As an organisation, we recognise the importance of addressing the impact that intoBodmin has on the environment. Our missions involve creating positive change within the community, and protecting the environment is an important part of this. We also know that sustainability is important to our community. This page lists some of the swaps we have made as part of our sustainability journey. We hope that you find this list informative and maybe even try some of these switches as part of your own journey.

Switching to environmentally friendly cleaning products-Cleaning products can be extremely harmful to both the environment and aquatic life. As an organisation, we have made the switch to more environmentally friendly cleaning products where possible. This is a simple switch that you can try at home!

Reduced plastic usage-Bodmin alone consumes almost 2 million single use plastic bottles per year. Reducing this and making more environmentally friendly switches is vital for protecting the environment. IntoBodmin is part of Surfers against Sewage’s plastic free communities initiative and has achieved a Silver award. Find out more about this here https://intobodmin.co.uk/plastic-free-status-for-bodmin/. This represents a significant reduction in our use of single use plastics. Simple switches you can try at home are using reusable bottles and containers, changing shopping habits and carrying your own coffee cup. You might find that you can also save on the cost of your daily cuppa!

Composting-As part of our community garden, we have a compost heap where waste scraps become fertile soil. This is great for both soil health and reducing food waste. If you have the space this would be a great project!

Public transport and active travel-We are trying to encourage our audience to use public transport and more sustainable travel to help reduce transport emissions to our venues. Audience transport makes up 60% of our carbon emissions, so it is vital that we reduce this. Whilst we understand that, being in a rural area, this can sometimes be challenging; why not try walking or cycling for your next short journey or catching a bus, if it is a longer trip. Find information about getting to us sustainably by following this link https://intobodmin.co.uk/?p=2300. This will take you to the Getting Here page. We have also trailed a car pooling scheme in the summer of 2024 for Theatre in the Woods events held at Cardinham. The aim of this is to increase the number of people in each car to cut down emissions. Although uptake was limited, we hope to see more success on similar projects run in the future.

Reducing energy use-This is a great way to protect the environment and save money at the same time. We have reduced our energy use by switching to LED lights and installing solar panels. We’ve also increased our signage around the building, reminding people to take sustainable action. Energy use makes up 24% of UK carbon emissions, so decreasing this will have a significant impact.

Reducing water usage-Initiatives such as installing a water butt and water saving taps and fixtures has been a successful way of decreasing our water usage. Try this at home as a quick switch which can greatly decrease your environmental footprint. South West Water have a lot of water saving hints and tips on their website, which be found at the following link: https://www.southwestwater.co.uk/savewater.

Eating seasonally and sourcing locally-Do you think about how far the food on your plate has travelled to get there? Food mileage has a significant impact on the carbon footprint of a meal. Eating seasonally reduces food mileage with the added benefits of being more affordable and tasting fresher. The specials board in the Café uses seasonal produce and we even source some items from our community garden creating no food miles at all, only footsteps!

Carbon literacy training-It is important for everyone at intoBodmin to understand our environmental aims. To increase awareness, we are working towards all staff receiving Carbon Literacy training. This will ensure our team is always thinking of our impact on the environment and consider changes to improve our environmental sustainability.

Reducing paper usage– In an effort to cut down on paper waste, we are reducing paper usage by digitising documents and switching to electronic tickets.

Recycling-There are recycling points located around the building; in the Café, Co-working space and on the upstairs landing under the sink. Waste makes up 30% of our carbon emissions, so it is extremely important that we reduce this. We need everyone who uses the building to help with this.

Community partnerships-As part of our role in the community, we aim to establish partnerships with different Environmental Organisations. We recently ran a successful regenerative farming session ‘Don’t Soil Yourself’ and we’re hoping to continue with similar partnerships in the future.

It would be great if you tried some of these switches at home to help protect our environment! This is just the beginning of our sustainability journey and there is always more that everyone can do! Find out more about our sustainability journey here too see our carbon footprint breakdown or here for our Environmental action plan.

Written by Daisy Teague