1. Your first step here is to get an accurate sense of your carbon emissions - you'll need to do a lot of the work in Data Gathering first, and especially register with the Julie's Bicycle IG tools (http://www.juliesbicycle.com/resources/ig-tools) which provide an accessible carbon calculator.

2. Step two will be to incorporate that data and an ambitious but achievable target into your environmental policy. Setting a target is crucial: having something to aim at can really motivate your whole organisation, and make for great public communication.

3. Lastly, planning to achieve that target should be embedded throughout your work. This Green Venue Guide provides loads of ideas of things you can do to help reduce your carbon emissions, and you can also seek consultation from other organisations, such as the Energy Saving Trust (http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/scotland/Scotland-Welcome-page/At-Home).

This is likely to be a longer process than that with staff and artists, but you can take it step by step. Begin with just including discussion of the GVI at an early meeting with your venue's owner, and then continue by building talking about your environmental work into your further discussions and negotiations. Results will vary from owner to owner. Do communicate what's happening with Festivals Edinburgh, as we can often offer advice and encouragement.