Today, arts and culture venues and creative organisations and individuals across the country, including us here at HOME, will team up to declare a Climate and Ecological Emergency as part of a series of initiatives organised by Culture Declares Emergency
Inspired by dozens of UK councils declaring Climate Emergencies – from Cornwall to Hull, from Mendip to Manchester – members of the arts, culture and creative industries have decided to ask how we might respond collectively, do our part in telling the truth about the climate and ecological crisis, and take necessary action.
Here’s our statement in support of the initiative:
HOME declares a Climate and Ecological Emergency. We are in a state of global climate crisis and we are on the brink of causing irreversible damage to our planet, its atmosphere, its inhabitants and our future.
These are our intentions and actions:
HOME recognises both that direct and collaborative action is imperative in responding to the global challenges of climate crisis and in securing environmental sustainability. Meaningful action is needed across all sectors of society. Culture has its part to play in reaching and influencing others, showcasing creativity and inspiring change.
At HOME we know that supporting our environment requires sustained policy and action, and we are committed to reducing our environmental impact year on year, continuing our commitment to securing a green future. Our vision is to be a best-practice arts and cultural venue, with environmental, social and economic sustainability at the heart of what we do. We contribute to the conversation and action on local, national and international levels; whilst innovating, testing and championing models of environmental best practice. With sustainability fully embedded into the heart of our organisation, its operations and programming, our efforts today strengthen a creative green future for tomorrow.
Through training and knowledge-sharing we enable our staff to become Carbon Literacy champions, supporting and inspiring our communities, audiences, partners and stakeholders through action and engagement.
As ambassadors for change we actively support Manchester’s Zero Carbon 2038 ambitions and align our environmental action plan to science-driven targets. We continue in our drive towards meaningful change by raising awareness to policy makers and those with the power to decide how our futures will be mapped.
We collaborate with other creative organisations and actively grow a network with shared goals and ambitions. Manchester Arts Sustainability Team is a case model for driving change through carbon reduction, best practice and collective influence. Together we are accelerating change and devising a road map to Zero Carbon 2038 for Manchester’s cultural sector.
HOME works across sectors to influence and drive change across our site in Manchester city centre, across the region, nationally and internationally. We believe that meaningful action comes through conversation and exchange. We engage with our suppliers to place our focus on sustainable procurement and share our findings and learnings with others.
We are committed to transparency in our commitments and actions. We report on our carbon footprint annually and seek to reduce our impact year on year whilst expanding each aspect of our evidencing. We are undertaking a 4-year energy reduction programme with Julie’s Bicycle and Arts Council England and this will put focus on each aspect of our programming, operations and infrastructure.
We actively support biodiversity and have two honeybee colonies on our roof. With four trained staff beekeepers we are committed to raising awareness of our city’s ecosystem and using our platform to engage our audiences, visitors, stakeholders, neighbours and networks to make conscious and informed choices in their everyday lives and business activities to minimise impact and grow environmental sustainability both far and wide.
Our power as an arts organisation lies in our ability to reach, share and influence through our programming and our welcoming, inclusive space. Our communities are the reason we exist and we have a responsibility to share our knowledge, learn in return and drive change collectively. We can do this in our building, in how we make things happen and in the things we programme. We have to focus on both the minutiae and the major in order to understand our impact and identify areas for change. We have a responsibility to help others make these choices too and to instil the confidence and determination to lobby and act for change. From switching to renewable energy to going single-use plastic free, from writing to policy makers, delivering training and supporting climate-conscious artists and creatives, we need to address the full cycle of our impacts.
Climate crisis is the biggest socio-political problem that we as global citizens face. It is critical that we face up to this in order to deliver lasting and meaningful sustainable development. We can tell stories and share learning and inspire change, responsibility and action. This will take a changing of mindsets and methods.
The choice is ignorance or action. We invite you to come on this journey with us.