Green Cheltenham Festivals
As a result of a climate emergency being declared in 2019, Cheltenham Festivals signed up to Powerful Thinking VISION 2025, an industry wide initiative to work together across the festivals and events sector with the aim to achieve a 50% reduction in festival-related annual GHG (Green House Gas) emissions by 2030.
Our sustainability plan is centred on nine key areas of activity, which cut across all our work as a charity. By focusing on each of these in turn and simultaneously, we are transforming how we work as an organisation – and how we think of hosting live events.
The nine areas of focus of our sustainability action are: Carbon Reduction, Energy, Materials and Waste, Travel and Transportation, Food, Drink and Water, Finance, Sponsorship and Partnerships, Governance and Internal Leadership, Community and Sector Leadership and Programming.
What's more, Cheltenham Festivals has also signed the CheltenhamZero agreement, committing to tackling the climate emergency head on, doing our part within our organisation and working collaboratively with other local organisations to support the shift to net zero emissions as a town by the year 2030.
Read on to find out more about what we're doing, why and how.
What we're doing well
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Our Festivals are powered by hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO)
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We collaborate with multiple local and national sustainability stakeholders; Urban Sustainability Arts Network (USAN), Cheltenham Borough Council (CBC), Chelt Zero, Visit Gloucestershire, University of Gloucestershire (UoG), Vision 2025
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We've established a sustainability community around Cheltenham Festivals (specifically Chelt Zero, Cheltenham Borough Council (CBC), Planet Cheltenham, Vision21)
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TRACE Software is in place to track and monitor the carbon impact of our events
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Chelt Zero has allocated £10,000 towards projects, with a further £5,000 in the pipeline for TRACE software
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Cheltenham Festivals has been named a “Gloucestershire Sustainability Champion” via a new network established cross county via University of Gloucestershire and Visit Gloucestershire
What we'll be doing better by 2026
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Our Festivals will be powered by mains or green energy
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Our CO2e emissions will have reduced by at least 50% and we will be on our way to becoming net zero
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Cheltenham Festivals will be seen on a local, national and international level as a leader in the delivery of sustainable events
In every case and at all times, we focus on measuring and assessing our performance, developing data sets which can help us further drive improvements and change in sustainability and climate impacts.
Our nine areas of focus provide us the means of understanding, monitoring and transforming our approach to our climate, our communities and our corporate responsibility. For more information, simply get in touch – we are always keen to discuss these issues, and build change together.