Open letter
Our open letter to the Prime Minister appealing against the allowance of new oil and gas licences for drilling as announced at the end of July, and decision to delay our government’s actions on net zero.
We’re here to inspire people to come together to take action.
Achieving rapid, deep and radical decarbonisation is an enormous challenge. We’re making changes and driving sustainable behaviour across everything we do.
The scale of the climate crisis is huge, but science and human ingenuity can make a difference. When we come together great things can happen.
Creating a sustainable future
As a science centre, we’re in a unique position to bridge the gap between science and society. We can play a motivating and encouraging role to help decarbonise the way we live and work.
We strive to:
Do – be a venue that’s as environmentally sustainable as possible
Talk – spark conversations to inspire our audiences to take positive action for the planet
Share – extend beyond our walls to support Bristol’s transition to carbon net zero and to support our sector in decarbonisation
Our decarbonisation journey
We’ve been working on our sustainability journey since 2010, and in 2019 we declared a climate emergency.
So far we’ve:
- Reduced our energy consumption by 31% between 2011-2020 (we’ve mostly been closed since then due to the pandemic and the roof fire in 2022)
- Ensured all our electricity comes from clean, renewable energy resources within the UK
- Installed new solar panels on our roof that will generate 12% of our building’s energy requirements
- Reduced our amount of water used to flush toilets by 30%
- Fitted Bristol’s first LED lit car park
- Joined and co-chairing Bristol Climate Leaders – a growing network run by Bristol Climate And Nature Partnership for organisations with ambitions to be carbon neutral by 2030
- Launched the Association of Science and Discovery Centres (ASDC) Decarbonisation Group – sharing best practice within the science centre sector
- Removed gas from our main building
- Switched our diesel vans to second-hand electric vehicles
- Introduced ‘climate conscious’ menus in our café and event catering, selecting ingredients based on carbon emissions
It is brilliant having We the Curious as an active member of our Climate Leaders Group. Their ambition and commitment to climate action is clear and so it is hugely valuable having them share their experience. They are also regular supporters of our Climate Action Programme, generously giving their time to speak at events and provide case studies for others to learn from.Claire Jacob, Head of Communications and Partnerships - Bristol Climate & Nature Partnership
The road ahead
Here’s some of the projects that we’ll be focussing on in the future:
- Further decarbonisation – transforming our operations and estate to reduce our emissions that contribute to climate change
- Sustainable visitor travel – we’ll be looking at how we can support more sustainable forms of transport such as walking, cycling, public transport and electric vehicles
- Improving the environmental sustainability of our shop by considering the whole life cycle of the things we sell, stocking more second-hand items, and minimising plastic in products and packaging
- Supplier engagement – working with and supporting our suppliers to measure and decrease their impact on the environment and support ethical procurement practices
- Waste reduction – reducing the amount of waste we produce on site and reducing how much goes to landfill
- Biodiversity – installing more beehives on our roof, to support local biodiversity
- Climate change adaptation – changing our site and operation to make us more resilient to the local and global impacts of climate change
Our partnership with the Sustainable Futures team at We The Curious has been pivotal to the work we've been doing to support ASDC members across the UK. Chris and Roddy have dedicated a huge amount of their time to provide invaluable talks, workshops and tools to support science centres in tackling their own sustainability goals and targets. Their leadership on curating the content for the decarbonisation group is testimony to their commitment to the sector achieving net zero.Cait Campbell, Project Manager - Association for Science and Discovery Centres
Activities to inspire action
Climate emergency declaration
We The Curious was the first science centre in the world to declare a climate emergency; with the pledge to become carbon neutral by 2030.
BUMP roller disco to replace Millennium Square ice rink
As part of We The Curious’ climate emergency declaration earlier this year, and pledge to become carbon neutral by 2030, there will not be a temporary seasonal ice rink this winter; BUMP roller disco will instead run on Millennium Square from 15 November…
New environmental-action street art unveiled in Bristol by acclaimed artist
A beautiful new piece of climate action street art has been unveiled as part of a new collaboration between We The Curious and Jody Thomas, the acclaimed Bristol artist behind the world-famous mural of Greta Thunberg.
This Can Change photography exhibition
Educational charity and science centre, We The Curious is launching a new photography exhibition ‘This Can Change’; opening on Wednesday 8 December it will feature 130 images submitted by the young people of Bristol in response to the climate crisis. This…
Our Sustainable Futures team
Chris Dunford
Sustainability and Science Director
Chris Dunford
Sustainability and Science Director
As Sustainability and Science Director, I have been responsible for Sustainable Futures at We The Curious since 2011. During that time, I have introduced a sector-leading programme of environmental best practice, innovative technologies, and organisational change. In 2019, I led We The Curious’ work to become the first science centre in the world to declare a climate emergency and pledge to meet ambitious decarbonisation targets in this decade, implemented alongside climate change adaptation.
Beyond We The Curious, I have held positions as Head of Environmental Sustainability at UKRI, Elected Director of the Bristol Climate & Nature Partnership, Mentor of Arizona State University’s Sustainability in Science Museums Global Fellowship, and Chair of the ASDC Decarbonisation Group. My background is in science communication and stand-up comedy.
Roddy Skinner
Carbon Manager
Roddy Skinner
Carbon Manager
My role is to gain an in depth understanding of our operations, practices and gather information about our estate. By doing so, we have been able to use data to help guide our decarbonisation journey and continue to reduce our overall environmental impact.
Over the last few years, I have also led a series of decarbonisation workshops for the Association for Science and Discovery Centres Decarbonisation Group and I now Co-Chair Bristol’s Climate Leaders group which is run by Bristol Climate and Nature Partnership. Before my current role I enjoyed time as a Team Leader for our Live Science Team, explaining and exploring science with visitors. Listening to people, communities and businesses and sharing our collective knowledge and experience is something I’m very passionate about so please don’t hesitate to reach out
Ella Norwich
Sustainability Coordinator
Ella Norwich
Sustainability Coordinator
I’m the Sustainability Coordinator at We The Curious and the newest member of the Sustainable Futures Team, having joined in April 2023. In my role I get to wear a lot of hats, from coordinating our cross-departmental team focused on sustainability initiatives to processing carbon data that helps us track our environmental impact. Alongside our Carbon Manager, I also roll out procurement training, ensuring that every purchase the organisation makes is as responsible as possible. And, I help share our sustainability journey with other organisations across the city and beyond, including fellow science centres.
My background in the built environment led me to start my career in sustainability consultancy, working on BREEAM construction projects. I’ve also worked in festival sustainability, contributing to A Greener Future research and coordinating sustainability assessments for the Green Man festival. Being at We The Curious has allowed me to blend these two worlds in a really unique way.
I love being a part of such a forward-thinking and exciting science centre which, amongst many other things, supports meaningful dialogue about climate change and sustainability.
Collaborate with us
We’re always looking to collaborate with other organisations and visitor attractions, to share best practice and to learn from each other. Do get in touch to find out how we can help you to set, measure and hit your own sustainability goals. To find out more, email or give us a call on 0117 915 1000.