Climate Action

Photo of a cyclist passing by a blurred background of city shops, all overlayed with a red filter

Watershed Climate Action

At Watershed, we are dedicated to tackling the climate emergency. We are committed to minimising the environmental impact of our activities, ensuring sustainability is a strategic priority so we can work towards a brighter, fairer future. 

In 2019, we declared a climate emergency, committing to net-zero Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 2030.

Beyond reducing our emissions, we recognise arts and culture have a significant role to play in addressing climate change – and we want to be part of that change.

We welcome all feedback, ideas and challenges.

For more information please contact us.

Our aims

Watershed's Environment Group, drawn from staff from across the organisation, leads Watershed's carbon reduction action and seeks to:

  • Achieve net-zero Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 2030, building on the ambitions of Bristol City Council and the Culture Declares Emergency movement. 
  • Consider all aspects of sustainability throughout our business, beyond just emission reductions; to waste, biodiversity, and climate justice.
  • Ensure our net-zero ambitions and consequent actions align with and support our commitment to inclusion.
  • Share knowledge to enable everyone across our organisation to act.
  • Engage our audiences in conversations around the environment and climate justice.
  • Be transparent, accountable and honest along the way. 
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A simple illustration of a green heart and leaf combined to represent the environment

Watershed Commitments

Climate Action Plan

Outlining our 2024 priorities to reduce our emissions, but also to foster an inclusive ethos around sustainability and to support responsible decision making.

Read our plan

Environmental Policy

The areas of focus where we believe we can make an impact on environmental sustainability.

View the policy

Workplace emissions

In 2022, we worked with a carbon accounting consultant to get a more in depth understanding of Watershed's workplace emissions, using internationally recognised carbon accounting standards. 

This has given a more evolved accounting methodology of our own, with which to focus our priorities and to give consistent year on year results.

Find out more

Overview of Watershed's emissions tonnage, per employee and by scope

Carbon Literacy Training

How can we as individuals and as an organisation make a difference in our work?

We knew a key aspect of this must be training, and training for all members of staff. The Carbon Literacy Project provided an excellent training framework which we used to create our own training course.

Since November 2021, Watershed's Environmental Group has been delivering our own Carbon Literacy Training Course and rolled it out across approximately 70% of Watershed staff.

Here are our Reflections & Resources for Creative Organisations from our Carbon Literacy Training so far, as part of our journey to becoming carbon literate.

Logo for the Carbon Literacy Project, black and white illustration of a group of people with a speech bubble saying Carbon Literacy Project

Pervasive Media Studio

Human activities are causing critical planet degradation – climate-related disasters, rising sea levels, extreme weather, soaring pollution, spread of diseases, loss of biodiversity, challenges in food production and much, much more.

The Studio loudly acknowledges that environmental emergencies are pervasive and believes creativity can change the way we think about growth, wealth, consumerism and progress. We are actively exploring ideas and approaches that inform and expand thinking, to change the course of our future for the better.

Find out more

Image of Studio Residents Ella Good and Nicki Kent at the Mars Desert Research Station in Utah. Image by Robert Keller, Satori Photos.
Studio Residents Ella Good and Nicki Kent at the Mars Desert Research Station in Utah. Image by Robert Keller, Satori Photos.

Film Hub South West

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Watershed managed Film Hub South West have produced a guide that considers how to minimise the environmental impact of your activity, no matter the size of your organisation.

We believe that through sharing resources and learnings, reducing what we can, and supporting exhibitors with space for discussion and support as a part of our funding; we can make an impact.

Ideas for Implementing Sustainable Practice in Film Exhibition


Across Watershed

An illustration of the exterior of Watershed building covered in greenery with people swimming in the floating harbour.
Posted on Tue 12 March by Clare Reddington
Article

What will the world want from a cultural venue in a climate crisis?  

Play:Disrupt Creative High Streets Project, two people outside looking at note cards under an orange sign saying 'roots'
Our work

Grounding Technologies was a pilot project exploring how creative technology can be used to support climate action.

A pixellated digital image of small tree-covered islands floating in a blue sky
Our work

Gathering Moss is a digital landscape populated with artistic ideas made in response to the climate emergency - it presents ideas online, to provoke net-zero acts within the real world.

A graphic illustration of shapes in bold pastel colours
Posted on Tue 20 June 2023
News

In March, the Let’s Debate conference brought together representatives and keynote speakers from across the nation's arts and culture sector to interrogate the Arts Council...

Photo of graffiti saying If not us then who, if not now then when? Photo credit: Rod Long

A Watershed programme of work propelling community and climate activism by offering support and development to freelance creatives.

Photo overlaid with blue of a table of planning drawings

This policy ensures environmental sustainability is embedded throughout Watershed’s business.

Woman seated outside painting at a table.
Posted on Tue 28 June 2022 by Zoe Rasbash
Article

Introducing the Creative Climate Action Toolkit designed specifically to support smaller businesses, organisations, collectives and freelancers to act on climate.

March 2022 Cinema Podcast
Length: 17m 56s
Podcast

This month Mark Cosgrove, Watershed Cinema curator, and Zoe Rasbash, Watershed's Environmental Emergencies Action Researcher look forward to Green Screen, coming to Watershed at the end of March.

Mushrooms with their roots entangled
Posted on Thu 18 Feb 2021
News

Following an open call for our Spring Residencies programme, two Bristol-based artists developed ideas exploring environmental emergencies, technology and possible futures.