Travel & Transport

Key questions

  • Where can you make changes directly to reduce travel and transport impacts and where do you need to work with others to make or influence change? Think about different types: business travel; company vehicles (e.g. cars, vans); courier, transport and logistics services; audience or visitor travel, event or course attendee travel; staff commuting; travel you fund.
  • How much business travel do you do and what impact does this have?
  • What can you do to avoid or reduce business travel and shift to low or zero carbon business travel modes?
  • If you have company vehicles, what impact does using them have and what can you do to move to low or zero carbon alternatives?
  • If you have touring activity, e.g. for exhibitions, what impact does the transport have?
  • What can you do to influence change with your transport and logistics providers?
  • How do your audiences or visitors travel to your venue or festivals and what impact does this have?
  • How do attendees travel to the events or courses you run and what impact does this have?
  • Can you choose festival, event or course locations based on ease of access by public transport?
  • If you provide travel grants, do you track awardee travel and the impact this has?
  • How do your employees travel to work and what impact does this have?
  • What can you do to promote low or zero carbon travel and transport options to your audiences, visitors, event or course attendees, staff or travel grant awardees?

Avoid and reduce travel and transport and move from fossil-fuel based travel and transport modes to active and low or zero carbon travel and transport.

Top Tips

Build understanding of your travel and transport impacts, for example:

  • Review your business travel records to find out how many miles are travelled in a year, using which travel modes (air, rail, car, bus etc.) and how many overnights are spent in which type of accommodation, and work out the emissions this generates.
  • Review company vehicle use to find out what distances are travelled using which types of vehicle, to work out the emissions this generates.
  • Review touring transport to find out what distances are travelled, using which type of transport and work out what emissions this generates.
  • Do an audience, visitor or attendee travel survey to find out how and how far your audiences, visitors or attendees travel to your venue, festivals, events or courses and work out the emissions this generates.
  • Ask travel grant awardees to provide information on where they travelled to and how and how many overnights they spent in which kind of accommodation and work out what emissions this generates.
  • Do a staff commuting survey to find out how often, how far and how your employees travel and work what emissions this generates.

Set up regular tracking of the impact of your main types of travel and transport.

Develop a sustainable travel policy outlining key measures to avoid or reduce travel impacts, covering the key types of travel relevant for your organisation e.g. business travel, audience or visitor travel, staff commuting.

Avoid or reduce travel and transport miles, for example:

  • Do online meetings, video-conferencing or hybrid events where possible.
  • Plan travel and touring to consolidate routes and minimise unnecessary journeys.
  • Use local suppliers, services, technicians and equipment where possible for festivals, events, conferences etc.

Shift to or promote low or zero carbon travel and transport modes, for example:

  • Work with local transport authorities to see how they can support you in providing and promoting low or zero carbon travel options to audiences, visitors or staff.
  • Invest in low or zero emission transport or travel infrastructure e.g. electric vans, e-cargo bikes, cycle storage.
  • Choose transport and logistics companies with strong environmental credentials and which provide low or zero carbon options e.g. electric vans, e-cargo bikes, cycle couriers.
  • Choose festival, event or course locations easily accessible by public transport.
  • Work with host venues on promoting low and zero carbon travel options.
  • Provide or promote low or zero carbon travel options to audiences, visitors, attendees and staff e.g. discount tickets for people travelling by public transport, car or ride-sharing, shuttle buses, cycle schemes.

Make sure low and zero carbon travel and transport options are inclusive and do not create barriers e.g. for people with disabilities or people who cannot ‘afford’ slow travel (financially and/or professionally).

Choose or provide information on green accommodation options.

Travel & Transport

Resources

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The ecolibrium Green Travel & Transport Guide for Festivals and Events: 2023
Guide
This guide gives an overview of the impacts of different types of travel and provides examples of changes that can be made to reduce these impacts and make travel work better for everyone.
Creative Carbon Scotland logo
Creative Carbon Scotland - Guide to measuring your travel
Guide
This guide provides advice on getting started with measuring travel and tools to help understand travel data.
Creative Carbon Scotland logo
Creative Carbon Scotland - Guide to writing a sustainable travel policy
Guide
This guide provides an overview of what to consider when writing a travel policy for your organisation.
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Julie's Bicycle - Business travel data collection template
Guide
This worksheet can be used to gather your business travel data, as a basis for calculating your business travel emissions using e.g. Julie’s Bicycle’s Creative Climate Tools.
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Energy Saving Trust - Sustainable Transport Resource for Businesses
Guide
Advice and guidance on options, support and grants available for businesses to make transport more sustainable, cut costs and reduce impacts.
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Stay Grounded
Guide
Information and infographics on the impacts of aviation, how this compares with other types of travel and on climate justice and aviation, from Stay Grounded, a network for over 200 members initiatives around the world which campaigns for a reduction of aviation and its negative impacts, as well as against problematic climate strategies like offsetting.
Smoke Stacks Against Blue Sky
Julie's Bicycle - Putting a Price on Carbon
Guide
This guide, developed under Arts Council England’s Environmental Programme, explores the pros and cons of carbon offsetting, most often used by creative and cultural organisations to offset the impacts of business and audience travel - and alternative approaches to pricing in carbon.
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Modeshift
Guide
Modeshift is a not-for-profit membership organisation backed by the Department for Transport. They support organisations from a range of areas to promote and grow levels of active and sustainable travel. They work with schools, communities and businesses and are also developing approaches for entertainment and culture. They offer a range of courses on topics such as developing travel plans and incentivising sustainable travel.
Julie's Bicycle - Can We Make Touring Greener?
Guide
Reflections and recommendations on greener touring and green riders – how to approach and what to ask of host venues.

Travel & Transport

Examples

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HOME Manchester Sustainable Workplace and Visitor Travel
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Depot Lewes Encouraging Sustainable Transport
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Courtyard Arts Audience Travel Initiatives
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Empowering Audiences with The Green Gathering's Travel Guide
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Indigo article - Audiences Act Green: New pilot project combines technology and communications to promote sustainable travel
Image Credits
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