BANDALOOP SUSTAINABILITY MISSION & POLICY
CLIMATE CONTEXT
We are living in a time of reckoning of the exploitative systems that are harming both people and the planet. It is becoming increasingly difficult and indeed unethical to ignore the climate and ecological crises that are rooted in a global culture of extraction. We know that systemic racism and its unjust structural disadvantages cause the worst impacts to fall on the marginalized groups least responsible for these issues. This inequality is apparent in Oakland, where Black and Latinx residents are disproportionately exposed to air pollution that threatens their health and safety (EPA). The interconnected beasts of climate change and inequality call for everyone to be involved in a just transition to a new system where all people can explore and reach their full potential.
As a vertical dance company with a home in Oakland and a strong value for community, BANDALOOP is dedicated to addressing inequity close to home while redefining what it means to be an organization built on social and environmental justice. Activism is deeply rooted in the essence of who we are. Our innovative performances activate public spaces, creating stories that play off of and amplify the natural world and cultural histories in a site-responsive format. Whether performing abroad or at home in Oakland, BANDALOOP seeks to learn from local places, communities, and histories, approaching our work of anti-oppression with humility and respect. We acknowledge that our home studio is based in unceded and federally unrecognized Lisjan (Ohlone) territory and that the Ohlone people are still here and stewarding this land.
It has become apparent that we need a roots and branches reimagining of our world system. Everyone’s voice is needed to build this future, and as a cultural arts organization we believe in our power to inspire change by mobilizing our innovative creativity to create a better world. The following policy brings to the forefront BANDALOOP’s commitment to embed sustainability in our organizational ethos and create public art inspired by nature that reimagines our relationship with it.
Sustainability Aim & Objectives
Through a just transition framework, we aim to stay within planetary boundaries while maintaining an expansive approach to our work, which means staying within the safe operating limits for Earth's systems to remain stable and healthy. The boundaries include climate change, biodiversity, and land use. Crossing these thresholds risks irreversible global damage, and staying within them requires radical transformation of current models of doing.
To achieve this aim, we are committed to the following objectives:
Become net zero in our home studio operations by 2030.
Design a regenerative touring model which includes travel impact.
Activate meaningful community practice with our sponsors, audiences, presenters, funders, students and partners that aligns with our values.
BANDALOOP Values
Our values are the lens through which we engage with and embody sustainability:
Embracing the Adventure of the Unknown: rather than be overwhelmed by the unknowns in climate change, we embrace and test new solutions.
Igniting Imagination: we find inspiration in nature and tell stories that educate and involve our audiences in the climate movement.
Creating Elemental Connection: we connect with our audiences as well as the natural landscapes we perform in, acknowledging the interconnectivity of all living things.
Revolutionary Leadership: rooted in activism, we push the boundaries of what is possible for a sustainable dance company and share our learnings and journey.
Commitment to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accountability (IDEA): we take care to ensure our sustainability is rooted in climate and environmental justice and remedies rather than contributing to existing inequalities.
Determined Endurance: we know the work required to address climate change is hard yet rewarding, and we engage in ongoing efforts to increase our standards of sustainability and ethics.
A Culture of Safety: we honor time needed to create physical, mental, and emotional safety for our company, knowing that creating meaningful change in the world requires that we care for the wellbeing of ourselves and our communities.
Our Pillars
Our approach to sustainability is centered around the core pillars of people, place, and philosophy:
People: for our excellence as a dance company to thrive, we first and foremost need to take care of our people. Dance is our creative medium for encouraging movement and wellbeing, and through caring for our dancers and staff we can achieve our high artistic standards. We are dedicated to increasing accessibility in our staff, dancers, and audiences so that all can feel the benefits of movement and storytelling.
Place: we strive to showcase what a sustainable dance company can look like in our local Oakland context and through our global touring shows. We remain appreciative and honor the spaces where we partake in site specific work, operating with the mindset that working with less can create abundance and inspire creativity. Through our digital content we connect with audiences that may not see us live, creating a sense of connection and belonging beyond physical space.
Philosophy: we are radical in both principles and practices. The relationship between the stories we tell, causes we believe in, and our ethos as a company is porous. We know we are not separate from nature or our community. Vertical dance is our active practice for creating narrative, exploring global issues in microcosm, and redefining the model for what it means to be a dance company in the 21st century.
Environmental Impacts
BANDALOOP has identified the following areas of environmental impact that we have set out to measure:
Company touring.
Studio energy use.
Venue energy use.
Site-specific work impacts.
Audience travel carbon footprint.
Remote working.
Film and digital production and distribution.
Procurement and disposal of materials.
We are grateful to our Sustainability Advisors, Pilio Group, for their guidance and collaboration in crafting our organization Sustainability Mission Statement and Policies. Learn about their work at piliogroup.com
