The Riga Energy Agency (REA) has partnered with the Latvian National Theatre to jointly advance the implementation of circular economy principles within the creative industries in Riga.
Through its involvement in the international project “Creative Circular Cities – Promoting circular transition at local level by involving the Culture & Creative Sectors and Industries” (CCC), the REA offers creative industries opportunities to acquire new knowledge on business model development and receive expert support for integrating circular economy principles into their operations.
The Latvian National Theatre is participating in the international project “Greenstage,” which focuses on advancing sustainability principles within the performing arts sector. To support the analysis and sustainable development of organisational and production processes in the performing arts, the project will develop a self-assessment tool for the organisation. Besides, a performance will be staged at the Latvian National Theatre, where the principles of sustainable production and the recycling of stage decorations will be put into practice.
After carefully reviewing the planned projects, representatives of the REA and the Latvian National Theatre affirm that this collaboration offers Riga’s cultural organisations the opportunity to enhance their understanding of circular economy principles. It also allows them to explore and adopt new operational models that can help cultural institutions become more sustainable in their economic activities.
The project “Creative Circular Cities (CCC) – Promoting circular transition at local level by involving the Culture & Creative Sectors and Industries” includes the following participants: the Danish Cultural Institute (Denmark), the Lifestyle and Design Cluster (Denmark), the Climate Secretariat of the City of Aarhus (Denmark), the Northern Dimension Partnership on Culture (Latvia / Scandinavia), Pomeranian Science and Technology Park Gdynia (Poland), “Pomorskie in the European Union” Association (Poland), the City of Turku (Finland), Valonia / Regional Council of Southwest Finland (Finland), Humak University of Applied Sciences (Finland), Tallinn Creative Incubator (Estonia), Anschar GmbH (Germany), Zero Waste Kiel e.V. (Germany), Heinrich-Böll-Foundation, Schleswig-Holstein e.V. (Germany).
“Greenstage” is funded by the European Union's Creative Europe Programme. The lead partner is Oberhausen Theatre representing the City of Oberhausen (Germany). Other partners are the National Theatre of Latvia in Riga, the Volkstheater Vienna (Austria), the Bunker production house in Ljubljana (Slovenia) and the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy (Germany). The municipal partner is the Municipality of Mantua (Italy). Associated partners are the cities of Dortmund, Gelsenkirchen and Wuppertal, as well as Ljubljana, Riga and Vienna. The Kultursekretariat NRW supports the project as initiator and coordinator of the application.
Information was prepared by: Tālis Linkaits, Senior Expert at the Riga Energy Agency.