What did we find out?
Survey of Arts Organisations Conducted by the Green Arts Initiative in Ireland
Following the presentation on the Green Arts Initiative in Ireland at the annual Theatre Forum Conference in June 2019, we invited arts organisations to complete a survey which would help to inform the future development of the GAII. The survey was made available on the Theatre Forum website and members were also contacted by email inviting them to take part.
In total, 20 organisations responded, of which 19 completed the entire survey. This is obviously a small sample and was more likely to have been undertaken by organisations which are already involved in some way in reducing their environmental impacts or are very willing to do so.
The Key Findings of the Survey:
- All 20 organisations who completed the survey confirmed that they wished to reduce their carbon footprint as well as their overall environmental impacts. All 20 were interested in engaging in further training to help them achieve a greener organisation.
- The bulk of the organisations who responded were venues (70%).
- Whilst almost 30% measured their electricity usage, 23% measured their heating (where other than electricity), and 17% measured their organisation’s waste going to landfill, only 4% calculated their carbon footprint.
- 60% of organisations used LED lighting in their buildings, and this was (not surprisingly) even more pronounced with venues where 11 out of 14 had converted to LED lighting in their offices and public areas. The use of LED stage lighting (though the survey did not quantify how much LED stage lighting was in use) was also quite high, with nine out of 14 venues noting that they included LED lamps in their lighting rigs.
- 95% of respondents segregated their waste, with a variety of other environmental actions noted including initiatives to support biodiversity (five respondents) and incentives for customers using re-usable cups (five respondents).
- Only six respondents had created an environmental policy, but 80% noted the presence of a Green Ambassador in the organisation. How formal this role is was not specified in the survey.
- Only 25% or organisations owned their own buildings, making energy upgrades a little more complicated for those wishing to reduce their energy usage, but most had some control over their utilities, including electricity, heating and water.
- Only a quarter of respondents had a green area around their building that they were responsible for maintaining. This is an important issue when it comes to supporting and nurturing
Full details of the survey can be downloaded here: Results of Green Arts Survey 2019