Walking Gently on the Land

National Arts Centre Environmental Sustainability Action Plan
2023-2026

Message from the National Arts Centre

Climate change is widely recognized as the most urgent problem facing humanity.

As a national leader in the performing arts, the National Arts Centre has a vital role to play in the fight against climate change.

Between 2017 and 2023, the NAC implemented a series of energy management efficiencies that allowed the organization to reduce its annual greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by 33.7 %. This represents about 1,410 tons of CO2, or the equivalent of 432 passenger vehicles off the road for one year.

Although this is a step in the right direction, we must do more. And fast.

The NAC is committed to reducing its Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50% by 2026. We also commit to identifying and implementing Scope 3 GHG emissions reductions during the same period.*

To accelerate our efforts, the NAC Board of Trustees adopted this organization’s first-ever environmental sustainability policy and created a steering committee made up of key leaders from across the NAC to develop and implement strategies in all aspects of our operations. Objectives include further reducing energy consumption, minimizing waste and approaching the production of artistic programming and events with an environmental sustainability mindset.

This three-year NAC Environmental Sustainability Action Plan outlines how the organization will further reduce its reliance on Scope 2 greenhouse emissions and develop and implement new Scope 3 reductions.

The Plan is measurable and achievable and aims to engage key NAC stakeholders, including audiences, artists, staff, the Government of Canada, sponsors, suppliers and contractors. Our approach is to explore solutions to share with the performing arts sector.

This Environmental Sustainability Action Plan aims to align the NAC’s actions with our core value of “activating the role of the performing arts and lead change in the performing arts sector by championing environmentally sustainable practices”.

Time is of the essence. Let’s get to work.

Christopher Deacon
President and CEO
National Arts Centre

* NOTE: Indirect Scope 2 GHG emissions are GHGs released from the energy purchased by the NAC but produced by an external organization, such as electricity and district heating and cooling. Indirect Scope 3 emissions include business travel, waste, water and the use of sold products such as lightbulbs. The NAC does not produce its own energy and therefore has no material Scope 1 emissions.

Scope of Greenhouse Gas Emissions at the NAC

Scope 1:The NAC is a consumer of energy and not a producer. Since it does not produce its own energy, the NAC is exempt from reporting Scope 1 GHG emissions.

Scope 2:The NAC receives its operational energy from the centralized heating and cooling plant operated by Public Services and Procurement Canada. The NAC has established a protocol for measuring and monitoring its energy consumption, and the resulting Scope 2 emissions.

Scope 3:The NAC is in the process of establishing processes to measure current levels of Scope 3 emissions. A monitoring and reporting protocol will be established following the determination of this baseline.

National Arts Centre Statement of Commitment to the Environment

Through its 2023-2026 Strategic Plan, the NAC pledges to activate the role of the performing arts to help create a green and just future. We will foster best practices in management by leading ecological change in the Canadian performing arts sector through environmentally sustainable approaches. By 2026, the NAC commits to reducing its Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50%, as well as identify and implement further Scope 3 GHG emissions. 

Fighting Climate Change: Select NAC Accomplishments

Here are the National Arts Centre’s recent accomplishments in the fight against climate change:  

