Australasia’s Most Sustainable Art Fair Partners With Clima to Offset Carbon Footprint
Claiming the title of Australasia’s most sustainable art fair since 2022, in 2024 Melbourne Art Fair partners with Clima to continue leading the way in carbon emissions reduction for the artworld. Clima supports Melbourne Art Fair to understand its emissions and balance these with bespoke portfolios of carbon projects which combat climate change, while bringing additional environmental and social benefits across the globe. Motivated by the global climate emergency, Melbourne Art Fair has committed $1.50 from every ticket purchased to a portfolio of offset projects and is providing attendees agency to choose which project to support.
Attendees can choose from three different projects, each formed in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Oriners & Sefton Savanna Burning Project (Kowanyama)
Based in Queensland, this project aims to support traditional land management.
Greenhouse gases emitted from savanna fires average 3% of Australia’s emissions. By collaborating, Traditional Owners and Aboriginal rangers implement controlled, cooler fires in the early dry season, reducing greenhouse gas emissions compared to the intense, uncontrolled fires that arise later when the land is dry.
When savanna grasslands are burned in a controlled manner, it can stimulate the growth of new grasses and other vegetation, which in turn provides food and habitat for a wide range of local species. Cool burning can also help to control the spread of invasive species, reduces the risk of wildfire, and improves the overall health and resilience of the ecosystem.
High Efficiency Woodburning Cookstoves (Malawi)
Traditional cooking methods in Malawi often involve open fires or rudimentary stoves, which are highly inefficient and result in excessive wood consumption, deforestation and significant carbon emissions.
One of the primary objectives of the project is to develop and promote the use of improved cookstoves. These new cookstoves are designed to be more fuel-efficient, allowing for a significant reduction in the amount of wood needed for cooking.
With a decrease in wood needed for the same outcomes, pressure on local forests is lowered and less labour is required for wood gathering – a labour-intensive and often dangerous task that is usually undertaken by women. In addition, the efficient stoves improve air quality in confined cooking spaces by reducing smoke levels and other airborne pollutants.
Delta Blue Carbon (South East Pakistan)
This project aims to restore and maintain tidal ecosystems in the Indus Delta Area of south-eastern Pakistan, with the goal of contributing to climate change mitigation, increasing carbon storage, conserving biodiversity, and improving the livelihoods of local communities. The project will focus on regenerating native coastal vegetation and habitat, specifically tidal wetlands and mangroves.
Tidal wetlands are important marine ecosystems that provide a range of benefits, including protecting the coastline from erosion, supporting a diverse array of aquatic organisms, and supporting the economic livelihoods of coastal communities.
In addition to partnering with Clima, Melbourne Art Fair takes place in the Denton Corker Marshall designed Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) where the venue has made sustainability a priority. MCEC has achieved Platinum Certification through EarthCheck, the world’s leading business advisory group specialising in sustainability and destination management for the travel and tourism industry. The world-class exhibition venue is one of only 6 convention centres in internationally to achieve this status and take meaningful steps towards resolving some of the very real issues that face the planet. Further, their future environmental targets include diverting 90% of waste by 2025 and becoming fully powered by renewable electricity by 2028.
Together with the Fair’s home, its carbon offset commitment, and an investment in reusable exhibition walling and LED lights, Melbourne Art Fair proudly maintains its position as Australasia’s most sustainable art fair.
The Fair takes place at the bookend of the Victorian summer, February 22 -25 2024. To buy tickets and nominate a project to support, click here.
For more information, visit the Clima website or contact info@clima.com.au
