text and photos: Triin Siimer, Tartu With Earth Programme Line Manager
Sustainability was more than a guiding value for Tartu 2024—it was one of the central pillars of our European Capital of Culture concept, The Arts of Survival, which embraced the skills and values needed to lead a good life in the future. As one of the Arts of Survival, sustainability has taken on unprecedented urgency in today’s world.
As governments and industries strive to cut emissions and limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, as set out in the Paris Agreement[1], failure to do so risks irreversible damage to life on Earth. Culture must contribute, too. Every concert, festival, and exhibition has an environmental impact—and with that, an opportunity. Audiences are increasingly aware of ecological issues and expect cultural experiences to align with their values. Sustainability is no longer a “nice-to-have” addition for an event—it is an essential core value and operating principle.
In response, Tartu 2024 became the first European Capital of Culture to develop a comprehensive environmental strategy alongside its artistic programme. This was based on the belief that culture reflects and drives societal change. Through clear environmental principles, practical tools, and consistent action, we set out to integrate sustainability into every aspect of cultural event planning and production.
This article explores how sustainability evolved from a vision to a daily practice—and what others can learn from our experience.
Sustainability in the cultural sphere
When thinking about how sustainability can emerge in the cultural sector, it could be addressed at three levels:
- Organisational Level: Where sustainability becomes part of the institution’s core values and daily routines.
- Event Production Level: Where practical measures are taken to reduce the environmental footprint of events.
- Thematic Level: Where the content of the cultural program actively engages with environmental and social issues.
This article focuses on the first two levels, using Tartu 2024 as a case study.
Sustainability within the Organisation
Cultural organisations face the same environmental responsibilities as any business. To reduce greenhouse gas emissions, it’s essential first to identify the primary sources of environmental impact. While a complete carbon footprint analysis requires lifecycle measurement, initial steps can be taken even without formal audits.
The journey begins with identifying key impact areas—transport, energy, food, materials, etc.—and mapping current practices. The next step will involve researching best practices or simply googling sustainable office strategies. Many helpful resources are available, such as guides for green offices[2] with concrete checklists on where to start. The third step is determining which practices can be implemented immediately and which require more planning or resources (time, money, energy, people).
At Tartu 2024, we first used a green office checklist[3] to map our office to understand where we stood and what simple decisions or corrections we could make to become more sustainable. For example, we used reusable towels instead of paper to dry hands and bought multipacks instead of individually packaged items of sugar, soap, etc. When it came time to purchase new office furniture, we reused old furniture from a bank undergoing renovations or what was left from previous owners. We also adopted sustainable habits in our office culture — we avoided printing as much as possible, re-used blank sides of used paper as feasible, sorted waste, used vegetarian and vegan catering for our in-house events, and tried to organise events sustainably by following guidelines.
Our main challenge as an organisation was that sustainability wasn’t fully integrated into strategic planning. As a time-limited project, quick fixes were sometimes prioritised over long-term choices. Additionally, team growth brought inconsistencies in sustainable practices.
The key is to ensure everyone is working based on the same understanding. This means communicating why sustainability matters, how the transition will take place, and what role each team member plays in reaching the shared goals is essential. Let’s not overlook the best part — it can be fun! Weekly meetings can include sharing sustainability tips, organising a waste-sorting challenge, or designating Tuesdays as vegetarian lunch days; options are limitless. Small actions like these build engagement and make the journey toward sustainability more enjoyable and inclusive.
Sustainability in Cultural Events
The European Capital of Culture title allows focusing attention on specific topics and leads societal change through culture in a concentrated period of 6-7 years. It will enable cities to invest resources like experts, time, and money to build capacity in the cultural sector. In Tartu 2024, we recognised an opportunity to accelerate change towards sustainability within the cultural sector. The aim was to mainstream environmentally friendly cultural practices and demonstrate that they can be easy, practical, impactful, and even enhance the artistic experience.
The Tartu 2024 strategic framework for environmental activities (environmental strategy)[4] encouraged us to examine the relevant Global and European goals and agreements, climate ambitions and resolutions, and local development strategies through a sustainable lens. Most importantly, it enabled us to decide what is possible in the given timeframe and where to focus our attention, concluding in realistic yet ambitious goals.