  • The NAC has reduced its annual greenhouse gas emissions since 2017–2018 by 33.7% – representing about 1,410 tons of CO2* or the equivalent of 432 passenger vehicles off the road for one year – thanks to energy management efficiencies. Emissions will be further reduced over the coming years as more building upgrades are implemented and the National Capital Region District Energy System’s Energy Services Acquisition Program (ESAP), that provides heating and cooling to the NAC, is modernized.
  • Each year, the NAC diverts more than one million plastic food and drink containers from the landfill by using plant-based compostable cups and cutlery. The containers (e.g., wine and beer glasses, coffee cups, plates, utensils, straws, and take-out boxes) are transformed – thanks to a process developed with the help of public and private partners – into rich compost that is being put back into the NAC rooftop herb gardens.
  • By switching to digital house programs, the NAC has printed 4.8 million fewer pages annually during the 2022-2023 season compared to 2019-2020.
  • We are using outside air to cool our building using more efficient variable frequency drives to better conserve energy.
  • The Food and Beverage Department operates two beehives each containing about 5,000 bees on the rooftop of the NAC. The bees pollinate the herb garden used by the 1 Elgin Restaurant culinary team and produce delicious lilac-scented honey. 
  • We installed electrical connections along Freiman Lane where large trucks, such as tour buses of visiting artists, park. In the past, those trucks might idle for hours, emitting GHGs into the air. Now drivers can connect their trucks directly into the NAC’s power supply and turn off their engine.  
  • We have upgraded more than 80% of non-theatrical lighting at the Centre to state-of-the-art technologies such as LEDs. So far, we’ve replaced 1,971 lamps resulting in the following materials being diverted from the landfill: 234.7 kg of glass, 25 kg of plastics, 10.50 kg of metals, and smaller amounts of phosphor, porcelain and mercury.
  • Replacing exterior doors with more energy-efficient models, reducing the heating and cooling needs and eliminating the buildup of ice on the doors in the winter.
  • Releasing the results of NAC English Theatre’s two-year research initiative The Cycle: The Earth is Watching... Let’s Act, which grapples with how artists and arts institutions can rethink their practice and programming to develop work that promotes sustainable values and invests in the future of our planet.
  • Partnering with the Sectoral Climate Arts Leadership for the Emergency (SCALE), a “network of networks” of artists and organizations working at the intersection of culture and climate in Canada. Formed in 2021, SCALE’s mandate is to foster a coordinated, artful and impactful response to the climate emergency from Canada’s arts and culture sector.

NAC Environmental Sustainability Policy

Read the National Arts Centre Environmental Sustainability Policy. Alternate formats are available upon request by contacting greenplanvert@nac-cna.ca.

Key Action Items Environmental Sustainability Action Plan 2023-2026

1. Energy Management

NAC Sustainability Policy Objective Action # Action Action Owner
1.1. Foster climate-resilient low-carbon operations and services. 1.1.1 Continue to participate in the Energy Services Acquisition Program (ESAP) and its district energy program in the National Capital Region, which will dramatically reduce GHG emissions by 2026 through modernization. Operations
1.1. Foster climate-resilient low-carbon operations and services. 1.1.2 Add a carbon lens into business cases and decision making (i.e., projects are not only pursued on financial and existing strategic decisions but also carbon impact). Senior Management, Finance
1.1. Foster climate-resilient low-carbon operations and services. 1.1.3 Investigate the feasibility for renewable on-site energy generation (e.g., solar panels, on-site battery storage) (Year 3) Operations
1.2. Implementing more efficient operating strategies and technologies to reduce energy consumption related to building systems and building envelope. 1.2.1 Continue to participate in the Energy Services Acquisition Program (ESAP) and its district energy program in the National Capital Region, which will dramatically reduce GHG emissions by 2026 through modernization. Operations
1.3. Identify specific energy management opportunities (EMOs) to decrease GHG emissions resulting from NAC operations. 1.3.1 Continue the ongoing reduction of energy usage as per the Energy Management Opportunities Report prioritizing high carbon reduction options. Investigate how external funding sources can produce a favourable business case (favourable interest loans; green loans; community impact bonds). Operations, Finance
1.4. Promote green modes of transportation and encourage employees and visiting artists to reduce business travel and take green modes of transportation whenever possible. 1.4.1 Conduct a mobility survey for staff and audience (Year 1-2) and encourage lower carbon options/sustainable transportation initiatives (Year 2). Strategy and Communications
1.4. Promote green modes of transportation and encourage employees and visiting artists to reduce business travel and take green modes of transportation whenever possible. 1.4.2 Conduct a business travel analysis including staff and artists/shows who are contracted to gauge the carbon footprint and opportunities to switch to lower emission options. We will compare our findings with similar arts organizations around the world. Finance

2. Waste Management

NAC Sustainability Policy Objective Action # Action Action Owner
2.1 Reduce the environmental impacts of waste in a manner that will engage employees, artists and visitors. 2.1.1 Create virtual and physical displays to show how the NAC reduces waste (e.g., energy dashboard; display of stage material reuse as a miniature model with bolts and screws vs. glue and staples of set materials.) Operations, Production
2.2 Develop a robust waste management strategy aimed at monitoring waste generation and diverting a maximum amount of solid waste away from landfills and incineration, through reuse, recycling, and composting. 2.2.1 Support implementation of new waste management program (subject to financial context) and provide training, resources, and guidance to maximise recycling rate (Year 1) Operations, Food and Beverage
2.3 Purchase environmentally preferable goods and services, i.e. those with a lesser/reduced impact on the environment over the life cycle of the good or service, when compared with competing goods or services serving the same purpose. 2.3.1 Avoid and reduce waste from the onset by ensuring procurement documents engage and favour waste avoiding suppliers in general and as part of a zero-plastic approach. Finance, Operations

