Environmental

Workplace Foundation Environmental Policy

(Updated June 2022)

POLICY STATEMENT

Workplace Foundation is committed to reducing our impact on the climate crisis and will implement procedures to move the gallery towards environmental responsibility and sustainability as much as possible within our capacity. This will reduce our carbon footprint and our damaging impact on the environment. We will develop processes to achieve and monitor environmental sustainability to progress the organisation to carbon neutrality. We will aspire to reach carbon neutrality by adhering to and developing our accompanying action plan. We will regularly review this policy and our adherence to it. We have created a sub-committee chaired by a one of our board members to focus on this vision and to encourage us to carry this out rigorously.

Our recent move to Blandford Square has afforded Workplace Foundation to be able to create a space through an environmentally conscious build. The nature of renting properties raises particular challenges for full control of environmentally responsible choices but where we have had the choice this has been fully considered and acted upon. We are a small organisation so have limited capacity, however we are light on our feet and are able to be responsive and implement change quickly and dynamically where possible. We want to be able to be one of the organisations leading the creative sector through example.

DEFINITIONS

Environmentally responsible is being thoughtful of our day-to-day activities and considering the affect that a choice will have on the environment, weighing these options up and selecting the most sustainable option. It is our responsibility to conserve natural resources and protect global ecosystems to support health and wellbeing.

Environmentally sustainable means using a resource that can continue to be used indefinitely. This includes taking in to consideration the rates of harvest, pollution and creation for each resource used. If the resource cannot continue to be used indefinitely then it is not sustainable.

Carbon Neutral means achieving net-zero carbon dioxide emissions. This can be done by balancing emissions of carbon dioxide with its removal (often through carbon offsetting) or by eliminating emissions from society (the transition to the post-carbon economy).

PRINCIPLES

Our actions will be monitored and measured in alignment with our Environmental Strategy and Action Plan. Our aim is to be transparent with our progress and activities so this will be published on our website. It will be available for public access as a way to increase the awareness and education of our team, artists and audience. It is also a way for us to be held accountable to implement the strategies and approaches that are outlined. Environmental awareness will be promoted amongst our Board of Trustees, team, visitors and stakeholder network, to encourage them to also work in an environmentally responsible manner to align with our objectives. We will share practise and knowledge with not only the rest of the industry but also wider communities.

Workplace Foundation aims to make environmental responsibility a fundamental aspect of the organisation and embed this within the running of the organisation, programming, Community of Artists, artist's research and education going forward.

We are committed to reducing our impact on the climate crisis by reviewing our organisational activities, including but not limited to:

• Our programme - analysing materials, services and transport
• Our team - analysing business travel, commuting and energy use
• Our suppliers - analysing the nature of the supply chain and their environmental policies

• The building - analysing our energy use, water use and waste

IMPLEMENTATION

This policy is supported by an Environmental Strategy & Action Plan. The plan specifies the actions required to achieve the objectives, with the measure of success, named persons responsible for delivering, and the timescale for achievement. A member of the Board of Trustees has been nominated to focus on delivery and progress and to report to the board at each board meeting. Progress will be reported to our Board of Trustees on a quarterly basis as a way to hold us accountable. We have joined the Gallery Climate Coalition for sector support and continue to use Arts Council England’s Creative Green Tools and Julie’s Bicycle.

This policy and action plan will be reviewed and updated on a regular basis.