Sustainability Unboxed – Green Space Dark Skies
Rebecca Whitman , sustainability manager for Green Space Dark Skies , shares early insights into successful sustainability measures during the event series .
Words : Polly Checkland Harding
Green Space Dark Skies , a series of mass gatherings at 20 outdoor locations across the UK , holds an ambitious sustainability target : to be carbon net positive . One of ten UNBOXED : Creativity in the UK 2022 commissions , the project is led by outdoor art specialists Walk the Plank . Sustainability manager Rebecca Whitman says the team is driven by a central question : ‘ How can we engage people with sustainability in a way that ’ s participatory , engaging , creative and outdoors ?’ “ The answer is to challenge the status-quo on everything – from power sources to wristbands ,” says Whitman . Building on Walk the Plank ’ s sustainability approach , championed by head of production Nathan Jackson , the Green Space Dark Skies team charges all of its battery packs from renewable energy where possible ; the project ’ s battery trailer has a solar panel on the roof , meaning the team can charge as they go and even generate power while on site .
It has also become one of the first companies to use the new event-specific carbon calculation software TRACE by isla , and it is trialling kerbside recyclable paper-board signage that ’ s durable outdoors . “ It ’ s so far survived in burning hot sun and winds that caused damage to other onsite infrastructure ,” says Whitman .
In managing and reporting on this process , Whitman has early findings on how to deliver sustainable events , despite the green premium and current economic climate . She says one key factor is pre-production : “ If you ’ re not building sustainability into logistics , design and resources from the outset , you ’ re probably shooting yourself in the foot .”
Whitman says it is vital to be prepared for challenges to sustainability during production . At Green Space Dark Skies events , extensive ‘ binfrastructure ’ has been deployed , but public education around waste and how to dispose of it responsibly is flawed . Whitman says digital sustainability is extremely difficult to measure : “ Major platforms aren ’ t always transparent about their energy emissions , so it ’ s really hard to work out what the footprint would be .”
Live events are also notoriously unpredictable . On Green Space Dark Skies , three outdoor events in Scotland had to be rescheduled due to the bird nesting season , changing the ideal route of the tour in terms of sustainability . The takeaway from this was to document things that don ’ t go as planned and use the insights to inform future events . “ It ’ s not about perfection ,
The team charge their batteries from renewable energy
Rebecca Whitman
it ’ s about progress ,” says Whitman . It became clear early on that communication was key . Sustainability-related conversations with participants , volunteers , producers , performers and suppliers are resulting in a ripple effect of engagement and awareness . “ People start asking themselves similar questions and take a little bit more time to consider their own behaviour ,” says Whitman .
She says the project ’ s intensive reporting process will result in a resource that will be shared across the outdoor events sector : “ It will include every shortcoming , every win , why that happened , and how it happened , and what we learned from it .”
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