SUSTAINABILITY
The Building
Watersmeet opened in 1975 and is owned by Three Rivers District Council.
Over the years, Watersmeet has strived to make improvements to the sustainability of the venue. These measures included:
- In 2012, solar panels were installed on the roof, since then they have generated 77.67 MWh saving 44.11t of CO2
- 2020/2021 saw the auditorium house lights and the stage lights switched to LED
- All lights in the building, when they come to the end of their life, will be switched to LED
- In low traffic areas, lights have been switched to ones with inbuilt sensors and timers so they turn off automatically
- Watersmeet is working to replace all taps to sensor or push to operate taps to minimise water consumption
- In March 2022, an energy audit report was produced to gain a further understanding of the viability of installing low and zero carbon technologies to reduce the energy consumption and carbon emissions at Watersmeet. Watersmeet has an Energy Performance Certificate of '27' which is a category B and is a very energy efficient building for its type, with average score being 100 (Category D)
Recycling
Watersmeet has already changed many products to ones that have more sustainable or recyclable packaging.
As many bar products as possible have been swapped to cans or glass bottles away from single-use plastics.
The single-use plastic cups that used to be given out from the bar have been replaced with reusable acrylic glasses that have an estimated life span of approximately 500 washes.
Where there is no recyclable alternative, Watersmeet has looked for products that are the most sustainable. The current coffee cups are being replaced with
reCUPS
which are made with a new type of coating. For further information please
see their website.
Digitalising
To reduce use of paper, Watersmeet is creating a digital alternative wherever possible and has:
- Print at home tickets have been replaced with e-tickets that can be presented on a phone or tablet
- There is an e-copy of our What's On brochure meaning the amount of printing can be reduced
- Watersmeet is transitioning away from printed paperwork to digital copies for staff and customers
- Screens have been installed round the venue to allow for digital marketing and information that can be updated as and when required to reduce any reprinting
Environmentally Friendly
Watersmeet makes every effort to be as environmentally friendly as possible with measures in place that include:
- Staff are encouraged to travel in by public transport or walking if they can and to car share where possible
- All wood used in the venue is FSC certified
- All stationery is sourced from a sustainable company
- Where possible low VOC paint is used
- Cleaning chemicals are being switched to less harmful ones where we can
- Local suppliers are used as much as possible and larger orders are made less often as opposed to small, regular orders to reduce the distance travelled to us for deliveries
- All our main suppliers are sustainable companies who use solar power, biofuel for lorries, and recycled packaging
- This website is hosted using sustainable energy
