Journey to net zero

Our journey to net zero!

Operations Manager, Phillip Pearcy, continues to spearhead the organisation’s long-term journey to net zero.

We have recently set up an innovative partnership with PediCargo to transport food waste by bike rather than lorry – even more challenging than it sounds because waste must be carefully separated to avoid contamination and collected daily to keep the containers to a manageable weight. The service started in October and has saved 20,000 miles of travel already. The Courtyard is also encouraging senior members of the Youth Theatre and the cast and crew of visiting productions to use Beryl bikes, rather than cars, to get to and from the theatre.

Additional solar panels were commissioned in May, meaning a further 10% of the building’s electricity will be generated by onsite renewables. We were able to fund these works thanks to the Theatres Trust and Marches Renewable Energy Grant Scheme so they have an immediate return on investment, which is crucial to the sustainability of the business with the ongoing energy crisis. The installation brings the total generation of onsite solar PV to ~ 20% annual consumption and there are times during the week where the venue is 100% solar powered!

The Courtyard Environmental Action Plan can be found on our website. Chemical-free cleaning products are currently being trialled and roll-out across the organisation is high on the agenda.