Sustainable Works Project  - Greening CarriageWorks

This is the story of our sustainability...

INTRODUCTION

CarriageWorks aims to be a socially responsible company, committed to becoming the most sustainable option when choosing a performance or event venue in Australia. CarriageWorks endeavors to think creatively and sustainably in all areas of programming, operations, and event management.

The Sustainable Works Project is a CarriageWorks initiative aimed at reducing CarriageWorks’ environmental footprint and encouraging a greener culture amongst employees, residents, hirers and patrons. Together with sustainability coach Michael Mobbs we have set goals that include an 80% saving on usage and expenditure of electricity, waste and water.

Some key values of the Sustainable Works Project include:

• Making sustainable practices a creative experience for the CarriageWorks community.
• Making sustainable practices accessible, easy to understand, and part of the fabric of our daily operations.
• Making sustainable practices a cost saving or cost neutral measure for the venue, hirers, artists, and patrons.

THE STORY & WHAT WE’RE DOING

CarriageWorks began thinking about creative sustainability in 2007. A few members of staff simply walked around the venue with fresh eyes, asking if reductions could be made in the areas of water and energy consumption. We found toilets that were running inefficiently, rooms where light switches were permanently on, taps that leaked and appliances that were either unproductive or simply no longer needed. Based on this initial audit, we discovered that 10% of our energy use occurred at night when the building was closed. CarriageWorks’ technical team quickly devised a new ‘lock-up’ procedure for night staff and cleaners to ensure that time was always put aside to turn off everything that wasn’t being used. With this new simple procedure, we were easily able to cut our electricity bill by approximately 10%.

Water
Our next project took aim at our water bill.  In early 2008 we engaged Desert Eco Systems to implement a waterless urinal program that ran on timers instead of sensors. Within 12 months we were able to reduce our overall water usage by about 60% and have found the system to be completely reliable and practical. By setting the timers to automatically flush during show times and periods of heavier activity, we’ve made a huge saving on our water bill and have inspired other business to do the same.

Waste - Recycling
Our second project took aim at waste resources. To ensure the efficient management of glass recycling in the CarriageWorks bar and café, we engaged the services of Bottlecycler; a company that provides glass crushers for hire, simply making the act of recycling easier for staff and pretty much a “no brainer”. Coupled with public recycling bins in the foyer, we were able to ensure that the majority of glass and plastics was in fact recycled and didn’t end up in landfill.

Waste - Food
Food waste was our next challenge. Aerobin generously provided us with a 400 liter compost bin and we began trialing composting of all food waste from the kitchen. Local business Cafe Ella helped kickstart the bins with their waste and resident artists, locals and members of the broader CarriageWorks community also utilized the bins.  In order to maximise the compostable output of the café, we engaged BioPak and Environmental Enterprises to trial the supply of biodegradable and compostable catering packaging products. We’ve found that by using compostable products and separating compostable food waste, particularly during large scale events and festivals, we have been able to reduce our impact on landfill by about a third.

CarriageWorks now has five Aerobins and continues to work with the café in the pursuit of more sustainable packaging and waste resources.

WHO

CarriageWorks is extremely lucky to be working with Michael Mobbs on all aspects of our Sustainable Works Project. 

Michael Mobbs is a Sustainability Coach, former Environment Lawyer and author of Sustainable House. Michael provided invaluable advice and insight at the early stages of the Sustainable Works project and has continued working with CarriageWorks as the coordinator of the Kitchen Garden Projectand as an ongoing consultant with long term renewable energy projects. Michael’s imagination, humour, wide range of experience and his willingness to take risks, really shaped the direction of the Sustainable Works Project and lead to goals and benchmarks that may otherwise seemed impossible; such as the Edible Office Garden.

STAFF & THE EDIBLE OFFICE GARDEN

Creating cultural change amongst staff, residents and artists is crucial to the success of the Sustainable Works Project. Buying a compost bin is one thing, actually using, and successfully maintaining it is another. A Residents’ Green Team was initially set up to share ideas and establish support from the various resident companies that operate within the CarriageWorks building. Enthusiasts from Erth, Performance Space, Stalker, and PlayWriting Australia formed part of the initial discussion.

The Edible Office Garden, a communal vegetable garden housing eggplants, basil, lemongrass, spinach and silver beat – complete with a pond, tadpoles and fish, was set up as a means of bringing people together to care, share, and maintain a living example of sustainable workplace practice. The garden also adds life and colour to our office space. It is located on Level 3 at CarriageWorks, where all the administration offices are.

