Coventry the ‘greenest’ ever UK City of Culture

Coventry City of Culture Trust has reaffirmed its commitment to Coventry being the ‘greenest’ ever UK City of Culture with the creation of a new code.

The Green Code is a series of guiding principles and behaviours for internal members of the team as well as organisations and suppliers the Trust is working with. It covers everything from travel and procurement through to the way events are delivered.

It also challenges the Trust itself to learn from and improve on each event it delivers from an environmental point of view.

Jacob Gough, Coventry City of Culture Trust Production Director, said: “From day one, it’s been a priority to ensure that Coventry’s year as UK City of Culture has a positive impact on the environment.

“Our Green Code challenges us to be bold, to be open, to think hard and be transparent when it comes to our decision-making, considering the impacts of our decisions on future generations in order to ensure that everything we do is as green and as sustainable as it can possibly be.

“For example, our procurement process will mandate us to think about what we’re buying and where it will end up to ensure we are mitigating against the environmental impact of any products we use.

“The Green Code will help to ensure that City of Culture not only leaves a positive social, economic and cultural legacy for the region but an environmental one too. The behaviours we’re committing to now are only just the beginning and we’ll continue to evolve our ambition as the year continues.”

The Green Futures programme, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF), is another example of the Trust’s commitment to the green agenda during the year of UK City of Culture, which begins on 15 May, 2021, and includes already announced events Small Bells Ring and Tides Within Us.

Anna Jenkins, Director, England Midlands and East, National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “We ask the projects we fund do their upmost to think sustainably, support nature’s recovery and consider the future of our cultural and natural heritage. This new Green Code and our support for the Coventry City of Culture 2021 Green Futures programme do exactly that, they put the planet first and demonstrate how everyone can play their part in protecting the planet for future generations.”

The full Green Code is available to view here: coventry2021.co.uk/about/our-green-code/

ABOUT COVENTRY UK CITY OF CULTURE 2021

Coventry UK City of Culture 2021 will commence on 15 May 2021, running for 12 months. The 365-day cultural programme will reflect Coventry as a diverse, modern city, demonstrating that culture is a force that changes lives. Coventry is known internationally as a city of welcome, a city of activists and pioneers, peace and reconciliation, innovation, and invention, and now a City of Culture.

Coventry is the city where movement began, from innovation in the transport industry to a history of welcome, it has moved people for centuries. For a whole year, Coventry will celebrate with events, music, dance, theatre, and large-scale spectacle. As well as these big celebrations, it will show its unexpected side, with more intimate experiences and ways to get involved in every neighbourhood. And it’s not just Coventry. This epic celebration will also witness the entire region getting involved and benefitting from the opportunities that being City of Culture brings.

It will be co-created with the people of Coventry and bring about long-term social, economic and cultural benefits.

Coventry UK City of Culture 2021’s Principal Partners are Coventry City Council, West Midlands Combined Authority, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Arts Council England, National Lottery Heritage Fund, Warwickshire County Council, Spirit of 2012, Coventry University and the University of Warwick. Its Major Partners are Coventry Building Society and Paul Hamlyn Foundation. Its Regional Partners are the National Lottery Community Fund and Ricoh Arena/Wasps. Its City Champions are Coventry College, Exasoft, Foyle Foundation, Garfield Weston Foundation, Orbit Group and PET-Xi. Its International Partner is the British Council. Its Loyalty Partner is TRG Arts, and its Honorary Partner is the Positive Youth Foundation. Its Delivery Partners are Coventry Business Improvement District, Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership, EnV and West Midlands Police.

National Lottery Heritage Fund
Using money raised by the National Lottery, we Inspire, lead and resource the UK’s heritage to create positive and lasting change for people and communities, now and in the future. https://www.heritagefund.org.uk/.

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