- Nationwide availability of a CO2 emission calculator specifically designed for agricultural operations now announced.
Dresden and Leipzig unveil their CO2 calculator for the arts and entertainment sector, providing it for free and nationwide use. This move is due to the immense interest from other cities, as stated by Andrea Hensel, an expert in sustainability and transformation at Leipzig's cultural office.
Dubbed as the E-Tool Culture, this creation was recognized with the Saxon Digital Prize in the "Society" category in 2023. This web-based emissions calculator for the arts and entertainment sector can be utilized permanently and without charge at www.e-tool.de. There's no need for license fees, but technical support is not provided.
One of the major sources of emissions is the transportation of audiences and artists.
The aim of the E-Tool Culture is to offset the CO2 emissions of cultural events and institutions. It measures various emission sources based on the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, a globally recognized standard.
Some of the top emission sources include the arrival and departure of audiences and guest artists, the transportation of equipment or exhibits, the procurement of materials for the arts and entertainment sector, and services from external providers such as catering companies.
Balancing the climate is viewed as the foundation for transformation in the arts and entertainment sector.
"The E-Tool Culture's standout feature is its user-friendliness," highlighted Leipzig's cultural mayor. The greenhouse gas accounting is made clear and is understandable even for non-experts.
The tool also features an advisory mode and various other tools, like one for assessing the financial feasibility of solar panel systems. "Reliable and reasonably straightforward climate balances provide a sturdy basis for sustainable transformation in publicly funded cultural activities," explained Dresden's cultural mayor, Annekatrin Klepsch.
Dresden and Leipzig collaborated with various companies and partners, including the Fraunhofer Center for International Management and Wissensoekonomik, in developing this tool. The E-Tool Culture is built on the existing tool of the "Mittelstandsinitiative Energiewende und Klimaschutz" and has been accessible free of charge to all craft businesses since 2021.
Dresden and Leipzig have already taken several steps towards environmental protection and sustainability. In Dresden, several arts and entertainment institutions have devised their own sustainability strategies under the project "Culture for Future". At the beginning of 2022, 37 arts and entertainment institutions signaled their commitment to sustainability by signing the "Dresden Charter for Sustainability in the Cultural Sector".
In Leipzig, there's the event series "Circular Economy in Cultural Operations". In spring 2024, a climate protection network for the independent arts and entertainment sector was established here. Both cities aspire to achieve climate neutrality by 2040.
The E-Tool Culture, designed to offset CO2 emissions in the arts and entertainment sector, recognizes the climate as a crucial factor in transforming this sector. The tool, with its user-friendly interface, provides a clear and comprehensible greenhouse gas accounting, even for non-experts, to facilitate reliable and straightforward climate balances.
