EMERGENCY, INFLUENCE AND PRACTICE: CULTURE AND THE GREEN AGENDA

D6:EU’s Emergency, Influence and Practice series of dialogues brought together artists, policymakers, environmentalists and cultural institutions to share best practice, as well as broader civic and international frameworks for culture’s role in the green agenda.

We have a blueprint: the 2030 Agenda, the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement on climate change. The door is open; the solutions are there. Now is the time to transform humankind’s relationship with the natural world – and with each other.  And we must do so together.

António Guterres – UN Secretary General, December 2021

REFLECTIONS ON EMERGENCY, INFLUENCE AND PRACTICE

The reflections on the dialogues weave together the initiatives and ideas discussed by different speakers at the webinars and conference in Nicosia in March 2022. Beginning with wider frameworks, including the Sustainable Development Goals and the European Green Deal, the paper by Dr Sophia Hadjipapa, Associate Professor of Fine Arts at the Department of Arts of the European University Cyprus, then looks to national initiatives in Cyprus and local examples of best practice both in Cyprus and across Europe.

PAST EVENTS IN THE SERIES

With cultural, environmental and community experts, this series of dialogues explored how the arts can tackle the climate crisis.

Webinar: Culture and the Green Agenda: Introducing Global, European and Cypriot Frameworks

This event introduced the overarching global, European and Cypriot frameworks for the role of culture in supporting environmental and social sustainability.

Find out more about the webinar here

Conference: Emergency, Influence and Practice: A European conversation on Culture and Climate Action

Joined by an incredible panel of community, climate and cultural leaders and practitioners, this one day conference shared practice-led examples from Cyprus and across Europe, asking how culture impacts the environment, how we measure our cultural impact, and how we are responding through practice and activism.

Find out more about the conference here

Continuing the conversation following our launch event in March 2022, we held two online practical workshops exploring how the cultural sector can tackle the climate crisis, with a focus on actions you and your organisations can take.

Workshop 1: Responsibility – an introduction to green tools

Caro Overy, Green Arts Manager, Creative Carbon Scotland, will lead this session that will include how to map and segment the carbon emissions of your organisation or artistic practice, and equip you with green tools to measure your carbon footprint using tools openly available. There will be plenty of time for questions and discussion. 

Date: Wednesday 20 April, 10.30-12.00 EEST // 9.30-11.00 CET // 8.30-10.00 BST

Workshop 2: Influence – amplifying your voice

In the participatory session led by Kay Michael, theatre-maker, co-founder of Culture Declares and co-director of Letters to the Earth, you will meet others, explore your concerns and responses to the climate and ecological emergency and ways you can take action, with an emphasis on the local. How can you make your voice heard? How can culture, creativity and art bring about change?

Date: Wednesday 20 April, 16.00-17.30 EEST // 15.00-16.30 CET // 14.00-15.30 BST  

Homepage image: Future Pasts, Henna Asikainen. Photo: Simone J Rudolphi