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At Fareham Live, we want to lead by example for future venues as a space that not only delivers exceptional live performances, spectacular shows, and excellent customer service but also showcases the very best in sustainable practices. Through our parent company, Trafalgar Theatres, we have gathered decades of experience and knowledge from some of the nation’s top theatre minds to develop a strategy that will leave our credentials greener than the city of Oz. From our choices of foods and recycling habits to the very bricks that make this wonderful new building, read on to find out what we and Fareham Borough Council have done and plan to do to make Fareham Live one of the greenest venues in Hampshire.
When designing Fareham Live, Fareham Borough Council had ensured that the building is fully compliant with Building Regulations regarding the conservation of fuel and power. They’ve gone above and beyond by installing 18 photovoltaic (solar) panels on the roof of the fly tower. These solar panels generate renewable energy, reducing our dependence on fossil fuels and lowering our carbon footprint, which contributes to sustainability. They have even gone the extra mile by installing four air source heat pumps to provide heating and ventilation. These heat pumps are highly efficient, using less energy for heating and cooling, further reducing carbon emissions and supporting our commitment to sustainability. Additionally, the building fabric has been upgraded to improve insulation, reducing the demand for heating and cooling in the process.
As we're big on heritage, it has been really important to retain as much of the building’s history as possible. The town of Fareham is known for its brickmaking, so steps were taken to ensure that as much of the brickwork was preserved as possible. The bricks have been cleaned and repointed for use at the rear and base of the building, giving them a well-deserved new lease of life. So when you visit, you will see two original walls of Ferneham Hall in the main auditorium. The recycling didn’t end there. Around 50% of the existing building has been retained or reused, including some of the original foundations and much of the original auditorium. It was also made sure that we recycle as many materials as possible, with materials from the demolition phase being crushed down and reused in the building’s foundations. This not only significantly reduces the number of new materials needed but also minimises the carbon impact of total demolition and replacement. Pretty cool, eh?
With Hampshire being such a fantastic region for foodies, making sure our hospitality offerings are to a high standard is extremely important for us. As part of this, embracing sustainable and ethical procedures goes hand in hand with serving high-quality and delicious food. That’s why we have embraced ethical procurement and consumption of food from start to finish. Our food waste will be collected and reprocessed into biofuels, gas, and fertilisers, resulting in zero food waste, and we’ll ensure that our food is sourced as locally as possible to minimise transportation time. All of our fish will be accredited by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC 1-2 certified), and we’ll only use Red Tractor-accredited meat, ensuring higher welfare standards. Other notable initiatives that we are taking on board from Trafalgar’s nationwide practices include selling Life Water, which funds clean water projects worldwide via the charity Drop4Drop. Additionally, we’ll only be using 100% recyclable disposable cups and participating in the Born in the UK closed-loop recycling scheme, which aims to remove over one million cups from landfill each year. We’ll also be eliminating single-use plastic cups, opting for reusable polycarbonate glassware, and we’ll be joining Trafalgar in having no straws in our venues except for paper ones for those who need them. In our kitchens, we are using coreless centre-feed kitchen rolls, reducing the equivalent of three miles of cardboard core waste annually, and our fruit and vegetable suppliers deliver in reusable crates and exclusively use eco-friendly chemicals. Our efforts don’t stop there. We’ve teamed up with ice cream partner Marshfield Farm, which is B Corp certified and operates a closed-loop system with a low carbon footprint. Check out the incredible work they do to stay as green as the grass their cows eat here.
Another initiative from our Fareham Live technical team has been to team up with Hampshire-based event lighting and rigging specialists, TSL. As TSL updates their equipment, they have generously offered high quality lighting units to be repurposed for use at Fareham Live. This partnership reflects our shared commitment to improving sustainability within the industry.
At Fareham Live, we are committed to creating a vibrant cultural hub that not only brings joy and entertainment to our community but also embodies our dedication to sustainability. We are proud to be joining the green revolution in our theatre, from our energy- efficient building design and careful preservation of local heritage to our ethical food sourcing and innovative waste reduction practices, every aspect of our theatre has been thoughtfully considered with the environment in mind and will continue to stay this way in the future as we have a dedicated venue green team on site.
Will you be joining us on this exciting journey? We can’t wait to keep improving and making changes over time as we head towards a more sustainable future. Watch this space for more updates!