety and security of everyone on site and we would like to thank our staff and performers, whose calm and professional response kept everyone safe and disruption to a minimum.

"We have formally reported the incident to the police but the police were not on site and no arrests were made."

Glyndebourne has previously committed itself to halving direct carbon emissions by 2030 and reaching net zero by 2050.

The British Film Institute (BFI) has announced a new package of industry support for awardees who can demonstrate that they are positively contributing to tackling the climate and ecological crisis.

Keir Powell-Lewis has been appointed Head of Environmental Sustainability to manage the fund, as part of BFI’s own net zero routemap.

The BFI National Lottery Sustainable Screen Fund has awarded £586,755 to industry leaders Julie’s Bicycle and BAFTA albert, to fund projects running over the next three years.

The funding will be used to support all BFI National Lottery awardees in building environmental understanding and action on positive environmental change.

Support for awardees will include tools and resources provided by each organisation, including open-access carbon calculators.

Julie’s Bicycle will offer support in the areas of audiences, screen heritage, skills, education, international projects and innovation and industry services.

BAFTA albert will aid in production across the wider screen sector, including film, XR/immersive and video games.

The funding will also allow the two organisations to further define the support needed to ensure that BFI awardees can track their environmental impact, seek sustainability certification and access relevant guidance on how to deliver projects more sustainably. 

“As the world faces a climate and ecological emergency it is vital we work with the screen sector with urgency to reduce the sector’s environmental impact and efforts to reach net zero,” said Harriet Finney, BFI Deputy CEO and Executive Director of Corporate & Industry Affairs.

“During the public consultation for our new 10-year BFI National Lottery Strategy and Funding Plan, the message was unquestionably that support for helping the industry tackle climate emergency was a priority and has been embedded as a core principle guiding our activities and funding.

“The range of tried and tested tools and resources developed by BAFTA albert and Julie’s Bicycle and their ambition, experience and expertise in further innovation and guidance for the sector will help us all work faster and better in contributing a positive impact towards tackling the climate crisis.”
 

Scotland has paused its involvement with the 2024 edition of the Venice Biennale art exhibition, with a review scheduled to take place to consider options.

A spokesman for the Scotland + Venice partnership, which oversees Scottish involvement, said that in “the present financial and planning environment” it was necessary to “review the current model of delivery” before committing to next year’s art event. 

Scottish involvement in this year’s architecture exhibition in Venice will go ahead as planned.

The spokesman said the review will consider the project’s position “within the wider scope of international opportunities available to Scotland's art and architecture communities”.

“This has been a difficult decision to make, especially given the project's significant achievements over the last 20 years,” he said.

“The decision also acknowledges the impact that the project has on the environment, and the need to consider how it can be delivered more ethically and sustainably into the future.”

Scotland has participated in the biennale since 2003, in part due to the fact that the British pavilion was unable to showcase the range and volume of Scottish and Scotland-based artists working in the contemporary art scene.

The country does not have its own pavilion however, instead staging “collateral” shows on the fringes of the main sites.

The partnership, which involves Creative Scotland, the British Council, National Galleries of Scotland, Architecture & Design Scotland, V&A Dundee and the Scottish Government, has said that Scotland will not be withdrawing from the biennale but will need to find a new model for presenting work there after the review process in completed.