Today, Wednesday 6th July, is Essex Green Day and we at the Mercury Theatre are proud to be a supporter of this event, alongside a host of other organisations including East of England Co-Op, Poplar Nurseries, Eco Colchester, ColchEco Refill shop and many more.
The annual event was hosted for the first-time last year, and it is for schools across the county to learn and take action on protecting the natural environment. It is hosted by the Multi Schools Council, and this year over 60 schools have signed up to support Essex Green Day, and 21 of those schools are in the Colchester area, including our corporate partner Colchester High School.
The Mercury are supporting the day by encouraging our staff to wear something green for awareness, we will be using our environmentally-friendly lights outside to turn the theatre green in the evening and we have been working with local primary schools to promote the day and discuss the impact of climate change. Below is a video created especially in awareness of Essex Green Day, with facts about our impact on the environment:
Forest Morgan, Schools Producer, said:
“We are thrilled to be a part of the second Green Day led by the Multi Schools Council. This year we celebrate our 50th anniversary, and we look forward to the next 50 years with our recently refurbished building that puts sustainability at its forefront. I have visited some of the 14 local schools involved in the day, and it has been fascinating to hear what young people will be doing. We are doing our bit, and it is great to work alongside schools and other organisations across the county in order to tackle climate change and ensure a greener future.”
As an organisation, our staff and Board Members are committed to understanding and improving our environmental performance. We have a Sustainability Action Group, made up of staff from across the organisation, that meets regularly to monitor and better our work in this area. We firmly believe that together we can make a difference for Colchester and the planet.
As a building, we have already made significant changes in our pledge to be more sustainable. We have converted 70% of our building lighting to LED, and on a timer system to ensure efficient use. Sadly, we cannot reach 100% as the technology to support theatrical lighting is still being developed, though we aim to install any new equipment as soon as it becomes available. We source all our electricity from a 100% renewable supply Ecotricity, and have extended the solar panels on our roof. We operate a zero waste to landfill policy, so all waste onsite is sent for recycling in partnership with our waste carrier CSH and we operate ‘paperless’ systems which significantly reduces the amount of paper waste. You can read our full Sustainability statement at mercurytheatre.co.uk/sustainability.
Steve Mannix, Director, adds:
“Here at the Mercury, we pride ourselves on being sustainable, and we all need to do our bit to help the environment and tackle climate change. I’m pleased we are able to use our building and business to raise awareness of Essex Green Day, particularly our team who have been working with schools to inspire the next generation.”
Whether you do a family litter pick or start to recycle better, share what you will be doing for Essex Green Day on social media using the hashtag #GoGreen.
