editorial Alex Smith, Editor Email: asmith@cibsejournal.com Twitter: @alexsmith68 Julies Bicycle realised artists couldnt lecture on the environment without getting their own front of house in order first Performance art I ts festival season and, over the summer months, thousands of us will be leaving the comforts of our masonry and timber homes to spend a few nights under canvas in one of the dozens of tented cities that appear in the British countryside at this time of year. The environmental impact of these festivals can be substantial. Glastonbury had more than 175,000 people living on its site last month, the equivalent of a city the size of Wigan. The organisers have to put in place infrastructure that powers the site, provides fresh water and disposes of mountains of waste. Minimising the use of resources for these mini metropolises is a complicated task but thankfully festival organisers can now turn to an environmental consultant specialising in temporary arts events. Not-for-profit company Julies Bicycle was set up by music executives who were struck by the perversity of flying in rock stars for Live Earth a music concert aimed at raising public awareness of climate change. They realised that artists were in no position to lecture on the environment without getting their own front of house in order first. In only eight years, the organisation has given advice on resource efficiency to more than 1,000 groups in the UK and overseas. Impressively, it has gathered enough data to provide benchmarks across a diverse range of arts venues and events covering festivals, arts buildings, offices, tours and productions. The data has been collected using carbon calculators known as creative industry green tools (IG Tools). Such has been their success that the tools are now a condition of funding by the Arts Council England and Creative Scotland. IG Tools also form the basis of a certification scheme, involving an energy audit by Julies Bicycle. Already 200 organisations covering festivals, venues, events and offices have signed up. Julies Bicycle is now spreading its message across the arts industry; a great example of positive engagement on resource reduction can be seen in the striking infographics on Shambalas festival website. For anyone involved in creating buildings with a low environmental impact, CIBSEs new Guide A is an essential document. Over the next three months we will offer a chapter-by-chapter guide to the key changes in one of our sectors most important texts.