EOI’s are open for our new Music & Arts Venue Sustainability Program
Welcome to the September edition of Synthesise, our music industry newsletter. Expressions of interest are open for our new venue sustainability program, and we have published a case study on ICC Sydney’s green venue journey. Read on for upcoming events, news and opportunities.
NSW Live Music, Arts & Cultural Venue Sustainability Program
Expressions of interest are open for our tailored education program for live music, arts, and cultural venues across NSW. The program is designed to help venues and their staff strengthen sustainability practices across waste management, energy use and supply chains. Venues that serve food are strongly encouraged to apply.
The program includes two free workshops – an online session on 4th Nov, 1pm–2:30pm (AEDT), and in-person workshop at Bondi Pavilion on 17th Nov, 10am–3pm. Plus, access to discounted Green Venue Certification opportunities.
This initiative is brought to you by the NSW Government through the NSW Environment Protection Authority.
Learn more and submit your EOI here
ICC Sydney’s Green Venue Journey – Case Study
Over the past several years, ICC Sydney has been working on strategies to reduce its carbon emissions through a range of sustainability initiatives, including participating in our Green Venue Certification program. Jess Zicker, Corporate Social Responsibility Manager at ICC Sydney, took us on a behind-the-scenes tour to see the systems in place such as in-house fabric upcycling, chemical-free cleaning and an AI camera system that tracks and measures food waste.
Learn more about ICC Sydney’s initiatives and their advice for venues who are looking to start their sustainability journey.
Events
⛺️ Green Music is hosting a Cleaner Campsites – Camping Buddy Info Session on Wed, 9 Sep, 12pm–1pm AEST, online. If you work at or run a camping festival, join our free info session for a live demonstration of the revamped Camping Buddy app, and explore how it could support cleaner campsites at your festival.
👥 Join our Green Music Community Call on Mon, 14 Sep, 1pm–2pm AEST, for an online hang with like-minded climate-conscious musicians, music workers and music lovers. Hosted by our community organiser Tim Shiel and advocate/activist Desiree Cai (Make Big Polluters Pay).
🎭 LA MAMA Hope Punk Climate Festival is taking place in Naarm, 1–20 September. Embracing “hope” as a verb and “punk” as a culture, the festival empowers independent artists to contribute to the national climate conversation through dance, comedy, music, art, and panels. View the program here. Tickets range from $10-$35 + free events.
News
🪩 Congratulations to Club 77 on their reopening following a temporary closure to carry out accessibility upgrades after receiving a Sound NSW Venue Upgrade grant. Club 77 is an alum of our Green Action Program and is listed on our Green Venue Directory. We look forward to stopping by for a boogie soon!
📑 Creative Climate has published a national roundtable summary report on climate action in the arts and culture sector. Key findings include: the sector is motivated, values and mission drive the vast majority of climate action, artists and arts workers are ready to act, but they’re often lacking the resources or structural support to do so.
Grants
Sound NSW has opened applications for its 2026/27 funding programs, including the Venue Upgrade Grants. These grants can help fund environmental initiatives such as receiving advice from consultants, energy efficiency audits, and equipment or infrastructure upgrades to improve energy and climate sustainability.
- Applications for Advice and Planning grant close Thu, 17 Sep, 2pm.
- Applications for Infrastructure and Equipment grant close Mon, 28 Sep, 2pm.
Travelling to the Regional & Remote Music Summit in October? Free bus passes are available, supported by Music Australia and Moshtix. Learn more here.
Thank you for your ongoing support of Green Music Australia! You can follow us on our socials below.
Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | TikTok
If you’d like to help us grow our impact, you can sign up to volunteer, buy a t-shirt, or donate.
Green Music Australia is supported by the Australian Government through Music Australia and Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body, the NSW Government through Sound NSW, Bank Australia’s community customer grants program, and the NSW Environment Protection Authority under the NSW Government’s Waste and Sustainable Materials Strategy, and is funded from the waste levy.
