About Us

Arts by the Sea recognises the natural beauty of Bournemouth and the work already taking place to safeguard the natural environment in our local area. We aim to build on this, becoming more sustainable, reducing our own environmental impact and using our experience to encourage other organisations to do the same. We’ll use our programming to raise awareness of global environmental issues and support green projects and partners, helping artists, residents, businesses and visitors become more environmentally friendly too. We also pledge to show our support for farmers and producers in developing countries by promoting Bournemouth’s Fairtrade Town status.

The Arts by the Sea festival is committed to reducing its own environmental impact and to leave no trace. We have an Environmental Policy and Action Plan in place to help us do this, and Green Riders for our Artists and Venues to help them do the same.

Arts by the Sea Environmental Policy

Arts by the Sea Environmental Action Plan

Arts by the Sea Venue – Green Rider

Arts by the Sea Artist – Green Rider

On 16^th July 2019 BCP Council declared a  Climate and Ecological Emergency, later incorporating the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals into its Corporate Strategy. They pledged to make BCP Council and its operations carbon neutral by 2030, and to work with the wider community to look at how early the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole region can be made carbon neutral ahead of the UK target of 2050.

Transforming Travel supports BCP Council’s climate emergency ambition with an emphasis on sustainability, tackling air quality and the new focus on walking and cycling through the government’s Gear Change initiative.

Bournemouth is recognised as a Fair Trade Town, a Sustainable Food City and is the world’s first Sustainable Fish City. The conurbation has nineteen Green Flag Awards for its Parks and Gardens, eight Blue Flag Awards for its beaches and a Site of Special Scientific Interest amongst its nature reserves in Hengistbury Head. Bournemouth is one of 5 UK towns and cities praised as global climate leaders by carbon disclosure charity CDP on their ‘Cities A-List’.

BCP Council’s Parks Department have a herd of 10 goats grazing on the cliff to the east of Boscombe Pier. They help control the non-native plants which are taking over at the expense of the natural heath and grassland habitats and associated wildlife. Click here for more information.

There are also around 60 cattle. These are located at Stour Valley on the North West edge of Bournemouth. Click here for more information.

Bournemouth is the World’s First Sustainable Fish City. So many businesses and organisations have signed pledges to ensure only sustainably sourced fish will be used in any of their activities that we’ve now generated over 4 million sustainable fish meals a year. Click here for more information.

Arts by the Sea would like to work with green partners. If your organisation is doing something environmentally friendly and you’d like to get involved with the festival, please get in touch.

Arts by the Sea would like to work with green partners. If your organisation is doing something environmentally friendly and you’d like to get involved with the festival, please get in touch.

The Seafront team have been working since early 2018 with their suppliers to ensure that wherever possible all single-use items, such as coffee cups, stirrers and straws are now either fully recyclable or fully compostable. This means that since the spring, all 330,000 coffee cups and the majority of other takeaway packaging has been much more environmentally friendly in line with the Leave Only Footprints campaign. Most seafront catering sites, plus all of the seafront taps, are all now part of the Dorset Refill scheme and identifiable via the app.

The Parks team have launched reusable cups in the Woodpecker Café. View them here.

Yellow Buses are committed to minimising the environmental impact of their operations.

From 1 May 2017, six new double-deckers, described as the most environmentally friendly diesel vehicles on the road, went into service. The British-built Alexander Dennis MMC (Major Model Change) E400 vehicles have ultra-low carbon Euro 6 engines and the latest stop-start technology, which along with their lighter weight helps to reduce emissions, noise and fuel usage.

In 2018 Yellow Buses celebrated the tenth anniversary of its innovative Carbon Stoppers scheme. Since 2008 the bus company has held a ‘Thank You Thursday’ each week when every trip taken by passengers on the day contributes to a Community Chest, with Yellow Buses pledging a minimum donation of £50 a week. The scheme began as a way of encouraging people to cut down on their carbon footprint by catching the bus but has ended up raising more than £30,000 for 80 local charities and good causes.