Measuring your impact is knowing where you need to take action. It’s as simple as that… in theory. In practice, live music organisers may find the task of calculating a venue’s carbon footprint quite challenging.
The venues and clubs who took part in the Digital Safaris on Sustainability did not work alone on this. They cooperated with other public or private organisations to give them the push or help they needed for this task. And that may be the key to starting calculating your carbon footprint emissions: with collaboration.
Find in this article a few words on how Le Grand Mix (FR), Club Schwuz (DE), Handelsbeurs (BE) and Muziekclub 4AD (BE) have proceeded and discover what formats of cooperation can be developed to calculate your carbon footprint, from a DIY internal methodology to the help of the local government.
DO IT YOURSELF (BUT NOT ALONE)
Le Grand Mix (FR) and DEMO
Le Grand Mix, alongside Muziekclub 4AD (BE), Les 4 Ecluses (FR), Dour festival (BE) or Wilde Westen (BE), have cooperated with organisations from the ecology and social sector to work together on concrete solutions for sustainable and inclusive development in the live music sector in the North of France and Belgium.
Together, they have developed a methodology to create an environmental diagnosis of their cultural organisation along with some concrete actions to put in place. This methodology is applicable to every organisation, regardless of their nature or localisation. You can have a look at their methodology and findings in this document (available only in French and Dutch). A great DIY initiative which can profit many!
SECTOR-SPECIALIZED HELP FOR BERLIN CLUBS
Clubtopia (DE) energy consultations
Club Schwuz is one of Berlin’s oldest queer clubs. Respecting people and the planet is at the heart of their values!
In order to calculate their CO2 emissions, Club Schwuz sought the help of Clubtopia, an initiative which devotes itself to sustainability and climate issues within the Berlin club scene. They support clubs in becoming more sustainable, notably by offering free energy consultations (among many other actions). The expertise and experience of Clubtopia was detrimental for Club Schwuz, as they were offered an individual plan for action and were helped in its implementation.
HELP FROM CITY-LEVEL SPECIALIZED NETWORK
Handelsbeurs and Greentrack (BE)
During the Digital Safari at Handelsbeurs, the team of this Belgian venue presented the three axes they work on: green mobility, inclusion and network. Cooperation not only takes a step back from the competitive logics we are used to, but it can also be a motor in learning more about a given subject.
To calculate their carbon footprint, Handelsbeurs relied on the Ghent city-scale network Greentrack, which unites cultural organizations to reduce their ecological footprint with group purchase and sharing green ideas. Since they joined, every year they analyze their green footprint. This also allows comparison with other organisations’ footprint in Ghent.
HELP FROM REGIONAL GOVERNMENT
Le 4AD and the Flemmish sustainability charter (BE)
The Muziekclub 4AD team has had a green, socially fair & inclusive and DIY spirit for a long time. The resources, ideas and spirit were there. But 4AD needed a little something more to organise themselves and structure their work, defining precise objectives. That little something came when they signed the Flanders Durability charter. This shows how regional institutions can help grassroots organisations to shape their sustainable ideas and actions.
TO GO FURTHER… SHIFT CULTURE
Carbon Calculator Factsheet
The EU project SHIFT Culture (Shared Initiatives For Training on the Sustainable Development Goals) has released some interesting resources on climate change and how cultural leaders can face this global challenge. Among these resources is a Fact Sheet on Carbon Calculator, which presents an extensive list of reliable carbon calculators that cultural organisations can use.