3. Artistic Production and Practice

NAC Sustainability Policy Objective Action # Action Action Owner
3.1 Commit to a continuous improvement mindset in adopting sustainable artistic production and practice. 3.1.1 See 3.5 Production
3.2 Recognizes the power of its artistic practices to bring about change in public perception of and responses to the climate emergency. 3.2.1 i) Continue association with organizations like SCALE – Le SAUT and pursue opportunities such as the Irresistible Worlds research (Year 1 and 2) to promote the importance of the arts in climate change and climate justice work;
ii) engage and educate the audience on climate change and climate justice, measure their experience and seek their feedback to inform future sustainability focused production; and
iii) promote the presentation of work that invites artists and audiences to envision the positive possibilities of a society that has successfully addressed the climate crisis.		 Production, Artistic Disciplines
3.3 Integrate sustainability criteria in the feasibility analysis and planning of artistic projects and strive to support artistic work that engages with climate action. 3.3.1 See 3.4 and 3.5 Production, Artistic Disciplines
3.4 Communicate its sustainability goals to its network of artistic partners, collaborators and contractors through the continued adoption of green procurement practices and by outlining sustainability requirements in agreements. 3.4.1 Share learnings, challenges, and opportunities with peers from performing arts and cultural organisations by utilizing the SCALE/LeSaut network as a strategic partner and the learnings from the COVID-reopening guidelines project. Seek out and deepen partnerships which allow the NAC to become a catalyst for sustainable performances and shared learning (Year 2-3). English Theatre, Strategy and Communications
3.5 Commit to the adoption of sustainable practices during artistic creation and production. This includes using environmentally sustainable materials and tools and reducing production waste. 3.5.1 Continue and scale the avoidance of production waste through smart design, standardization of materials and the reuse of sets, props, costumes, other production materials and the use of digitization over paper (Year 1-2). Document and share these learnings with external creative partners via relevant professional institutions or community organizations and provide training for staff to learn from partners (Year 3+). Attend and/or develop training courses which teach how to integrate sustainable design into the creative processes (Year 1-4) and experiment with “Zero Waste Productions”. Production, Artistic Disciplines
3.6 As much as possible, show builds such as sets, props, costumes, hair & makeup will be made of recycled materials and reused/recycled/diverted from the landfill after their use. 3.6.1 Reduce waste from production by 10% by 2026 for sets, props, costumes, hair and makeup by reusing/recycling/diverting from the landfill after their use and achieve a reuse target of 50% for in-house based production. Production
3.7 Any equipment that is to be discarded will be broken down and recycled, repurposed, donated or given to a third-party company for recycling as appropriate. 3.7.1 See 3.5. Production
3.8 Transition 80% of the theatrical lighting and equipment to energy-efficient alternatives. 3.8.1 Convert theatrical lighting and equipment to energy-efficient alternatives at the end of life and pro-actively seek out such opportunities where economically and environmentally sensible. Production

