Environmental Policy and Action Plan
Pentabus is a contemporary theatre company producing original plays about the rural world for local and national audiences. We are committed to ensuring
environmental awareness is at the heart of our work.
The company operates out of two barns and a former farm estate schoolhouse. All Victorian buildings, our offices are draughty and poorly insulated. Tenants on the
site, we are reliant on our landlord to instigate structural change, whilst we control internal suppliers and systems. The company tours productions all over the
country. Our travel costs are high, but we have excellent stores and there has long been a culture of repair/reuse/recycle at the heart of our theatre-making
practice. Based in a rural landscape and producing theatre that examines the place of the rural world in today’s society, we believe Pentabus has a responsibility to
be at the forefront of the green theatre movement. We are starting from a position of strong values on environmental impact and have had a commitment to
making best use of our resources for a long time. However, this is the first time a specific policy has been developed.
The co-directors will be responsible for reviewing the environmental policy, and our Administrator will be our green champion and monitor. We will establish a task
force, made up of a cross-section of staff and volunteers to meet annually to review progress against this policy and action plan and report on new initiatives.
Our main impacts on the environment are:
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Productions: use of materials, waste, transport
Office: poor insulation, electricity usage, supplies and services, printing, general waste
Business and Audience Travel: fuel use and carbon emissions, coupled with poor public transport options
Touring: fuel use and carbon emissions
Data Collection
We will undertake data collection in relation to improving environmental performance and reducing carbon emissions in the following areas:
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Energy
Waste
Water
Travel – Business
Key commitments and ambitions
 To accurately map our carbon footprint and aim to achieve an annual reduction of 10% in our carbon footprint
 Greening our productions and tours and procurement of supplies and services where possible
 Making recycling the norm, and waste the exception
 Reducing business travel (i.e. increased use of Skype)
 Opting for lower carbon transport modes when touring, where possible
 Ensure compliance with minimum environmental legislation and seeking to exceed this
 Communicating with and engaging our staff and our board on environmental issues
 To lead a paradigm shift in our approach to theatre making, putting sustainability at the heart of our producing and touring agenda
 To become a flagship organisation in the region with a creative approach to environmental sustainability
 To conduct a full review of our energy use, set ourselves regular internal targets and publish our progress on our website
PENTABUS THEATRE ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION PLAN 2015-18
Area of focus
Office
Objectives
Review our current utilities suppliers in terms of their green policies
Meet our Estate Manager to discuss insulation with a view to reducing our
heating costs and installing a more energy efficient heating system
Examine cost benefit of moving building
Make a facility for recycling printer cartridges, batteries, paper, glass,
plastic and tins
Use Fairtrade tea and coffee and compost our waste (baseline 3,500
teabags composted 2014)
Change all our lightbulbs to low energy. Majority done 2014-15 saving
26,112 W per year.
Print only when we need to, print double sided and reuse envelopes. 201415 baseline 68 reams recycled (4 trees)
Date to be achieved by
Reviewed and suppliers changed by
July 2015. We are also monitoring
all utility useage. Review annually
and continue to monitor.
Send proposal and meet by Sept
2015.
Review year 1; plan year 2
By end year 1; annual review
Led by
Managing Director
By end year 1; annual review
Adminstrator
Final light bulbs changed by end
year 1
New paper recycling boxes by end
year 1
Administrator
Managing Director
Managing Director
Administrator
Managing
Director/Administrator
Make sure no light, heating or equipment left on when not in use. 2014-15
switching off the photocopier alone has saved 1169 kw over a year
Set up a bike rack to encourage cycling to work and investigate green car
schemes for staff
Install hand dryers rather than using paper towels
Order materials online and send invoices and purchase orders by e mail
Recycle all old IT equipment and use green cleaning products
Production
Travel by train where possible for business trips or use Skype for meetings.
During 14-15 core staff travel 5, 196 miles by car (1.91 tonnes of carbon
emissions) and car shared where possible. 38 round rail trips were taken
with an equivalent road mileage of 10, 799 saving 3.96 tonnes of carbon
emissions from being polluted
Grow wildflowers on our land to encourage wildlife. Two cherry trees
planted (free of charge from local green initiative) in 2014.
