“What I learnt from Carbon Literacy Training”

In October 2024, we ran our first Carbon Literacy Training course, designed specifically for music educators to gain an awareness of the climate-related costs and impacts of their activities and to understand how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Tara Worrall-Hill attended the course, and with more training taking place in March, she shared what she learnt about reducing emissions and how she’ll be putting it into practice.

My name is Tara Worrall-Hill, and I lead fundraising as Head of Development at The Benedetti Foundation. My team manages events, individual giving, corporate giving, grants and statutory funding. We secure the funding needed to deliver music education projects for over 20,000 people each year, with a focus on delivering mass music events for people of all musical ages and stages.

I had wanted to undertake Carbon Literacy Training for a long time, but had so far found it difficult to access. The training usually requires a sector-specific trainer or a larger group to make it financially viable. Education is the first step to changing opinions and minds, bringing everyone onto a level playing field, and I wanted to experience how this training would be, having already had an interest in embedding sustainable practice into the music charity sector. In particular, I wanted to learn how to embed sustainable practices into my work and align The Benedetti Foundation with environmentally responsible values. Climate change presents a critical challenge, and I felt this training would help identify practical solutions for our organisation.

The course highlighted the importance of individual and organisational action on climate change. It showed how consistent actions, such as reducing energy use, cutting travel emissions, and improving procurement choices, can lead to meaningful reductions in carbon footprints.

I found the link between sustainability and equity particularly relevant. Marginalised communities face the greatest impacts of climate change, making it essential to consider both environmental and social benefits in any action. I also found the scientific learnings to be valuable, for example learning that methane’s impact is 25 times worse than the impact of CO2 in the world’s atmosphere, thus heightening the need to reduce these emissions in particular.

The training connected sustainability with everyday activities in music education, such as event planning and travel, and the operational processes behind this. It emphasised the need to reduce these negative impacts while maintaining the quality and reach of programmes, by any and all means possible.

Music education also has the potential to inspire conversations about climate action. The arts create opportunities to engage audiences and participants with sustainability in an accessible way. The training encouraged me to think about how to align our practices with these goals while maintaining inclusivity and accessibility.

As a result of the course, I plan to update our travel policy to reduce emissions from staff travel. Since we operate across the UK, this might include encouraging public transport, carpooling, or virtual meetings where possible. I also plan to create a procurement policy with an operations colleague to ensure sustainability is always on the agenda.

I’m also going to revise our sustainability policy and action plan to include the ideas from the training. By embedding sustainability into our planning and decision-making, The Benedetti Foundation can balance environmental considerations with our goals.

I would absolutely recommend Carbon Literacy training to others in the music education sector. Even if you think you are quite clued up, you will learn something you didn’t know, and you’ll also have the opportunity to chat with like-minded individuals, sharing ideas and pledges.

The training provides practical tools for reducing emissions and integrating sustainability into professional practices.

Music education offers a platform to raise awareness and inspire action on climate issues. By adopting sustainable practices, we can demonstrate leadership and contribute to a better future for the sector and the communities we serve.

If you’re interested in becoming Certified Carbon Literate and understanding how to reduce your own or your organisation’s carbon emissions, find out more about our Carbon Literacy Training or sign up here.

Don’t forget to visit the This Is Not A Rehearsal webpage to explore more news, training & events, resources and research to support you on your sustainability journey. If you’d like to stay up to date with training and resources related to the climate crisis within the music education sector, click here to sign up for our ‘This Is Not A Rehearsal’ monthly newsletter.