Announced in February 2025, the Green Venue Program includes a Green Venue Certification pilot, a Green Venue Guide, and the delivery of six sustainability training workshops across NSW.
Image description: Green Music staff members Emma, Bridget and Luke standing in front of a TV screen and stage.
In March, Green Music Australia hit the road to deliver six in-person sustainability workshops at venues across Sydney and regional NSW, including Brunswick Picture House, The Metro Theatre, King St Newcastle, Drifter’s Wharf, La La La’s, and The Lansdowne Hotel.
The workshops brought together a diverse mix of attendees from across the music industry, including artists, university students, local council members, and representatives from venues like ICC Sydney, Red Rattler Theatre, Taronga Zoo and The Hamilton Station Hotel. Industry professionals from Music Australia, NSW EPA, Sound NSW, Spotify, and SXSW Sydney also joined the sessions to improve their environmental knowledge and skills.
Image description: Dan Pash from Accessible Arts engaged in great conversation with two workshop participants.
Each of the workshops covered key environmental sustainability topics such as the importance of acknowledging First Nations peoples and removing barriers for artists and hirers to do so, developing policies and procedures for environmental sustainability, and practical ways to reduce waste and energy consumption while cutting costs. The Sydney workshops were accompanied by guest speaker – Dan Pash from Accessible Arts, who informed the group on models of disability, communication hacks, and access riders.
Following the workshops, attendees reported a significant boost in their skills and knowledge to take green action (55.6% increase), as well as a stronger belief that their efforts can make a difference (40.1% increase).
“One of the main things I took away from today is that sustainability is a journey—you’re never at the destination, just constantly trying to improve and do the best you can, learn from past mistakes and learn from other venues. It’s been great to meet with other people in the industry today, talk it out and get new ideas.” — Khira Holloway, Century Venues.
Watch the recap video below.
Since the program’s launch, ten venues have applied to participate in the Green Venue Certification pilot, where they’ll be assessed on their efforts in key environmental areas. Once the pilot is complete, certified venues will be published in our upcoming Venues Directory, with plans for a national rollout of the scheme in the future.
We’d like to say a huge thank you to our program partners and funders of the Green Venue Program—the NSW Government through Sound NSW and the Australian Government through Music Australia. Thank you to the City of Sydney through their Innovation and Ideas Grant and BIGSOUND for their support on the Green Venue Guide. We’re also grateful to iSystain for powering Amidesi.
Special thanks goes to Anthony Garvin (ChargeWorks) for conducting energy audits at all host venues and presenting his findings, as well as to our guest speakers: Asher Christophers (Austep), Dan Pash (Accessible Arts), Gabi Brown (Gailla), Jake Taylor (In Hearts Wake), Nino Haggith (Music NSW), and Tino Mjawe (Sound NSW).
If you would like to learn practical tools and tips to make your venue more sustainable, download our free Green Venue Guide here.
