1. Introduction:
As trustees, consortium members and staff of Seed Sedgemoor, we seek to ensure that all Seed activities are produced and delivered in as environmentally responsible, sustainable and regenerative a manner as possible. We recognise the crucial role that culture can play in shaping community-led, locally inspired solutions to climate adaptation, and call on the global community to urgently address the climate and biodiversity emergencies.
In pursuit of our mission to be stewards for local culture and creativity, and to promote increased opportunities for people to participate in creative arts, heritage and culture in the area formerly known as Sedgemoor we commit to operating in a way that can not only be maintained, but can become self-perpetuating and regenerative, minimising harm to the Environment and the natural world. We want to move beyond sustainability towards regenerative practice, and to encourage others to come with us.
2. Climate change and biodiversity loss:
We recognise that the environmental sustainability is threatened and destroyed by the twin challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss. We recognise that these processes are inherently connected. Sedgemoor, where we operate, is at the front line
This document notes the key principles and imperatives which need to be urgently addressed to mitigate already unavoidable impacts and adapt to this accelerating emergency. It outlines our commitment to action.
3. Cultural practice in an emergency:
We will ensure that Seed Sedgemoor’s strategies and activities are informed by the principles and imperatives outlined below:
4. Key Principles:
• Transformation.
Mitigation at the scale needed to keep the rise in global temperatures below 1.5 degrees, or to reverse global biodiversity decline, requires a transformative change in the way our societies consume and produce resources.
• Collaboration.
Governments alone cannot achieve the transformations needed – coordinated climate and biodiversity actions from multiple stakeholders, including businesses, communities and local organisations are essential.
• Adaptation.
Adjusting systems, practices, and infrastructure to reduce vulnerability to the impacts of environmental change (especially climate change). Adaptation can be reactive (responding to changes) or proactive (anticipating future impacts), and it includes actions like building flood defences, developing drought-resistant crops, and modifying building codes.
• Regeneration.
Beyond resilience and sustainability, regenerative practices are those which enable the environment to be self-renewing and restorative.
5. Key imperatives for the global community:
• Stop extracting and using fossil-based fuels and rapidly increase use of renewable energy systems.
• Reduce rates of natural ecosystem loss and degradation, protect, restore and
expand natural regenerative ecosystems and increase landscape connectivity.
• Build a sustainable food system with climate- and biodiversity-friendly agricultural practices, responsible food trade, and equitable food distribution.
• Discourage ecosystem-based approaches to climate mitigation that have negative outcomes for biodiversity, such as tree planting in inappropriate ecosystems, monocultures, and unsustainable energy crops.
6. Our declaration:
We call on governments and media institutions to tell the truth about the climate and ecological emergency.
We call on governments to act now to reverse biodiversity loss and reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by no later than 2030.
We acknowledge the environmental impact of arts and cultural industry practices and commit to taking urgent action.
We commit to:
• supporting community-led cultural projects that directly address issues of climate change and biodiversity loss in our programme.
• controlling the acquisition and dissemination of all company resources to ensure that we are as energy efficient as possible. Local sourcing encouraged wherever practicable. Second-hand equipment considered where possible.
• adhering to the principles of ‘restore, reuse, recycle and reduce’ wherever possible.
• prioritising use of sustainable materials.
• taking actions to minimise and/or offset the use of energy when using technologies including hardware devices and AI.
• ensuring that creative commissions address sustainability in their proposals.
• requiring all contracted third parties to work sustainably.
• applying sustainability criteria in all assessments of proposals and quotations.
• minimising unnecessary travel. Use of carpooling, public transport, cycling and
• other carbon minimising strategies encouraged where possible. Meetings to be held online as needed.
• recycling office and general waste wherever practicable.
• recycling equipment and production project items wherever possible.
• offering staff flexible working conditions, including opportunities to work from home.
• enabling trustees, consortium members, volunteers and staff to undertake Carbon Awareness training.
• providing staff, volunteers and contractors with procedures and tools as needed to enable compliance with this policy.
• sourcing and sharing relevant training and information as appropriate to further this awareness and inform action.
• meeting and where possible exceeding any minimum, relevant legal requirements related to climate change and biodiversity loss.
• sharing this document with contributors and participants and encourage debate on its implications, as well as signposting to further information as required.
• nurturing a culture of environmental awareness.
• reporting annually on how far audiences and participants travel to take part in our events and activities
7. Dissemination, implementation and access:
This policy will be made available to all members of staff, CIO trustees, consortium representatives and volunteers via the Seed cloud storage drive and/or email. It will be made available to the public via the Seed Website.
8. Review:
This policy will be reviewed every three years at both a meeting of the CIO trustees and the consortium. The next review date is June 2028.
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Climate change adaptation refers to actions that help reduce vulnerability to the current or expected impacts of climate change like weather extremes and natural disasters, sea-level rise, biodiversity loss, or food and water insecurity. Many adaptation measures need to happen at the local level, so rural communities and cities have a big role to play.