To achieve these goals, we involved the Tartu City Government’s Culture Department and the cultural managers in the City of Tartu to formulate the Guidelines for Organising Environmentally Friendly Events[5], which are accompanied by a checklist and practical recommendations.
These Guidelines have seven categories:
- materials and purchases,
- catering and water use,
- waste management,
- transportation,
- energy and resource efficiency,
- taking into account the environment and community,
- communication.
Each category included minimum requirements and advanced recommendations. From 2021 onward, these guidelines were supported by workshops, training sessions, and international forums such as Kultuurikompass[6]. A network of culture managers emerged, eager to experiment with environmentally friendly practices and share their experiences, both of success and failure.
In 2023, accessibility[7] was integrated into the guidelines. The goal was to ensure that cultural events were welcoming to everyone, regardless of physical ability, language, or background. This meant using plain language in communication, providing translation and sign language interpretation, and designing events to accommodate families, seniors, pet owners, and individuals with reduced mobility.
We encouraged all our Tartu and Southern Estonia partners to implement at least the minimum of the guidelines’ requirements. After the events, we collected feedback and data about following the set requirements. The data is still being analysed and will be released in September 2025 during the Kultuurikompass forum[8]. Here are the three and a half years’ most crucial learning points.
What We Learned Along the Way
By the end of 2024, the Tartu 2024 programme had 2,999 events. While most of them followed the guidelines, not all efforts were successful. Change that is not supported by legislation or a leading group but is based on values takes time and persistence. Transforming everyday habits—like printing everything on paper, serving only meat options, or choosing convenience over sustainability—doesn’t happen overnight.
The cultural sector needs help and support with the change. We had to help cultural organisers understand what sustainability means in practice. Many were unsure what the guidelines required or feared they would be too challenging to implement. Regular reminders, personal outreach, and showcasing good examples were essential to keeping the momentum going.
Another key takeaway was the importance — and difficulty — of clear communication with the core team, partners and audience. Internally, even the Tartu 2024 team sometimes struggled to adhere to its principles when faced with logistical or financial pressures. Open conversations and tailored checklists for each team member helped realign goals. When collaborating with partners like caterers or transport providers, specificity was crucial. Clear instructions about what we expected from partners, such as “no plastic-wrapped tea,” “no unnecessary printed materials and extra packaging”, and “offer vegetarian options”, made collaboration smoother and more impactful.
The most significant contributors to carbon emissions in the cultural sector—electricity and transport—remained the most challenging to change. Green energy is not always available, and rural events often lack public transport options. Nevertheless, progress in other areas—such as materials, catering, and waste management—still mattered. Even if switching to solar power isn’t feasible, meaningful changes can still be made elsewhere.
Examples in Action
Here are some good examples from Tartu 2024 programme projects and those we have noticed from elsewhere in event management.
Materials and purchases: Tartu 2024, as the events from our programme, avoided buying new materials wherever possible. The opening show’s costumes came entirely from second-hand stores (389 pieces of pants, jackets, hats, and scarves). Many European festivals already collaborate with thrift shops and ask them to collect shirts, sweatshirts, etc. and print logos on existing garments. Tartu 2024 also led workshops where participants could personalise their clothing with the Tartu 2024 logo instead of buying new merchandise.
Catering and water use: One way to lower events’ carbon footprint is to offer sustainable food. This means prioritising more vegan options, organic food, and locally grown food. For example, in 2024, One-third of the meals at Car-Free Avenue were vegan or vegetarian, which sparked curiosity rather than resistance. Many projects collaborated with local farms and cooks who already used local ingredients – this food was also more interesting and fulfilling than fries and meat.
Many events encouraged people to bring their water bottles and provided drinking water at the event. This simple step significantly reduced the number of plastic bottles and made water more accessible.
