Useful Right Now
Tools and Resources
A practical toolkit for artists, arts workers and organisations across Australia. This is a growing collection of climate tools, guides and networks to support climate action in the arts and culture sector. It’s free, up-to-date, and yours to use and share.
Know something we’ve missed? Let us know and help grow the collective climate brain.
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Supporting and following the leadership of First Nations communities is foundational to climate justice on this continent. These First Nations led initiatives have embedded deep knowledge and care for Country:
Common Ground – changing systems through storytelling
Common Threads – advocacy body for transformative change
Coranderrk – a historical site of Aboriginal self-determination and environmental stewardship
Firesticks – cultural fire knowledge and practice
Indigenous Systems Knowledge Collective – applying Indigenous knowledge protocols to resolve systemic crises
Original Power – building the power of First Nations communities for self-determined action
Our Islands, Our Home – Torres Strait Islander campaign for climate action
Seed Mob – youth-led grassroots movement for climate justice
Wurundjeri Narrap Team – land management grounded in Wurundjeri traditions
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Connection is everything. These groups are building networks across practice, place, and purpose:
A Climate For Art - a network of arts organisations divesting and taking collective climate action
Australian Earth Laws Alliance - increasing the practical implementation of Earth-centred governance
BILYA – a Creative Climate project by the Centre for Reworlding & High Volume – add your action and connect with others
Co culture - learning community led by Leah Manaeama Avene on ‘Collective Recovery From Colonial Fragmentation Disorder’
Creative Recovery Network – for community-based creative practice
Creative Climate Action Alliance – arts sector activists
Climate Aware Creative Practices – for researchers, teachers and practitioners
Sustainable Screens Australia – for film, TV, and digital storytelling
Sustainable Theatre Australia – peer network for independent practitioners
PermaQueer - a learning community supporting Queer, POC and other communities through permaculture education
These international networks offer solidarity, ideas and inspiration:
Creative Climate International Peer Network – launched at Asia TOPA, 2024 – email catherine@creativeclimate.org.au to get involved
Supported by British Council
Julie’s Bicycle (UK) – leaders in arts and sustainability
Culture for Climate Scotland - Scotland’s peak body for arts and climate
IETM – international performing arts network
Global Artivism convening activists in Brazil from across the globe ahead of COP 30.
Green Art Lab Alliance Alliance connecting Europe, Asia and Latin-America.
Gallery Climate Coalition - international organisation working to create an environmentally responsible art world
Arts Council England Creative Climate Action Toolkit from Watershed is designed specifically to support smaller businesses, organisations, collectives and freelancers to act on climate
Climate Heritage Network of government agencies, NGOs, committed to tackling climate change and achieving the ambitions of the Paris Agreement.
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Mandatory Climate Reporting
This once in a generation legislation commencing 2025 will significantly impact the sector - here’s an overview of how to prepare with links to resources.
Understanding your carbon footprint is a powerful step. These Australian-standard tools help calculate and manage emissions:
Australian Carbon Management Calculator – an entry level tool for artists, collectives and small orgs. Please email your forms to GMA once completed. For a more detailed version please contact admin@greenmusicaustralia.com
ARUP Circulate – Beta Tool – carbon calculation for creative events, productions, and business ops
A Green Music Australia guide to managing your carbon emissions
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Charters, Pledges & Declarations
Put your values on the record – and show your audiences, funders and peers that you’re serious about climate action:
ACFA Pledge – show your commitment to arts-led climate action
We Make Tomorrow – a global campaign bringing together artists and artivists, creatives, designers, cultural knowledge and heritage keepers, united in climate action
Culture Declares Emergency – global movement for cultural climate leadership
Governance and world view
AELA Nature on the Board – Watch back on a conversation between the Australian Earth Laws Alliance (AELA) and Lawyers for Nature (UK) on giving nature a place on your Board.
And don’t miss Creative Australia’s Governance Conversations: where Lena Nahlous (Diversity Arts Australia), Pippa Bailey, and James Arvanitakis explore what regenerative, justice-focused leadership can look like in the cultural sector.
2015 Wellbeing of Futures Generations Act, Cymru - world first legislation
Inner development goals - as a prerequisite of outer change
Production - Set and props recycling sites
The French Brace Kaurna land
Digital
David Susuki Foundation - How to reduce your digital emissions footprint
Culture for Climate’s Guide to sustainable digital communication
Communicating climate action
Climate for Change – tips and resources for having meaningful climate conversations
CultureHive: Audience Research – UK research into audience expectations around climate action in the arts
Comms Declare promotes sustainable communication, dedicated to shifting the narrative around climate.
Glossary – Not sure what “net zero” or “climate justice” really means? Our friends at Culture for Climate Scotland have a friendly glossary to demystify climate language and help you talk confidently and clearly about the issues that matter.
Looking beyond the sector? These resources are great for understanding the wider climate landscape and how to have impact:
Market Forces – Compare Banks – align your money with your values
The Australian Adaptation Database is a living stocktake of 600 adaptation projects in Australia.
The Anatomy of Action is a free sustainable living toolkit
Climate Council - Australia’s independent climate advocacy organisation
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Here’s a collection of resources to help embed carbon reduction into practice, programming and policy.
International Policy Frameworks and guides
Arts and Culture The missing SDG
UNESCO global report on cultural policies, Culture: the Missing SDG; executive summary 2025
culture360.ASEF.org Green Guide for the Philippines provides a contextual overview of the intersection between sustainability and the arts in the Philippines.
Australian Arts and Culture Guides to creating a sustainability plan
Creative Australia – Governance Hub: Developing a Climate Change Policy
Artform-Specific Guides
Theatre Green Book Australia – comprehensive carbon-reduction guides for theatre companies, producers, venues and crews
Arts on Tour – Green Touring Toolkit – sustainable touring approaches
Green Music Australia's Sound Country – for the music and live performance sectors
Green Music Australia's Green Venue Guide
Greening the Gaming Industry – Dr Ben Abraham – a practical resource for game developers
Australian Publishers Association – Greener Publishing Guide – for the literary world
For Independents
Sustainable Theatres Australia – Green Guides
Julie’s Bicycle (UK) – The Creative Freelancer’s Climate Almanac
Tertiary Sector
ACTS- supporting campuses to become sustainable - Climate Change Scenarios Report
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If you're curious about how artists, cultural leaders and communities are tackling the climate crisis, we’ve pulled together some powerful digital stories, podcasts and talks that explore exactly that.
Check out a growing collection of reflections, artworks and provocations from artists deeply engaged in climate justice work.
Missed the ACFA Symposium? Don’t worry – ACFA’s documentation of the event is packed with insights from artists and cultural workers who are reimagining the role of the arts in responding to the climate emergency.
For a deeper dive, listen to Episode 6 of the Climate Arts podcast, Jen Rae from the Centre for Reworldingshares her take on the power of cultural work in climate action in this Julie’s Bicycle Creative Climate Leadership talk.
Bush Heritage Australia’s Big Sky Country podcast returns with a season of evidence-based optimism, pairing First Nations knowledge with science to shine a light on practical solutions to the climate crisis. Hosted by Kaurareg Nations (Zendah Kes/Torres Strait) woman Tiahni Adamson. First up Bob Brown.
Common Ground’s Dreamy story resource
Each of these resources offers something different — insight, hope, challenge, and inspiration. Take what you need, share what speaks to you, and keep the conversation going.
This page is alive. We’ll keep adding, editing, and growing this list as new tools emerge and more voices contribute. Help us make it better — get in touch with suggestions, updates or new resources.