Our Carbon Footprint – a continuing journey:
The Showmen and Showwomen with the Showmen’s Guild have made great strides on reducing their Carbon Footprint overall including
- Operating within communities’ neighbourhoods;
- Promoting sustainable transport-use for families visiting their shows and
- Supporting environmentally responsible initiatives including recycling and removal of single-use plastics.
Following the fuel use surveys since 2010:
- We upgraded our generators;
- We are getting cleaner operating machinery with vastly reduced emissions;
- We are ‘pooling’ generators so as to use planed power more efficiently;
- Introduced low-energy LED lighting technology almost universally
- Implemented more efficient inverters, replacing regular motor so reducing the power we need
We are concerned about the environment.
- While there is currently no alternative to diesel generator use, for the power needed to run a fair, especially in the open park locations not connected to the National Grid,
- The Showmen’s Guild and the Show Community do however support the ambitions of the ‘Treasury review into how Britain can fund its transition to a net zero carbon economy by 2050’.
- When open for business, 15-20% of power is for domestic use ;
Operating seasons:
- There are 2500 Showmen’s Guild operating members with some having a 35-week season average;
- For others, seasons are longer than in the past and they could be operating from February until the first week in January the following year;
- Nearly twelve months of the year on the road; – using no Town-Power
Operating hours:
- Opening times of fairs (and circuses) vary across a week / month ; some operators are opening fewer hours , this year; others more;
- Circuses public operating hours’ use (on average) 4 hours a day – with domestic use 24 hours a day , whilst touring.
- Consultation with H.M. Treasury on fuel use Summer 2020
The “alternative harm” was identified of fairground and Circus customers, who currently attend our shows & fairs in all parts of the country, however small; would otherwise have to all drive to larger centralised facilities, such as Amusement / Theme Parks & coastal centres; thus causing greater than would be caused by the entertainment brought to them.
The Treasury also acknowledged the cultural merit seen in our entertainment being brought to the local conurbations.
The Energy Innovation Programme and future power sources:
- We are working with the generator manufacturers on the latest generation of reduced emission equipment and are working towards the transition that will be a huge investment for the industry, at a time of increased costs overall.
- We are actively discussing alternative power sources such as solar, wind (Renewables) and battery power; with international Green Energy experts and with colleagues from the wider event industry through the Event Industry Forum (EIF) and TK Events.
- Currently renewables only work with power production at scale (e.g. wind farms / solar farms) where the power is remotely generated for ‘grid-use’.
- The operation of funfairs and circuses depends on using outdoor parks and open spaces which by definition do not have mains / grid-power supplied to them at all, or
- Not to the scale required for the fair / circus productions that are limited to 28 days use of the land in any calendar year.
- To install such a required power supply is a major economic and logistical challenge facing the whole Event Industry and local communities collectively to undertake nor to maintain for the landowners; the power-supply authorities or the fair / circus operator(s) as end-users.
- We are looking to take this forward with the Local Government Association (LGA); COSLA , in Scotland, London Councils and similar bodies across the UK overall