Environment

Hampshire Cultural Trust believes culture has a vital role in tackling global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental decline. We actively support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) to help set the world on a sustainable path by 2030.

We are committed to protecting the environment and continually improving the environmental performance of our activities. Our goal is to achieve net zero for Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 2030. This is ambitious and will require collaboration with local authority partners, but we are dedicated to making it happen. Alongside this, we aim to engage our stakeholders, staff, volunteers, visitors, audiences and communities to promote environmental action.

To achieve these aims, we are working to:

• Position sustainability as integral to our mission and purpose
• Reduce energy use, emissions, waste and water consumption
• Measure and report our carbon impacts
• Preserve and promote biodiversity in our outdoor spaces
• Encourage and adopt sustainable travel options
• Embed sustainable procurement in our purchasing practices
• Establish programming that engages visitors and audiences in environmental action
• Celebrate environmental successes and achieve environmental management certification
• Engage with our sector, partners, funders, suppliers, stakeholders, staff and volunteers for environmental advocacy

This policy is endorsed at board level, applies across all operations and sites, and is reviewed annually to ensure its ongoing suitability and alignment with best practice.

Hampshire Cultural Trust holds Silver Carbon Literate Organisation accreditation from The Carbon Literacy Project and was the first museum organisation in the south of England to achieve Carbon Literate Organisation (CLO) status. Carbon Literacy underpins our approach to environmental responsibility, organisational culture and climate action, supporting staff, trustees and volunteers to turn understanding into meaningful action.

Hampshire Cultural Trust is an independent cultural charity caring for and sharing Hampshire’s museums, historic buildings and collections. Our Carbon Literacy journey supports our wider commitment to reducing environmental impact, embedding sustainability into decision-making, and empowering our workforce to contribute to net zero goals.

Carbon Literacy - Becoming a Carbon Literate Organisation

Before embedding Carbon Literacy, Hampshire Cultural Trust had a strong organisational commitment to environmental sustainability, but levels of confidence, understanding and action varied across teams and roles. Environmental activity was often driven by a small number of motivated individuals, and there was a clear need for a shared understanding of climate change, a common language across the organisation, and a practical framework that enabled staff and trustees to take role-relevant action.

Carbon Literacy was chosen as it offered a credible, sector-relevant approach that could translate concern about climate change into informed decision-making and collective responsibility.

Carbon Literacy - Training at HCT

Carbon Literacy training is delivered to staff, trustees and volunteers, focusing on building a shared understanding of the science of climate change and its relevance to museums and heritage organisations. Training emphasises practical application, supporting participants to develop personal and organisational pledges aligned with Hampshire Cultural Trust’s Environmental Action Plan.

Senior leaders and trustees also undertake training, signalling organisational commitment and reinforcing the importance of Carbon Literacy as a shared responsibility. This leadership engagement has helped embed Carbon Literacy across teams and supported a culture where learning was connected directly to action.

Carbon Literacy - A catalyst for change

Carbon Literacy has become a catalyst for cultural and behavioural change at Hampshire Cultural Trust. Training has influenced governance, leadership behaviour and day-to-day working practices, helping to embed climate awareness across the organisation and move conversations from aspiration to action.

One of our standout successes has been a significant shift in how staff perceive and engage with our environmental work. In our Employee Engagement Survey, scores for environmental proactivity moved from below average to 26% above the UK norm, demonstrating that Carbon Literacy and related actions are being noticed and are actively inspiring engagement across teams in driving our net zero ambitions.

Carbon Literacy pledges made by staff and trustees have translated into tangible outcomes, including the establishment of a cross-organisational Green Team and leadership commitments to lower-carbon ways of working. These actions have supported collaboration, staff morale and a shared sense of ownership over environmental goals.

Impact, evidence and next steps

Hampshire Cultural Trust actively tracks Carbon Literacy certification and the actions arising from training through a central, live internal record. This approach supports accountability through line management and regular performance conversations, ensuring that Carbon Literacy leads to measurable behaviour change rather than remaining a one-off learning activity. Our systems continue to evolve as we refine impact measurement and strengthen consistency across teams.

Beyond our organisation, we share learning and advocate for Carbon Literacy within the cultural sector through partnerships and external publications, supporting wider adoption of climate-empowered ways of working.

