The
Barbican, Europe’s largest combined arts and conference centre will join the rest of the world to celebrate WWF’s Earth Hour, a global commitment to ongoing change for the betterment of the planet, by switching off its lights at 8:30 pm and keep it at the non-essential lighting level for the rest of the evening on 26 March, 2011.
Lee Dobson, head of event management at the Barbican said: “The Barbican is known for its green credentials and the venue is dedicated to being a part of any global efforts to protect our environment. By turning off the lights on Saturday, the Barbican will be clearly demonstrating its commitment to the environment. As an ongoing process, the Centre has also reduced the lighting levels on the stalls floor level permanently unless used for event and safety requirements.”
The Barbican has many progressive environmental actions in place. Its environmental sustainability working party is dedicated to ensuring energy and resource use that minimises environmental impacts. The Barbican was awarded the Clean City Platinum Award in 2010.
The centre is also planning to commemorate Climate week between 21-17 March by asking clients to opt for food on its menu that is locally produced and has a food mileage of less than 250 miles. This will be in addition to the home baked biscuits and breads that it already serves.
The Barbican is also the first City business to implement a 100% food recycling programme. The programme is aimed at ensuring that no food is wasted and all food waste gets collected in the catering 1100.ltr bins. Its catering bins are sent to be treated at a special plant where the contents are turned into fertiliser and returned to the soil.”