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Julie’s Bicycle and Arts Council England Announce New Environmental Programme for 2023-26

Creative Climate Leadership Course Participants chatting together

Arts Council England and Julie’s Bicycle’s new Environmental Programme for 2023-26 has an ambitious agenda responding to the urgency of the climate challenges we now face.

To limit warming to 1.5 degrees, by 2030 every sector must have halved their emissions. The culture sector is already taking action and this new programme will accelerate and scale our response to the climate crises.


As the climate and nature crisis deepens, the cultural community is needed more than ever to focus our creativity on this moment and to help find the solutions that are urgently needed. Cultural voices across the sector are taking action in response to climate change. This programme has a transformational agenda to accelerate and scale creative climate action, and we want everyone to join us on this journey. – Alison Tickell, CEO, Julie’s Bicycle.


About the Arts Council England Environmental Programme

The 2023-26 Environmental Programme will support NPOs, individuals and the wider cultural sector to take climate action. The programme includes:

– New high impact programmes that focus on:

  • decarbonisation for building-based organisations
  • building resilience to future changes in climate
  • embedding environmental responsibility at governance level
  • climate leadership and skills development training to support a new generation of diverse, inclusive and influential environmental leaders.

Creative Climate Tools – free carbon calculation tools designed for the cultural sector.

– Access to Julie’s Bicycles’ free resource library featuring videos, guides, peer-sharings, reports, case studies and tips.


“The climate crisis impacts every aspect of our society and economy. Arts organisations, museums and libraries have an important role to play in responding to it.  The programmes and resources that this ambitious partnership with Julie’s Bicycle provides will enable cultural organisations and practitioners to address their environmental impact more effectively, and help us move towards a more resilient and sustainable future for the cultural sector.” – Darren Henley, Chief Executive of Arts Council England.


The History of the Environmental Programme

Launched in 2012, Arts Council England and Julie’s Bicycle’s Environmental Programme was the first of its kind, embedding environmental reporting and planning into funding agreements. Created in response to a desire from the sector to take action on climate change, it has cemented the UK’s place at the forefront of the global creative climate movement. To date, hundreds of arts organisations have mobilised to reduce their impact. 

In this next phase of the programme, Julie’s Bicycle and Arts Council England continue their groundbreaking partnership. Drawing on 10 years of data, experience and learning to inform new programmes, the environmental programme will empower the cultural community to use their passion and creativity to respond to the challenges that climate change presents, and embed environmental responsibility into the fabric of society.  

Explore the full programme