This process requires an emissions reduction plan, monitoring, and offsetting what can’t be reduced. While the scheme is not without its flaws and is under review, our thinking has been that we should do whatever we can, wherever we can. As the carbon accounting landscape is changing rapidly, we’ll keep scanning the horizon for more effective ways to make the change.

A hot topic at the moment is the question of offsets – they are fundamentally flawed, but what will replace them? And there’s a shift coming, away from a pure carbon emissions focus towards an understanding that biodiversity and broad scale environmental impact, as well as social justice, need to be part of the picture. This might mean that, in the future, we work with local partners on projects that have significant environmental and social benefits, rather than offsetting with accredited projects on distant shores.

You can't change what you don't measure – that’s the underlying realisation that has been driving Terrapin’s efforts towards a climate transition. In 2021, with the expert assistance of Sustainable Living Tasmania, we established a baseline by measuring emissions for the first time. Since then we’ve made a lot of headway, and this pie chart for 2023 looks noticeably different. A huge drop in overseas touring and freight has resulted in a 43% reduction in emissions, in spite of company growth. To put it in the parlance of relatable livestock: In 2022, our emissions were equivalent to a herd of 44 cows, and in 2023, that dropped to 25.

Since 2021 we’ve adopted the first Sustainability Policy, established and taught sustainable principles in the Terrapin workshop, worked with directors and designers to implement a Green Card process at the concept stage, adopted the Theatre Green Book as a code of practice, and dug hard into the two main sources of emissions – freight and overseas travel. Bringing more shows to audiences in schools and aged care centres, rather than bringing audiences to theatres, has also meant that emissions from audience travel have dropped.

‘ Through this process of change, we have been called to fundamentally question our purpose and impact. Rather than sending us into a spiral of existential angst, this has been a positive and transformative experience that has led to an expansion of our social impact work, further partnerships outside our sector, and a deeper alignment with core values and purpose – to create connection, shift realities, and make lives better. Highly recommended.’

– Belinda Kelly, Executive Producer.

We have no illusions about how far we need to go, as a company, a sector and a culture, but it’s a start we can be proud of.