At Stuff and Nonsense we are committed to taking environmental action.

We want to protect our world for the children and young people we work with, the next generation of artists and audiences who inspire us every day to create positive change.

Some of the things we already do to reduce our carbon footprint:

1. Use a lot of recycled, repurposed and donated materials when creating our sets, puppets and props
2. Create the majority of our costumes from clothes found in second hand / charity shops
3. Have 12 shows in our repertory, with all set and props kept in storage, which we retour on a cycle so that very little that is created goes to waste
4. For our new show, currently in creation, we are working towards the standards outlined in the Theatre Green Book, an industry standard for making sustainable theatre
5. Have Climate Change as an agenda item at all our board meetings
6. Send documents both to our own team and those at our tour venues electronically, rather than in print form
7. Offer venue marketing departments reduced print orders and increased digital marketing assets
8. On tour, book shared houses for our actors and technicians, rather than hotels
9. Encourage the use of public transport and vehicle sharing, wherever possible
10. Repurpose old set and prop materials
11. Hold the majority of meetings virtually to reduce travel impact, including monthly team meetings as well as marketing and production meetings with venues across the country

Some of the things we are currently working on that will help us reduce our carbon footprint further:

1. Considering lighting designs that have LED lights, and using rechargeable batteries for props
2. Creating an environmental rider to make our commitments clear to theatres we tour to
3. Looking into leasing a van with lower emissions, rather than our ageing diesel van
4. Lending our rehearsal space at the Lyric to others when we are out on tour
5. Encouraging the use of reusable water bottles and carrier bags on tour
6. Banning the use of fast fashion in costume designs
7. Decreasing our dependence on cheap next day delivery services, particularly during production periods
8. Looking at any materials we have that are no longer required and finding other companies that could repurpose them
9. Educating our audiences about environmental issues
10. Having environmental issues as an item on all production meeting agendas
11. Only using sustainably sourced materials in our new sets

To find out more please contact: Jane McGibbon, Exec Producer, jane.mcgibbon@aloadofstuffandnonsense.com