Sustainability

Group of people riding through park with trees and grass. Sunlight shining through trees.
Green Champions Credit: Ben Crawford 2022

Rooted in our local economy and communities, we are committed to ensuring our work has a minimal impact on the environment and actively promotes sustainable ways of working.

Our sustainability aims

Our aims

1. To go beyond what is required of us, to respond ambitiously and imaginatively to the climate and ecological emergency.

2. To report with transparency, to recognise that difficulties and contradictions are not an excuse for inaction.

3. To lead a creative response to environmental issues, working alongside others from the arts sector and beyond, to share our successes and challenges with generosity and understanding.

4. To recognise the necessity of a just transition, that people are not affected equally by environmental and climate issues and solutions require compassion and fairness.

5. To recognise the important role that the arts play in helping to communicate, engage and process environmental and climate issues and embed these themes in our programme.

How we're going to meet our aims

1. Measure and regularly monitor our energy, water and waste, annually input these into Julie’s Bicycle’s Creative Green Tools to determine our carbon footprint. Use our building as energy efficiently as possible, make improvements to increase energy efficiency as part of ongoing capital maintenance.

2. Promote the need for environmental responsibility to audiences through our artistic programme and activities, recognising the importance of a collective cultural response to the climate crisis to raise awareness and encourage change.

3. Promote sustainable travel choices for staff, artists and customers.

4. Motivate and enthuse employees to actively involve themselves in issues of sustainability, to improve their actions and influence those who we work with to do the same.

5. Implement green procurements policies, encouraging suppliers and visiting artists to improve their sustainability performance particularly in relation to energy and resource use.

6. Make connections with other organisations across the arts and sustainability sectors, share best practice and challenges.

7. Reduce waste wherever possible and follow the waste hierarchy as set out in our Waste Policy.

8. Communicate our aims and impacts to our stakeholders including visitors, staff, board and supporters.

MAC's Green Champions

Our Green Champions are staff volunteers who meet regularly to discuss how to make MAC more sustainable. Each department is required to have representation. Our Champions have developed an Environmental Policy and Environmental Action Plan and work on projects throughout the year, including our annual eco-focused festival.