Sustainability best practices for your theatre, cinema or art centre website

Digital might seem like the eco-friendly choice, but every website has a carbon footprint. As theatres, cinemas, and art centres continue to expand their online presence, websites can easily become digital dumping grounds - packed with large images, videos, and pages that slow things down and increase emissions.

So how can arts organisations keep their websites accessible, creative, and environmentally responsible, without sacrificing the things that make them special?

Let’s look at some sustainable website practices tailored to the arts.

Why traditional sustainability advice doesn’t always fit

If you’ve searched online for ways to make your website greener, you’ve probably come across advice like:

• “Don’t use many images”
• “Avoid videos”
• “Keep the site small”
• “Scrutinise third parties”

That might work for other industries, but it’s not realistic for a venue or gallery that needs visuals, trailers, and event listings. Plus, you have the additional task of remembering to resize the billboard-sized images that venues are often sent. The arts are different, and your website should celebrate that.

Sustainability for the arts isn’t about stripping away creativity. It’s about making smart, efficient choices that keep your content powerful and your impact minimal.

Practical steps toward a sustainable arts website

See where you are now 

Use an online carbon checker such as Website Carbon to see where you are at now. This way, after you’ve made the changes we will go through, you can see how you are progressing. 

Choose a sustainable hosting provider 

When you get to the bottom of this page, you will notice a Green Hosting badge, looks good doesn't it? Switching hosting providers is something that shouldn’t be any harder for Theatres or Art Centres, plus, the impact of this change is higher than many other suggestions. 

Communicate your goals to your web agency

You can make many changes yourself, but for advice tailored to your website and the technology that runs it, it’s best to talk to the developers. Letting them know your goals, and the changes you want to make will allow them to advise on the best course of action. They can also carry out code-based changes. 

If your website developers aren’t putting sustainability first, reach out to Grandad for a future-facing website with sustainability at its heart. 

Ready to make your digital presence more sustainable?

We’ve put together a Website Sustainability Checklist for Theatres, Cinemas and Art Centres, packed with practical actions to help you make real progress.

The checklist includes:

• Quick wins to improve sustainability today
• Monthly habits to keep your website efficient
• Annual reviews to ensure long-term impact