Hampshire Cultural Trust is committed to continuing its Carbon Literacy journey, increasing the proportion of its workforce that is Carbon Literate and embedding learning into organisational systems, governance and decision-making, with the ambition of progressing to Gold Carbon Literate Organisation accreditation.

In February 2024, we collaborated with museum training, networking and events organisation - Museum Next, to share our sustainability journey so far ahead of their Green Museums Summit.

The result was a new article, Climate-Focused Culture: Fostering Climate-Empowered Workforces, written by our Head of Projects and Facilities, Caroline Johnson. 

Click here to read the full article. 

In this case study, Emma Back, vice-chair of our board of trustees, describes her own
personal journey to net zero as she set out to visit our venues across the county using only
public transport.

The new HCT 2030 strategy launched at the end of 2024 has sustainability is at its core. This emphasis, and our commitment to climate action, are very important to me as board sponsor for environmental responsibility, and I'm enormously proud of our green team as they guide our collective efforts to reach net zero by 2030.

Last summer, I set myself a personal goal during Carbon Literacy training to try and visit all of our venues by public transport. Since then, I've blistered my feet walking to our Winchester sites and battled with other modes of transport to travel further afield. Here's what I learned.

Firstly, travelling by train or bus or ferry can be a joy. I caught fantastic views from bus upper decks when winding my way to Alton and Aldershot, and from the ferry to Gosport (see photo). Where my routes were less scenic or interesting, I was able to bury my head in a book – a serious hazard while driving!

When public transport isn't an option, car sharing can be a lot of fun. I enjoyed catching up with a fellow trustee on our way to and from an evening performance at Ashcroft Arts Centre, and car sharing to Rockbourne Roman Villa (the only option for that venue, really) meant that my mum and I could stop for a pub meal on the way home.

However, using public transport requires good advance planning, and it is often considerably more time consuming than travelling by car. This can be frustrating. For example, it takes less time to drive from my home to Milestones Museum than it does to walk to Winchester railway station – and once on the train, I whizz past the museum (almost close enough to touch it) on my way into Basingstoke and then pass it again on the bus, before getting off at the nearest stop and walking another 15 minutes. It all feels a bit inefficient.

That said, if time is on your side, leaving your car at home can release your inner adventurer! I spent a beautiful summer's day walking around Christchurch after visiting the Red House Museum and Gardens, and following a board meeting at Forest Arts Centre, several of us spontaneously wandered off to the beach! Plus, sometimes public transport can be almost as quick as driving and cheaper than using a car park. The 2024 £2 bus fare cap meant I had a very affordable day out to Andover Museum and the Museum of the Iron Age, and I appreciated the bus driver racing non-stop from the road outside my house to Andover bus station, even if it was hair-raising at times.

All these journeys would have been more costly and demanding if I'd travelled with school-age children, though – and they're one of our key visitor groups. Someone with sensory or mobility challenges might find certain routes impractical. A train, followed by a bus, followed by a walk across a field and then along a muddy riverbank to Basing House is not going to suit everyone.

It's therefore important that we continue to improve pedestrian access and wayfinding to our venues, and to offer clear directions on our website for those using public transport. However, realistically, the majority of our customers will continue to drive – increasingly in zero emission vehicles, of course, and having EV chargers in or near our car parks will help. In the meantime, I'll see you on the top deck of a bus – I'll be the passenger with her head in a book. 

Emma Back, Vice-Chair Board of Trustees

The Green Team – championing climate action

Growing out of internal conversations and a desire for positive change, in June 2022 a small group of Hampshire Cultural Trust staff came together with the intention of forming a Green Team.  Their aim was to increase and improve sustainability and biodiversity by actioning and enabling change across HCT.

To start off with, the group was made up of members of staff from a number of Hampshire Cultural sites, but it was quickly realised that in these early stages, to action initial change, there needed to be a central focus on the trust’s Winchester head office. The group’s plan was to record processes and progress and to share outcomes with the wider organisation further down the line, encouraging the formation of additional, venue-based green teams and cascading learning. 

One year on, the purpose of this case study is to give an overview of the Green Team’s achievements. The team hopes these outcomes will inspire and open up conversations with others across the trust who are interested in getting involved, whether centrally or at their own site. 

The actions of the Green Team also form part of our wider Environmental Action Plan, where this pilot group comes under the objective ‘engaging with our stakeholders for climate advocacy’. The work of the team also taps into several other objectives, including ‘preserving and promoting biodiversity in our outdoor spaces’ and ‘encouraging and adopting sustainable travel options’.