Catalogue our costume and props store so items can more easily be reused
Costume store catalogued and big clear out done in 13/14 (a large amount
went to charity shops)
Sell on or donate unwanted materials Large amount sold during 14/15.
Freecycled anything that could not be sold and took 2 van loads to
recycling plant.
Encourage a mindset of alteration and repair rather than buy new
Review power-saving computer
options by end year 1
Investigate year 1; find bike
sponsor year 2
Switched to recycled paper towels
during 14-15. Research dryers year
1. Install year 2.
Ongoing
Join recycling schemes year 1;
research green cleaning companies
year 1; implement year 2
Forward plan travel as part of
production planning (year 1)
Managing
Director/Administrator
Managing
Director/Administrator
Managing
Director/Administrator
Managing
Director/Administrator
Managing
Director/Administrator
Projects
Producer/Administrato
r
Ongoing
Administrator
Final costume clearout by end year
1
Artistic
Director/Administrator
Final asset sale by end year 1
Artistic
Director/Administrator
Specific line in creative team
contracts by end year 1
Artistic
Director/Projects
Producer
Artistic
Director/Projects
Producer/Administrato
r
Artistic
Encourage local sourcing of materials and use company Freecycle account
Ongoing
Use FSC certified timber for all set and staging construction
Specific line in creative team
contracts by end year 1
Audience
Sign up for Phillips low energy theatre lighting scheme and the JB Lighting
Forum
Investigate end by end year 1
Encourage lighting designers to avoid tungsten and designers to avoid
aerosols
Encourage cast and crew to travel by public transport
Research into LED technology by
end year 1; capital fundraising year
2; buy and implement year 3
New line in contracts by end year 1
Provide jugs of tap water in rehearsals to discourage bottled water
Ongoing
Ask Production Managers to join the Production Managers Sustainability
Group
New line in contracts by end year 1
Use Scenery Salvage to recycle our old sets and dispose of materials
responsibly
Ongoing
Become a partner company with Julie’s Bicycle. Complying with all Julies
Bicycle requirements. Disappointed green standards are charged for.
Discuss star system with JB year 1.
Continue to use IG tools monthly.
Use non-PVC materials for banners and choose corrugated plastic board
over foam-core
Minimise or prevent the use polystyrene in props
Ongoing
Encourage the use of news and updates via e mail rather than post. In
2014 wrote to all audience members who only have postal address to
encourage e-sign up) minimising use of postal communication
Offer ticket price reductions to those who use public transport, cycle or car
share to get to our shows. Difficult to action as not in charge of ticketing.
We have encouraged public transport for all shows and worked in
Ongoing
Director/Projects
Producer
Projects
Producer/Production
Manager
Projects
Producer/Production
Manager
Projects
Producer/Production
Manager
Artistic Director/Stage
Manager
Projects
Producer/Production
Manager
Projects
Producer/Production
Manager
Artistic
Director/Managing
Director
Projects
Producer/Admin
Projects
Producer/Stage
Manager
Administrator
Research for 2015 The Lone Pine
Club year 1. Advance plan for
future shows. Discuss with NRTF
Managing
Director/Projects
Producer
Ongoing
Monitoring
partnership with the Shropshire Shuttle Bus on outdoor project In This
Place in 13/14.
Link up with local car sharing schemes and public transport services
Make the public fully aware of our environmental policy and progress
through our online activities. New website launched March 2014 has
allowed us to publish our progress
Support company green champion. Administrator took a lead on
environmental reporting/championing during 13/14. Attended 1 Julie’s
Bicycle event and watched several webinars
Board champion/regular green meetings
Instigate reporting cycle
year 2.
Research year 1. Implement year 2.
Web update year 1; review and
plan new section year 2;
implement year 3
Identify future training year 1.
Empower more time year 1.
Managing Director
Administrator
Appoint Sean Holmes as green
champion year 1
Plan reporting and monitoring
cycle (year 1)
Managing Director
Administrator/Managi
ng Director
Managing
Director/Admin