4. Engagement, Monitoring and Reporting

NAC Sustainability Policy Objective Action # Action Action Owner
4.1 The NAC commits to developing, monitoring, and reporting on key sustainability performance indicators in the areas of energy consumption and waste management. The NAC commits to establishing goals that align with the Government of Canada’s long-term sustainability objectives, including its commitment to net zero operations by 2050 and its goal to reduce Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 40% by 2025.
As encouraged in the Government of Canada’s Greening Government Strategy, the NAC will proactively publicly disclose its GHG emissions annually and adopt the reporting recommendations of the TCFD (Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures) by Crown corporations as relevant and appropriate.		 4.1.1 The NAC will continue to report on Scope 2 emissions (Years 1-3).
The NAC will integrate carbon reporting for Scope 3 into the finance data system and processes based upon an approved carbon reporting framework (Year 2-3) and develop targets with the green steering committee (Year 2 and 3). Management and staff are trained to collect the data needed for carbon reporting (Year 3).		 Operations, Finance, Strategy and Communications
4.2 The NAC will demonstrate its commitment to green leadership by actively sharing its results and best practices with its key government stakeholders, partners and collaborators across the country and as well as engaging its employees, artists and audiences in achieving the NAC’s environmental sustainability goals as outlined in this policy. 4.2.1 Promote NAC's sustainability goals using existing communications channels, the new customer relations management software, audience surveying, and SCALE's mode 2 and 3. (Year 1-3) Strategy and Communications, Visitor Experience
4.2 The NAC will demonstrate its commitment to green leadership by actively sharing its results and best practices with its key government stakeholders, partners and collaborators across the country and as well as engaging its employees, artists and audiences in achieving the NAC’s environmental sustainability goals as outlined in this policy. 4.2.2 Update existing Marketing and Communications Plans (internal and external) to integrate sustainability commitment and achievements (Year 1) Strategy and Communications
4.2 The NAC will demonstrate its commitment to green leadership by actively sharing its results and best practices with its key government stakeholders, partners and collaborators across the country and as well as engaging its employees, artists and audiences in achieving the NAC’s environmental sustainability goals as outlined in this policy. 4.2.3 Require essentials 101 training on sustainability for key managers (Year 1) and integrate a sustainability primer and resources signpost into existing onboarding procedures (Year 2-3). Human Resources
4.2 The NAC will demonstrate its commitment to green leadership by actively sharing its results and best practices with its key government stakeholders, partners and collaborators across the country and as well as engaging its employees, artists and audiences in achieving the NAC’s environmental sustainability goals as outlined in this policy. 4.2.4 Instill a culture of sustainability by training staff, offering resources on the NAC Intranet, departmental green challenges, excellence awards, green team builders, green project opportunities, and incentives. Human Resources, Strategy and Communications

5. Procurement

NAC Sustainability Policy Objective Action # Action Action Owner
5.1 We aim to ensure that the goods and services we buy have the lowest environmental impact and the most positive economic and social impacts feasible. 5.1.1 Only offer local/Canadian sourced fish or MSC certified (Year 2). Food and Beverage
5.1 We aim to ensure that the goods and services we buy have the lowest environmental impact and the most positive economic and social impacts feasible. 5.1.2 Recognize sustainability and climate action in employee performance (e.g., add Green NAC employee awards category, incorporate sustainability considerations as competencies in job descriptions and performance evaluation, and explore staff training opportunities in sustainability, energy management and green procurement). Human Resources
5.2 Work within existing procurement frameworks to achieve better financial, environmental, and social outcomes 5.2.1 Develop a sustainable procurement policy (Year 2-3) including:
a) the requirement that suppliers provide their footprint for contracts above a threshold of $100,000 (Year 2-3)
b) the avoidance of plastic packaging (Year 2-3) unless a supplier circular solution can be offered.
c) Construction waste needing to be landfilled to a minimum.		 Finance, Operations
5.2 Work within existing procurement frameworks to achieve better financial, environmental, and social outcomes 5.2.2 Investigate and participate in opportunities to learn and share best practices in green procurement with other organizations. Finance
5.2 Work within existing procurement frameworks to achieve better financial, environmental, and social outcomes 5.2.3 Stipulate in tenders/contracts that suppliers need to work with the NAC on reducing Scope 3 emissions as part of joint working groups (Year 2-3). Finance
5.2 Work within existing procurement frameworks to achieve better financial, environmental, and social outcomes 5.2.4 Develop processes/guidelines, resource manual and info briefing for suppliers how to execute 5.2.3 Finance
5.3 Implement strategies to reduce paper use and increase the purchase of recycled content office consumables and equipment 5.3.1 Continue digital-first approach to house programs and reduce reliance on printing of materials overall.
Sharing of best practices through internal communications.		 Audience Engagement, Strategy and Communications
5.4 100% office paper procured contains post-consumer recycled content Over 60% of office consumables align with principles of a circular economy (i.e., a model of production and consumption, which involves sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing and recycling existing materials and products as long as possible.) 5.4.1 Ensure that over 60% of office consumables procured align with principles of a circular economy. Finance, Operations
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