The Green Team is currently made up of nine people who have all committed to fulfilling an action connected to their job role or a passion. The group meets monthly to keep on track with actions and undertakes practical activities such as gardening and litter picking during lunchbreaks. 

It is important to note that none of these activities or implementations have required any additional budget, just planning and co-ordination, a little at a time.

Actions 2022-2023

Reducing and encouraging reduction in printing and paper use

The main focus for this action over the last year has been at Chilcomb, the trust’s head office in Winchester, and Milestones Museum in Basingstoke, the trust’s two sites with the largest print wastage. A monitoring system has been set up to track wastage and there has been a huge reduction in paper use so far. 

Milestones has reduced the printing of posters by half, which would otherwise have been wasted, and they have also stopped producing PVC vinyl banners. Chilcomb is one of our biggest waste sites for leaflets; the marketing team has cut this right back to 100 copies from 1,000 copies for the latest print run of seasonal event leaflets. This will continue to be improved and tracked in 2024. 

“I feel we all have a responsibility on an individual level to play our part in taking steps towards a more positive and sustainable future. Even in small changes, we can and will make an impact.”

Erin Standing, Product Marketing Manager

Recycling nitrile gloves

The Green Team was looking at further ways to reduce waste. Led by the collections team, nitrile gloves, which are used when handling, cleaning and conserving collections, are now being kept and recycled as part of a charity initiative. The team is asking all venues to follow the same process, keeping nitrile gloves used in venue and adding them to the accumulation of gloves already collected. The team needs 8kg before they can be recycled.   

“I want to be part of the push to get Hampshire Cultural Trust as sustainable as possible and create a better environment for ourselves and the creatures we share our sites with. I am most interested in waste reduction, energy saving and in gardening and planting both for biodiversity and for improving our surroundings and our wellbeing.”

Claire Woodhead, Conservator

Introduction of e-bikes

An e-bike scheme was requested following a staff survey, where interest was expressed in having e-bikes accessible for those staff working in Winchester, either at the trust’s head office or in a venue. Foldable e-bikes were leased from local business The Cycling Company, allowing users of all proficiency to access the scheme in a comparatively hilly urban environment - this was particularly important as none of our venues have changing room facilities or showers. The e-bikes provide an excellent ‘no sweat’ alternative to driving into the city centre, saving time and money as well as boosting wellbeing.

Biodiversity 

The Green Team has been working on biodiversity enhancement opportunities that were outlined in HCT’s 2022 biodiversity report, produced by the trust’s energy and environmental consultants, Pilio. The team has been busy creating and putting up bird and bat boxes made from repurposed off-cuts from the technicians’ workshops and which are now installed near Hampshire Wardrobe and at the back of the Old House. They have also built a bug hotel from suitable materials salvaged across the site and there are plans to build more in different areas to encourage a greater range of invertebrates.

The Green Team has been working on biodiversity enhancement opportunities that were outlined in our 2022 biodiversity report, which was produced by the trust’s energy and environmental consultants, Pilio. The team has been busy creating and putting up bird and bat boxes, made from repurposed off-cuts from our technicians’ workshops, and which are now installed on site. They have also built a bug hotel from suitable salvaged materials salvaged and there are plans to build more in different areas to encourage a greater range of invertebrates.

The team created a gardening plan for the year including tasks such as dividing and replanting snowdrops, new planting to increase the habitat and food sources, creating both soft woodland and scrubby edges to provide resources for birds and insects, scouting for compost heap locations, positioning old rubbish bins to work as water butts and collecting water from dehumidifiers used in rooms and buildings that house our collections.

Nature walks

“Knowledge sharing is always key to great results.”
Emma Matthars, Customer Service Executive

Nature 'walk and talks' have been launched. These are designed to facilitate the exchange of insights gained from Green Team activities and enhance awareness of environmental sustainability and climate change among our staff and volunteers. The outdoor, informal sessions provide a unique platform for staff and volunteers to discuss their experiences, explore sustainable practices and collectively deepen their understanding of these critical issues. The knowledge acquired during these walk and talks isn't limited to the workplace but can also be readily applied at home, encouraging positive changes both at home and in the community.  This holistic approach ensures that the principles of eco-consciousness and environmental stewardship become an integral part of both professional and personal daily life, creating a more sustainable future for all.

