Sustainability
We The Curious declares a climate emergency
On the 5 June 2019, we declared a climate emergency; by publicising our pledge to be carbon net zero by 2030.
Along with Bristol City Council and the University of Bristol, we were one of the first organisations in the city to make this public declaration, which aligns with Bristol’s ambition to become carbon net zero by 2030.
We were the first science centre in the world to declare a climate emergency; the aim of the declaration is to inspire both organisations and individuals to take action.
If you’d like to know a bit more about what it all means, and both what we’ve done and plan to do to reach our carbon net zero by 2030 target, then just click here.
We’re committed to becoming the most sustainable science centre in the UK.
After 17 years of “making science accessible to all" as At-Bristol, we relaunched on 14 September 2017 as We The Curious - with a new direction and a Manifesto to help guide us. One of the core pledges of our Manifesto is to 'strive for a sustainable future,' in every aspect of what we do. Over the past few years, We The Curious has seen a dramatic shift in the way we operate, all to minimise the impact we have on the planet.
To us, being sustainable isn’t just about where our waste goes or how much electricity we use – it’s about you, our visitors too. We are dedicated to creating interesting and meaningful conversations about the world we live in, to empower people to make sustainable lifestyle changes. At We The Curious, we promise to
DO
Be a venue that's as sustainable as possible
TALK
Spark conversations to inspire our visitors and the next generation of change makers.
SHARE
Extend beyond our walls to bring the sustainbility conversation to communities and spaces within our city
Being a sustainable venue
In 2017 the Sustainable Futures Team was born. The brainchild of our Head of Sustainable Futures, Chris, the team consists of a member from every team and department in We The Curious. With this diverse range of knowledge and expertise, we can be super efficient when it comes to making sustainable changes. Targeting the key areas affected by sustainabilty; waste, travel, procurement, energy, nature and water - our team sets and smashes goals! With every target that's achieved, a new one takes it's place - there's no rest for the sustainable and we've tonnes of ideas on how we can improve.
Since 2010 we've reduced our energy consumption by 28%. We've also:
Installed Bristol’s largest photovoltaic solar panel array - big enough to power 13 UK households!
Audited all of the products we use and sell, to see which contain palm oil. Any that do have been switched to make sure it comes from sustainable sources
Fitted Bristol’s first LED lit car park
Reduced our toilet flushed by 2/3rds (glamorous, we know!)
Teamed up with Sustrans, to train our staff in active travel
... and more!
Inspiring and empowering you
Sustainability doesn't just stop with us, its about you too! We're all about getting creative with what it means to be sustainable and working with partners across the country to bring you engaging talks, activities and workshop. We are the first science centre in the UK to dedicate an entire season of activites and programming to spark conversations around climate change, encourge behaviour changes and empower our visitors to take positive actions towards protecting our planet.
Our dedicated team of science communicators bring sustainability to life each and every day. From schools workshops and theme days, to using our own building as a case study, the Live Science Team are happy to chat to anyone about all things green!
Bringing sustainability to our city
We welcome thousands of visitors to our spaces each year, so We The Curious, Millennium Square, Anchor Square and the Big Screen are used to showcase sustainability in action. We work hard to get out and about in our community too, to bring everything from artwork to pollinators to our spaces. This has included:
Interactive art installations including the Bristol Whales, Tap into Bristol and the Energy Tree on Millennium Square- watch the video below to find out more.
In 2019 we collaborated with the University of Bristol’s Cabot Institute and artist Anna Higgie to create this stunning and impactful climate change mural.
In 2018 we installed Luke Jerrams' Inhale sculpture to the picnic area. This beautiful sculpture shows a supersized soot particle, sparking conversations around air quality in our city.
Outside in Millennium Square is a vibrant, working garden managed by Edible Bristol and volunteers, which produces fruit and vegetables for the community to enjoy. You may have spotted some rather fancy looking hives out there? These 'pollinator hotels' make sure that critters in the heart of our city have somewhere to shelter.
We host events that champion initiatives which promote sustainability education with partners such as Bristol Green Capital Partnership and Bristol City Youth Council. We love being a space in the city for high-profile sustainability talks and debates, such as hosting Sir Mark Walport Government Chief Scientific Advisor.
Work with us
If you want to get creative with a sustainable project, installation or event we'd love to hear from you! Get drop us a line at information@wethecurious.org