Last week was the first ever Sustainable Business Network hosted by Blackpool Council, and our team member, Kira, was able to attend to represent the arts sector.

The half-day event was created to bring together business and freelancers from across Blackpool to be able to network and share challenges, learnings, and innovative solutions that help the town reach its net zero target whilst getting more people onboard. 

It began with keynote speakers Scott Butterfield and Andy Pickard sharing some Blackpool-specific changes that have happened and are in the plan, including the introduction of an EcoHub at Palatine Library. The EcoHub is a space for residents to go and find ways to make their homes save more energy and ultimately help the environment. Here people can learn about grants and funding opportunities, whilst also attending workshops on retrofitting and other climate-related topics. This project is only in its first year but so far proving helpful for the people who have made use of it. Their still remains challenges in getting people through the door and interested, however.

Next up were Celia Gaze, MBA and Dr Louise Edgington. Celia runs The Wellbeing Farm in Bolton and discussed her sustainability journey to becoming a BCorp and how the farm is now a spectacle of sustainability from energy to community building. Louise’s talk touched on the psychology of climate change. People are often hesitant to get involved, which she noted was down to the idea of it being a “hyperobject” (Morton), which we are inclined to avoid. Because of this, she offered up some ideas of how to get people involved.

Following the talks was a Q&A involving the speakers and additionally Caitlín Sanderson, from Net Zero Business Academy, and Philip Richards, from Sustainable Energy First.

Although this event was aimed at Blackpool businesses, it was very noticeable that there was a lack of arts people involved. Whether that is through the fault of the marketing, or the arts companies themselves not turning up, it is clear that this bridge needs to be built. So often the arts and culture sectors are forgotten about when talking about business, instead leaning toward the more corporate side of society. There is no shortage of research that suggests a better culture and more artistic involvement improves engagement, communication and well-being, so it always surprises me when there is still a lack of arts people at events like these. 

Take this as my call for getting the arts sector more involved. 

If you are running an event, make sure you reach out to your local arts organisations. Make sure you are inviting people to represent all areas of business. If you are an arts organisation, make sure you go, get your foot in the door, and share to the world how important arts are in all walks of life.

To finish, I have listed some key takeaways from the speakers of how to get more people involved in general.

Key Takeaways for better engagement:

Cultivating Co-creation

A lot of engagement in this area is about co-creation, something we talk about a lot in Ecostage (see principal no.4), and whether you’re in arts or other sectors, this still rings true. Dr Louise Edginngton spoke about the importance of listening, offering 1-to-1s, suggestion boxes and setting up an eco team to share and action ideas together. This way, staff at all levels can get involved and see their ideas come to fruition. For us at Ecostage, this is all about valuing creativity and imagination in all forms so we can dream up new possibilities together. This is through connection with communities, people and place to explore participatory, interdisciplinary and collaborative approaches.

A Just Transition

Climate change does not affect us all in the same ways, and it is evidenced by the daily news that some people and countries are worse off than others. Creating a just transition both acknowledges this and means doing what we can to help those in more need, whilst also acknowledging that some people, even in our country have the power and/or ability to do more. Louise discussed this in terms of making sure management are involved in the sustainability process. It is vital that leadership in all business make it a part of their daily routines to show others what can be done and what is being done. For arts communities, that means working in a sustainable way from all aspects, from design to direction. For venues and companies, it is more important than ever to make sure you are working in the right ways.

Celebrate Progress

Everyone loves to be appreciated for the work they have done. Make sure even the smallest actions are acknowledged and praised. Set up notice boards, hand out personal thank yous, share the progress that is being made. Not only will the people within your company feel the love, but it is wonderful for customers and audiences to see the work that is being done. Our spheres of influence are greater than you think; if one audience member sees their favourite company doing good, they are more likely to be inclined to as well.

Some other ideas for engagement:

  • Gamification: create small ways to get people thinking simple things like recycling are fun. Eg. Basket ball hoops above bins, litter picking competitions, etc.
  • Clear bin bags over black bin bags: helps you see what waste you are throwing away to make sure things are being recycled properly.