Embedding Sustainability ‘the Bradford Way’
Posted Case study, News
The SAIL team, photographed by Andy Garbutt
SAIL have been proud to support creative organisations and practitioners across the Bradford district as part of the Bradford Way project.
The Bradford Way is one of the largest Arts Council England-funded Place Partnerships, bringing together four key partners: Bradford Producing Hub, Bradford Cultural Voice Forum, The Leap and Bradford Council. The aim of this long-term partnership project is to build a sustainable, inclusive and resilient cultural ecosystem – creating opportunities for local creatives, supporting grassroots projects, and laying strong foundations for a thriving cultural future across the Bradford district and beyond its year as City of Culture.
SAIL was brought on board to provide sustainability training, mentoring and one to one support for the Bradford culture sector, bringing everyone along on the sustainability journey. Our support included:
- Running a group training session covering the science behind climate change, what it means for the cultural sector and practical ideas for decarbonisation
- Delivering certified Carbon Literacy training for the Bradford Way Consortium Directors
- Hosting a sustainability peer learning event for creatives and professionals to share their real-life examples of putting sustainability into action in a range of practices and contexts
- Working one to one with 31 organisations and freelancers from across the district to undertake sustainability audits, and co-create bespoke sustainability policies and action plans
The locations of some of the organisations we’ve worked with across the Bradford District.
The sustainability support was backed by a grant programme administered by Bradford Council, with 21 grants of up to £1,450 awarded to organisations that received mentoring from SAIL. This meant organisations could start putting plans into action, from commissioning feasibility studies to explore the possibility of solar panels, buying insulation and draught proofing materials to reduce energy consumption, to creating a toolkit for sustainable exhibitions.
It has been inspiring to work with such a diverse range of organisations and individuals across the district, and SAIL will continue to support the culture sector of Bradford and beyond as we take action to build a more sustainable and resilient sector – the Bradford Way – always straight talking, ambitious, and collaborative.
