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Environment & Sustainability

This photo is a view of the SLG's Fox Garden, it shows bushes and plants in the foreground, a person sitting on a chair in the mid-ground and the building of the gallery in the background.

Image: Fox Garden. Photo: Andy Stagg

WHY IS SUSTAINABILITY IMPORTANT TO THE SLG?

The planet is experiencing a climate emergency. The SLG understands the role that arts organisations, particularly in the Global North, have played in the climate emergency due to the impact of international travel, arts shipping and use of energy and materials.

We review our environmental actions and policies and carbon footprint every year. We report our carbon emissions to Julie’s Bicycle and Gallery Climate Coalition. However, we know that there is more to do. We are examining our systems and programmes, to adapt and learn, and use more data-driven approaches. We need to be more responsible, as an organisation and as individuals.

ONGOING COMMITMENTS

  • We have a Green Committee made-up of employees across all gallery departments. The committee meets every two months to discuss our environmental action plans. 
  • SLG’s spaces are not climate controlled. This was a conscious decision made to be more eco-friendly during the 2018 restoration of the Fire Station.  
  • Our Communities & Learning Team reuse unwanted material and furniture for their activities and projects, and we collect collage material and accept recycled donated materials for education programmes. 
  • In our shop, 50% of products are locally sourced and produced in London and we are working with more local makers, who often travel on foot to hand deliver their products to the store. We recycle packaging for online orders and stock returns.  
  • All SLG’s printed marketing materials are printed on Forest Stewardship Council-approved stock, meaning that forests are managed to strict environmental, social and economic standards. We encourage our visitors to sign up to email newsletters to get information rather than using paper invitations and printed guides.  
  • The Fox Garden and Orozco Garden are planted with year-round scented flowers which encourage local wildlife. The Clore Studio features a green roof for additional insulation, water retention, and promotes biodiversity. The rainwater which falls into the pools of the Orozco Garden is naturally drained and used to help water our plants. We work with local artists to create and update our Garden Trail, encouraging visitors to engage with the natural environment and raise awareness of local biodiversity. 
  • Our café partner, South London Louie, transports all goods by bicycle courier. South London Louie is committed to minimising food waste by producing food at a centralised location and using Too Good To Go for leftover food.  
  • All timber used for exhibition and building improvements is purchased from Fulham Timber Merchants Ltd , a London-based supplier.  Fulham Timber are an environmentally aware businesses and committed to the sustainable sourcing of timber. You can read their environmental policy on the Fulham Timber website.

RECENT HIGHLIGHTS

  • In 2022, we raised awareness internally by asking each department to reflect on their work and their role in promoting sustainability at SLG. This identified how we can improve ways of working throughout the organisation to become more sustainable.  
  • We became active members of Gallery Climate Coalition in 2023. To become an active member, we had to demonstrate that we have implemented environmental sustainability best practice in line with Gallery Climate Coalition guidance. 
  • In 2023, we received funding to replace the gas boiler with an air source heat pump in our Main Gallery to reduce emissions and increase efficiency. We are working with our energy suppliers to understand the environmental impact and aim to report on this in 25/26.  
  • We conducted a sustainability audit on our buildings with an external contractor in 2022, identifying areas for improvement in heating and cooling, lighting and insulation.  
  • We currently have 6 members of staff across 3 teams who are certified Carbon Literate, and 1 staff member trained to use the Carbon Literacy toolkit for internal training.  
  • For our Acts of Resistance exhibition, we published an exhibition environmental statement on our website to increase transparency and share knowledge with our visitors and peers.   
  • We enrolled in the Climate Perks scheme, which encourages staff to travel abroad sustainably by allowing up to 2 extra leave days for travel by ferry, bus or train. This was used by 7 staff in the 24/25 leave year. 

FUTURE PLANS 

  • We will create an accurate baseline using Julie’s Bicycle and Gallery Climate Coalition’s carbon calculators. This is important to understand our carbon footprint and where we can reduce emissions. We acknowledge that we are still in the process of understanding our carbon emissions and set realistic targets for reduction. We aim to publish our footprint online once this work has been completed.  
  • We will identify scopes where we feel SLG can make the greatest impact and include these in our action plan.  
  • We will connect with other arts organisations to share challenges and successes, promoting knowledge-sharing and learning across the sector.  
  • We invite external experts to speak at the SLG’s Environment & Sustainability meetings and invite board members to attend online. 
  • One member of our Senior Leadership Team is certified Carbon Literate. We will provide training for all members of Senior Leadership Team to become certified carbon literate. 
  • We will apply to be an active member of Gallery Climate Coalition for 2024. 
  • We will continue to refine our environmental checklist for exhibitions with the aim to use this checklist for all exhibitions. We will work with artists, co-curators and others to ensure each exhibition is as sustainable as possible.  

We acknowledge that these plans are a starting point for a more sustainable SLG. We are still in the process of assessing and reporting our impact to create informed and realistic targets for emissions reduction. We hope that by maintaining our ongoing commitments, building our understanding, and encouraging dialogue with our peers, we can continue to strengthen our commitment to sustainability.  

We welcome feedback on how SLG can be more environmentally friendly. If you have any comments or suggestions, please get in touch with Sarah Cooper sarah.cooper@southlondongallery.org. 

 

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Last updated March 2025.