Waste Management: We should aim to produce as little waste as possible in every category. This could mean loaning the decorations or buying second-hand, which are good options for buying new. For example, creating guiding signs for the festival grounds by avoiding dates makes it possible to use them again and again. All the waste should be sorted separately, which applies to all event stages (before, during and after). At a major city-centre fair in Tartu, waste such as boxes and plastic was collected directly from traders before and after the event, ensuring cleaner surroundings and more efficient recycling.
Transportation: Transport is one of the most significant shapers of events’ ecological footprints. Tartu 2024 encourages people to use public transport by providing clear directions and timetables. The best examples showed how movement can be part of the artistic experience. In this respect, the Project Maailma maaliin was exemplary. This unique artistic trip took participants to the outskirts of South Estonia, starting with a shared bus ride from Valga train station. The bus was more than just a means of transport – it was part of the event that created the mindset and atmosphere for upcoming encounters.
Projects like the Estonian Fashion Festival[9] and the Arts of Survival Documentaries[10] went a step further by developing their own sustainability strategies and guidelines to deepen their impact within their specific fields.
What about the audience?
Culture has a unique ability to reach people emotionally and spark real change. While the sustainability sector often focuses on statistics and policy, culture speaks in stories, emotions, and experiences. This is why culture is essential in the green transition—and why we believe every cultural event should play a part. For some, cultural events are expected to reflect their environmental values, as ecological awareness is already part of their daily lives. For others, these events may be their first introduction to sustainability practices, such as waste sorting, reuse, or environmental stewardship.
We can educate a larger population by organising environmentally friendly events and teaching the audience simple steps for more sustainable action. By showing that vegetarian food can be tasty, waste sorting is not rocket science, and using public transportation is a viable practice for going to an event, we can nudge the audience to follow these principles in their daily lives.
Conclusion
Tartu 2024 proved that culture doesn’t have to stand on the sidelines of the green transition—it can lead it. Sustainability was not just a slogan but a daily choice: reusing existing materials, offering plant-based food, improving accessibility, and promoting conscious travel. Small but deliberate steps showed that change doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive, though it does require consistency and collaboration.
Culture has a unique ability to touch, inspire, and shift values. Through this power, environmental topics can be brought into people’s everyday lives in ways that resonate more deeply than statistics or regulations ever could. Our experience shows that if we want a more sustainable future, culture must respond to it and actively help shape it.
References
[1] United Nations Climate Change, “The Paris Agreement”. https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement (9.06.2025).
[2] Sustainability exchange, “The Green Office Guide”. https://www.sustainabilityexchange.ac.uk/files/green_office_guide_1.pdf (9.06.2025).
[3] Eesti keskkonnajuhimise Assotsiatsioon,“Rohelise kontori rakendamise materjalid”. https://ekja.ee/et/roheline-kontor/materjalid/ (9.06.2025).
[4] European Capital of Culture Tartu 2024, “Environmental strategy”. https://tartu2024.ee/en/environment/ (9.06.2025).
[5] European Capital of Culture Tartu 2024, “Guidelines for Organising Environmentally Friendly Events”. https://tartu2024.ee/en/guidelines/ (9.06.2025).
[6] Kultuurikompass: How To Change The World Through Environmentally Friendly Cultural Management?. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIW-k-jL-E034HSkOxIDrlKbF5-co0kLK (9.06.2025).
[7] European Capital of Culture Tartu 2024, “Accessibility”. https://tartu2024.ee/en/accessibility/ (9.06.2025).
[8] European Capital of Culture Tartu 2024, “Kultuurikompass: Is This the European Capital of Culture We Dreamed of?”. https://tartu2024.ee/en/kultuurikompass2025/ (9.06.2025).
[9] Estonian Fashion Festival, “Sustainability”. https://fashionfestival.ee/sustainability (9.06.2025).
[10] Arts of Survival Documentaries, “Environmental strategy”. https://tartudok2024.ee/en/environmental-strategy/ (9.06.2024).
The project is part of the joint pARTir – Creating a Cultural Roadmap Towards Responsible International Mobility project by the Finnish Cultural and Academic Institutes and ten Finnish institutes around the world, made possible by the European Union’s NextGenerationEU program.
