Nottingham Arena plays leading role in developing Green Guide for UK arenas

The Nottingham Arena has been at the centre of developing a green guide to help all 23 major UK Arenas become more sustainable.

The National Arenas Association (NAA) has published its Green Guide, developed in collaboration with live event sustainability experts, A Greener Future (AGF) to help the largest indoor arenas in the UK and Ireland to share best practice and operate more sustainably. 

The entertainment complex in Nottingham is already making good progress on its own sustainability journey:

• 1000 solar panels - the largest single site installation in Nottingham - power 30 live events
• electric vehicle chargers in the car parks
• 98 percent LED lights
• 25 percent reduction in energy consumption in last few years
• 33 tonnes of waste recycled each year
• No waste goes to landfill
• Reuses wastewater from the cooling towers to make the ice rinks

Lee Chadburn, Head of Facilities, at Nottingham Arena and National Ice Centre, who helped create the new Green Guide, said: “Our journey to be more sustainable began around 2011. Since then, we believe we have made great progress in being as sustainable as we possibly can be. 

“We have used the least amount of energy to power our operations this year then any other year. We recycle more than 40 percent of our waste – the rest is sent to a waste to energy system, which then provides electricity and heating to our building. We are the city’s largest single site PV installation producing enough energy to power 30 live music events a year. We were the first UK Arena to have a dedicated vegan outlet, reuse cup scheme and water saving washroom systems.”

The Green Guide aims to help member venues set sustainability objectives and work towards reducing their environmental impact, regardless of where they currently are on their individual sustainability journey and features many best practice examples that venues currently employ including Nottingham Arena. 

Lee added: “We still have plenty to do and aim to be constantly better. Our aim is to make any events and activities in our venue as sustainable as possible and continue to support the city of Nottingham’s pledge to be carbon neutral by 2028”. 

The NAA Green Guide addresses the extensive environmental aspects of arena management, while also considering the areas of governance, social inclusion, and economic opportunity. 

Backed by industry body LIVE and the Concert Promoters Association, the Green Guide is expected to evolve as the live industry continues to adapt to the demands and opportunities of social and environmental sustainability.

Claire Cosgrave, NAA Green Guide Lead, said: “The National Arenas Association Green Guide presents an accessible, action-orientated resource to help our member venues navigate the complex world of social and environmental sustainability. By focusing attention on a set of shared objectives, we believe the guide can help to drive progress in aspects common to all venues, regardless of size, age or stage of sustainability journey. 

“Working with the experts at A Greener Future, the guide covers a vast range of detail with practical steps for venue operators to take and engage key stakeholders on including promoters and event audiences. As a group, the NAA is committed to driving best practice across all its member venues and we look forward to evolving the Green Guide further in future years.”

Claire O'Neill, CEO & CoFounder A Greener Future, said: "It is vitally important that venues act now to prevent negative impacts on the environment, provide safe and fulfilling spaces for people, and manage risks and opportunities posed by climate change and market transformation. Venues are the home of live entertainment. This collaborative work is a significant step to getting the live sectors house in order, with manageable steps towards greener arenas."

The guide and accompanying resources are accessible via A Greener Future’s website.