Make your proposal for Circular Culture a success!

1. Define your objectives clearly: When reaching out to potential artists or organisations in the UK, it’s crucial to have clear objectives for your festival, its project scope, and what you can offer in terms of resources and experience. Highlight what makes your proposal unique and consider integrating green actions or initiatives tied to climate action to align with sustainability goals. 
2. Prepare with realistic expectations: Before making initial contact, review the guidelines of the call and ensure your expectations are clear. Be bold yet realistic, considering the audience and communities you work with, especially if your festival emphasizes Caribbean festivals or other regional themes. 
3. Leverage your existing networks: If you already have connections in the UK, don’t hesitate to use them. Introductions or recommendations can open many doors. Engaging with professional networks and cultural communities is also key. 
4. Engage with professional networks: Get involved in cultural sector associations and networks, both locally and internationally. Attending specific events or workshops is an excellent way to meet British professionals. 
5. Research relevant organisations: Platforms like Arts Council England, Culture24, and ArtsProfessional are valuable for identifying potential partners interested in artistic collaborations or sustainability reports for their projects. Collaborating on green projects or reporting through sustainability reports can make your proposal stand out. 
6. Use cultural collaboration platforms: Platforms such as Creative Europe, Culture360, or Artsy enable you to search for cultural project partners, filtering by specific criteria and facilitating connections with UK collaborators who share your vision for green actions and artistic approaches. 
7. Make use of Social Media: Follow relevant hashtags and join groups on platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook to connect with British artists and collectives. Here are some examples of hashtags: #MadeinUK #UKArtists #UKArtistsOnline #UKFestivals #UKCreativeIndustries. 

• Association of Independent Festivals (AIF): https://aiforg.com/   
• Association of Independent Music: https://www.aim.org.uk/  
• British Underground: https://www.britishunderground.net/   
• Jazz re:freshed: https://www.jazzrefreshed.com/   
• British Film Institute: https://www.bfi.org.uk/   
• Visual Artists Association: https://visual-artists.org/   
• Arts Council England: https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/   
• Arts Council of Wales: https://arts.wales/   
• Creative Scotland: https://www.creativescotland.com/  

1. Make the first contact: Communication is key when establishing partnerships. Send a clear and direct message to the British artist you would like to collaborate with, expressing your interest in their participation. Arrange an initial meeting to discuss the details of the collaboration, ensuring you consider the call's deadlines and the overall project timeline. Leveraging your social networks and local networks can also facilitate easy connections with potential collaborators.  
2. Prepare our team and the meeting: Before the meeting, join groups within your team and define goals.  Highlight best practices by identifying key topics to address, such as the collaboration model, available resources, and the activity schedule. Align everyone’s efforts on the proposal and outline sustainable practices to be incorporated into the festival’s operations. 
3. Post-Meeting review and adjustments: After the meeting, review the agreements reached with the artist and adjust the details as needed. Clearly define the roles and responsibilities of all parties involved and set up regular meetings with your team to follow up and keep the workflow organised. 
4. Finalising the collaboration and preparing for submission: As the collaboration progresses, ensure all documents are organised and share a schedule to coordinate timelines and deliverables. Maintain constant communication with the British counterpart and your team to ensure all aspects of the proposal are aligned before the submission deadline. 

Festivals are vital spaces for creativity and cultural exchange, but they can have a significant environmental impact. Adopting sustainable practices reduces these effects, enhances the attendee experience, and ensures the event's economic viability. Sustainability also promotes inclusion and strengthens the legacy of festivals. 

How to create a sustainable festival: 

1. Sustainable Operations: sustainable operations encompass practices that reduce environmental impact, promote social inclusion, and ensure economic viability. In the context of cultural festivals, these operations aim to: 

• Environmental Impact: minimise the carbon footprint, reduce waste, and conserve resources. 
• Social Responsibility: foster community engagement, promote inclusion, and preserve cultural heritage. 
• Economic Viability: implement measures that secure stable income and financial efficiency. 

2. Research and Analysis: Designing a sustainable festival requires understanding the current state and identifying areas for improvement. Key considerations include: 

• Benchmarking: compare sustainability practices with industry standards and best practices. 
• Stakeholder analysis: engage sponsors, suppliers, attendees, and local communities to understand their expectations. 
• Environmental Impact Assessment: analyse energy consumption, waste generation, and transportation emissions associated with the festival. 

3. Goal Setting: define specific, measurable, and achievable targets related to waste reduction, carbon emissions, and community participation.

Examples: 

• Reduce carbon emissions by X% compared to the previous year. 
• Divert X% of waste from landfills through recycling and composting. 
• Increase community participation by X% through outreach programs and inclusive activities. 

4. Strategies and initiatives: You can implement sustainable measures such as waste reduction, renewable energy use, support for local suppliers, and conservation of resources like water. While these are key options, consider exploring other initiatives such as creating sustainability-focused communications, hosting forums or panels on the topic, or integrating sustainability into the festival's identity. 

5. Monitoring and Evaluation: Establish systems to track the progress of your sustainable initiatives and adjust strategies based on the results obtained. 

6. Communication and transparency: Keep attendees and stakeholders informed about your sustainability efforts to raise awareness and encourage participation.

1. Waste reduction: promote the use of reusable or compostable products and implement a robust recycling programme. 
2. Energy efficiency: use renewable energy, LED lighting, and energy-efficient appliances. 
3. Sustainable transportation: encourage carpooling and provide public transportation. 
4. Local sourcing: purchase food and products from local suppliers to support the local economy and reduce transportation-related emissions. 
5. Water conservation: promote the use of water refill stations instead of disposable plastic bottles. 
6. Education and Awareness: inform attendees about sustainable practices and motivate them to actively participate. 
7. Green Spaces and Biodiversity: designate and protect green areas within the festival grounds and promote biodiversity. 
8. Collaboration with Environmental Organisations: partner with environmental organisations to raise designate and protect green areas within the festival grounds and promote biodiversity.  
9. Community Engagement: encourage community participation through educational workshops, cultural exchanges, and volunteer opportunities. 
10. Innovation and Technology: explore and adopt innovative and sustainable technologies to reduce environmental impact, such as minimising printed materials and using QR codes or online platforms for attendees to access festival-related information like maps, forms, FAQs, and more.

1. Waste reduction: Glastonbury uses a recycling system with specific bins for different waste types. 
2. Sustainable transportation: The Shambhala Festival in Canada offers transportation from nearby cities 
3. Water conservation: Coachella in the U.S. offers free water stations to encourage the use of reusable bottles.  
4. Green Spaces and Biodiversity: the WayHome Music and Arts Festival (Canada) preserved natural areas within the festival site and implemented measures to protect local wildlife habitats. 
5. Collaboration with Environmental Organisations: Electric Forest (USA) collaborates with organizations like Leave No Trace to educate festival attendees on responsible waste disposal and environmental care.