Creative Carbon Scotland has launched their new website, an online project which aims to bring together the arts and the environment sectors in Scotland.

Supported by the National Lottery through Creative Scotland, Creative Carbon Scotland is a unique platform, bringing together artists, arts organisations and sustainability workers to share their activities and expertise. creativecarbonscotland.com provides comprehensive information on the links between the arts and sustainability with news, events and resources.

Artists and arts organisations will also have free access  to the ground-breaking Green Arts Portal (GAP), a how-to guide for making carbon reductions in the arts.

This website provides an opportunity for artists and arts organisations to  showcase their environmental work and access an  environmental sustainability toolkit tailored to their needs to help them make carbon reductions and track their environmental progress.

As well as providing how-to guides in areas such as Audiences, Staff Engagement and Environmental Policies GAP offers access to two online tools in partnership with Julie’s Bicycle. These are IG Tools (carbon calculators specifically designed for arts organisations) and sMeasure (a building energy and water management tool.) Through regular updates and comments boxes GAP users can learn about what others in Scotland are up to and spread best practice.

Creative Carbon Scotland helps cultural organisations and individual artists make the most of the financial savings, artistic opportunities and market advantages that come from being ahead of the game on climate change and running themselves sustainably. The charity is also helping the arts contribute to achieving the world-leading carbon reduction targets of a 42% reduction by 2020 set by the Scottish Government in 2009 to combat climate change.

Creative Carbon Scotland’s Director Ben Twist said:

“Arts and cultural organisations are uniquely placed to address the challenges brought on by climate change through the art they produce, the audiences they speak to and the way in which they operate themselves. We provide support across the arts enabling individuals and organisations to run themselves as sustainably as possible and influence the powerful networks of audiences, artists, suppliers, transport, catering and accommodation providers and policy makers they work with”.

Scott Donaldson, Portfolio Manager at Creative Scotland commented:

“Creative Scotland is delighted to support this pioneering initiative by Creative Carbon Scotland, which has already begun to develop strong networks and resources to help cultural organisations reduce their environmental footprint, save money and raise awareness of the crucial importance of these issues.”

http://www.creativescotland.com/news/new-drive-to-green-the-arts-in-scotland