Litter picking 

Since the formation of the Green Team, regular litter picking sessions have taken place at the trust’s head office in Winchester. These sessions aim to prevent plastics and waste from entering both the landscape and food chain, as well as making the site a better place to work.

The impact

The advantages of these activities extend beyond their obvious positive impact on biodiversity and sustainability; they also offer a unique opportunity for active engagement. Gardening and spending time outdoors are widely recognized for their profound, positive effects on mental health and overall wellbeing. The Green Team ensures that everyone across the site is encouraged to participate, utilising internal communication platforms to make sure everyone is aware of the sessions. Both staff and volunteers who may not be Green Team members have embraced these activities, expressing their enjoyment of the experience.

In addition, Chilcomb’s appearance has improved. This enhancement not only fosters a more pleasant and aesthetically appealing work environment but also contributes to the wellbeing of our staff, volunteers and visitors. It also creates a positive impression of both the site and Hampshire Cultural Trust.

The Green Team's pilot initiative has proven to be an outstanding success, achieving remarkable results in a relatively short timeframe with a limited number of people. And the team hasn’t finished yet. The hope is that this work at Chilcomb will inspire other Hampshire Cultural Trust sites to embrace the ethos of sustainability and environmental stewardship.

Where it all began

Nitrile gloves are used for conservation work at Hampshire Cultural Trust (HCT). Conservators, Ruth James and Claire Woodhead, use these gloves regularly and have always tried to reuse them where possible. They felt strongly about reducing the amount of gloves thrown away and the impact of this on wildlife and the environment.  They wanted to find an alternative where the gloves could be recycled.

Ruth approached some known recycling schemes but was told that HCT did not match the criteria to take part in these schemes. Ruth then started looking for alternatives and found Ellie’s Fund, which is an initiative run through the Yorkshire Brain Tumour Charity: Ellie's Fund Recycling - Yorkshire's Brain Tumour Charity (yorksbtc.org.uk). 

Ellie’s Fund initiative turns everyday rubbish into money for brain tumour research – the biggest cancer killer of children in the UK. So far, the charity has raised a massive £65k through recycling things people use every day. All the money raised from recycling is allocated to Ellie’s Fund and is spent on brain tumour research projects in Yorkshire.

This seemed like a very worthy cause to support, so Ruth and Claire started to collect their gloves at the trust’s central venue Chilcomb House.

Glove recycling across the trust 

Ruth and Claire, founding members of the Chilcomb Green Team shared this information with the group, who saw it as a great action to help reduce waste at the trust and work towards the trust’s scopes one and two net zero commitments. This action also helped to support one of the trust’s environmental objectives: to engage with their sector, stakeholders, staff and volunteers for climate advocacy. 

After identifying a charity that would recycle the nitrile gloves, Ruth then contacted the venue teams and set up an internal process of collecting nitrile gloves at several of its venues. Led by the HCT collections team, nitrile gloves used when handling, cleaning and conserving collections are now recycled as part of a charity initiative.

A minimum consolidated weight of 8 kilogrammes of gloves must be collected to be sent off for recycling. This was the biggest challenge initially until all the trust’s venues were asked to donate their used gloves. It meant that gloves could be collected on a larger scale, getting closer to the 8k target.

With support from all of the trust’s venues, the Green Team successfully sent the first batch of gloves to the charity in January 2024. The gloves sent to Ellie’s Fund are sent off for recycling and made into secondary recycled goods such as benches and playgrounds. These items are then sold to raise money for the charity. 

The outcome of the gloves collections couldn’t be more positive and HCT is now well on its way to a second 8kg load. The trust hopes, with the help of the rest of its sites and possible further connections: this will become an ongoing initiative. 

Reaching out to external museums

In 2023, project managers Sinead Chan and Caroline Johnson presented at some external museum network events where the focus was environmental sustainability. HCT’s environmental progress was shared and this included the mention of the trust’s internal process around recycling nitrile gloves, which triggered interest from local museums and venues. Further interest was raised when several people asked if the trust’s internal process with the gloves could expand to a partnership opportunity. This feedback was shared with the environmental project team at the trust and it was decided that in 2024 HCT would look at introducing recycling bins for nitrile gloves at a number of its sites across Hampshire. The Green Team then contacted the Southeast Museum Development team with this update to share with external museums and venues.

The aim for 2024 is to connect with other Hampshire museums interested in working together to recycle nitrile gloves.