Ready to do more?

If your green touring has inspired a focus on climate change in your company more generally, build on this momentum.

Environmental sustainability plan

In the section on Setting Green Goals, we suggested making a Commitment Statement for the company. You might bring together anyone who is interested and expand this to a fully fledged Environmental Sustainability Plan for the organisation (beyond just for touring). This should be a living document that evolves over time.

First steps

  • Start by gathering information about your organisation’s ongoing emissions. Use the Circulate emissions calculator and start with easy-to-measure Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, such as electricity usage in the office and company travel.

  • Make achievable, tangible changes, like switching to a 100% renewable energy provider (like Ecotricity) and internet provider (like Zeronet). 

  • Turn off equipment like computers, screens, and printers at the end of each day, rather than leaving them on standby.

  • Convert to LED lighting in the office.

  • Take stock of your waste practices. Check you have clearly labelled recycling stations in the office (or back of house if you’re a venue). Introduce a composting system. (If you can’t do it yourself, there are services like Kaicycle who will collect your food scraps.) Make sure you understand the current recycling standards in Aotearoa. 

  • Measure your emission reductions and report on your successes.

Next steps

If you’ve taken these first steps and achieved results, you can move on to Scope 3 emissions:

  • Set a specific target: advocate for the organisation to commit to net zero emissions by 2030.

  • Procurement: systematically work through your suppliers – do these companies have sustainable practices? You have buying power to influence their policy. Let them know that sustainability is a concern, and switch providers if things don’t change.

  • Green design: create a sustainable policy for all productions, not just touring productions.

  • Travel: can this be reduced? Can you work with people locally (as you might use a local operator for a show rather than travel with them), and can you Zoom rather than travelling in person for any meetings?

  • Fossil-free banking: check out 350 Aotearoa’s banks table and switch to a bank that doesn’t lend to or invest in fossil fuel companies.

  • KiwiSaver: check out Mindful Money’s list of fossil-free funds, and switch to one that fits your values.

  • Become an energy generator: if you have the capacity, advocate for the installation of solar panels and feed clean energy back into the grid.

  • Get bees. 

Barbarian Productions’ U R BACK at New Zealand Fringe Festival 2024. Photo: Maeve O’Connell

Other resources

This guidebook builds upon the green theatre mahi that individuals and organisations have been doing around the country (we stand on the shoulders of giants). Our focus has been on making and touring work. For other perspectives, check out Elspeth Tilley's The Aotearoa Green Theatre Plan published by Playmarket, and Track Zero. 

Te Wao Nui a Tāne

Ko te manu e kai ana i te miro, nōnā te ngahere
Ko te manu e kai ana i te mātauranga, nōnā te ao

The forest belongs to the bird who feasts on the miro berry
the world belongs to the bird who feasts on education


Amidst the climate crisis, it can feel like you should stop doing things – stop touring work, stop making work. But art is worthwhile, and in times of crisis, we have an important role as storytellers. We are a nation of navigators. We are the birds taking seeds from the trees of the forest to make the ngahere grow larger – to bring knowledge back home, and take our stories to the world.

Photo Credit: Fié Neo

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