Designed by Michael Mobbs, the Edible Office Garden is self irrigating and contains a worm farm that fertilizes the plants. The garden itself is made from sustainable, recycled materials, and was built by CarriageWorks staff and participants in the CarriageWorks Kitchen Garden Project in late 2009. A solar powered pump energizes the irrigation system and in theory, the garden needs little maintenance. All living things require attention and care however, and the challenges of supporting an indoor vegetable garden are shared by all the CarriageWorks residents.

For more information about the CarriageWorks Kitchen Garden Project, visit this page, or the project blog here: kitchengardenproject.tumblr.com.

PARTNERS

CarriageWorks operates in partnership with the City of Sydney to present the CarriageWorks Kitchen Garden Project, a series of free monthly workshops in composting, no dig gardening, street gardening, seed saving, water saving, and harvesting. The CarriageWorks Kitchen Garden Project aims to educate community leaders who are willing to take what they have learned in the workshops back to their communities and in turn, teach others. Past participants include primary school teachers, caterers, graphic designers and community gardeners. To facilitate ongoing learning and discussion, monthly video blogs are posted on youtube and shared virally so that sustainability enthusiasts can keep up with activities from their home.

All the video blogs are available on our youtube channel here: http://www.youtube.com/carriageworks.

ACHIEVEMENTS

CarriageWorks has successfully made a cultural shift towards being an environmentally responsible performance and event venue. Our initial goal of an 80% saving on usage and expenditure of electricity, waste and water has since grown into a more comprehensive and creative understanding of the role sustainable practice plays in our community.  Through partnerships with suppliers, community leaders, councils, artists and patrons, we have successfully tested and implemented a vast range of projects that invigorate the cultural live of CarriageWorks with a focus on environmental sustainability.

Specifically, Sustainable Works Project achievements include:

•    Huge reductions on water wastage and consumption; about 60%
•    Comprehensive recycling systems for front of house and back of house activity
•    Comprehensive waste management plan for front and back of house activity
•    Training in sustainable and compostable waste management for staff
•    5 compost bins for kitchen and café waste
•    Partnerships with environmentally conscious catering packaging suppliers
•    Café vegetable garden to promote local inner city farming
•    New infrastructure to monitor and calculate exact energy consumption per event
•    Training in sustainable operation of high energy consumption facilities, such as theater air conditioning
•    New lock-down procedure to ensure entire facility is 'turned off' and not simply just 'sleeping'
•    Green Newsletter for internal circulation to staff
•    Edible Office Garden for staff and residents.
•    Blog to share ideas, challenges and successes with the Edible Office Garden
•    Ongoing free public programming to engage community, educate and inspire.
•    Google Groups and Youtube video blog to share ideas and maintain ongoing conversations with our broader community.

As a result of these achievements, CarriageWorks is able to offer sustainable services to artists and clients. Venue hire clients So You Think You Can Dance and MasterChef recently engaged the CarriageWorks team to come up with sustainable solutions for reducing their food waste and the general environmental impact of their large-scale productions.  

Our achievements would not have been possible without the guidance, support and technology provided by Aerobin, Bottlecycler, Desert Eco Systems, BioPak, Environmental Enterprises and Michael Mobbs, and the tireless green-dreamer, Amelia Tovey.

FUTURE

CarriageWorks remains committed to becoming the most sustainable contemporary arts venue in Australia as we continue to investigate new creative methods of operating in a more sustainable way. We are currently exploring opportunities, technologies and partnerships in renewable energy, water harvesting and indoor food gardens.

We continue to be inspired by people and projects such as:

Joost Bakker
Surry Hills Library
Patrick Blanc
The Watershed

If you know of other inspiring sustainability projects, please let us know about them, especially local Sydney ones.

SUPPLIERS / RESOURCES

Some of the organisations and companies that we work with.

Desert Eco Systems
BioPak
Environmental Enterprises
Aerobin
Milkwood
Ozharvest
Keep Cup
I Ran The Wrong Way
GreenDrinks

If you're interested in the CarriageWorks Kitchen Garden Project, keep in touch with us through our enewsletter, facebook, and  twitter .  The next round of workshops will be announced later in 2010.

Last updated May 2010.