Sustainability Policy

Curious Minds recognises that environmental sustainability is essential to our mission of improving the lives of children and young people through cultural education. We are committed to reducing our environmental impact and embedding sustainable practices across all aspects of our work.

1. Our Objectives

We aim to be a responsible organisation that contributes to a more equitable, low-carbon future for the communities we serve.

We will work to:

• Minimise our carbon footprint and environmental impact.
• Embed sustainability in our planning, operations, and partnerships.
• Promote awareness of environmental issues among our staff, stakeholders, as well as the people and organisations we work with.
• Continually review and improve our sustainability performance.

2. Actions We Will Take

2.1 Office and Operations

• Reduce energy use in our offices and encourage energy-efficient behaviours.
• Minimise waste through reuse, recycling, and responsible procurement.
• Use digital communication where possible to reduce reliance on printing and travel.

2.2 Travel and Transport

• Encourage the use of low-carbon transport options (e.g. walking, cycling, public transport).
• Minimise unnecessary travel and promote virtual meetings when appropriate.
• Offset essential travel emissions where feasible.

2.3 Events and Programmes

• Prioritise venues and suppliers with robust environmental credentials.
• Reduce the use of single-use plastics and materials at our events.
• Consider the environmental impact of materials, transport, and production in our projects.

2.4 Procurement and Partners

• Aim to work with suppliers and partners who share our sustainability values.
• Factor sustainability into procurement decisions, favouring ethical and local suppliers.
• Promote sustainable practices in our funded and supported programmes.

2.5 Learning and Advocacy

• Support employees and our partners to develop their understanding of environmental issues and climate justice, where appropriate.
• Explore opportunities to connect sustainability themes with our work in cultural education and youth engagement.
• Advocate for sustainability in the cultural and education sectors.

3. Monitoring and Review

We will:

• Review this policy annually and update our objectives and practices as needed.
• Monitor progress through internal reporting and feedback from staff and stakeholders.
• Share our journey and learning openly to support sector-wide progress.

4. Contact

To learn more about our sustainability work or offer feedback, please contact our Finance & Operations Manager, Lucy Evans via email at lucy.evans@curiousminds.org.uk or via telephone 01942 387083 or via text message at 07843 501945.