Musicians and nature

We think that musicians can play an important role in raising awareness around climate change and biodiversity loss, and in fostering a deeper appreciation of the natural world. Our residencies give musicians freedom - in a thought-provoking and inspiring location - to listen (in every possible way to everything possible to hear) and seek inspiration from nature. Our UK residency takes place at Cove Park - one of the UK's leading artist residency centres, nestled into a hillside overlooking Loch Long and the Firth of Clyde, and surrounded by forest. Listening the environment and to the sounds of non-human species through sound walks, nature sound recording and other activities creates possibilities for interspecies music-making. We also initiate wider discussions with Making Tracks fellows, both to increase their awareness of existing strategies for environmental engagement among musicians and to develop new ones.

Making Tracks by Train

Since the first edition of Making Tracks in 2019, we have been working on reducing our environmental impact, with a particular focus on developing more sustainable touring practices by switching from plane to rail travelwherever possible. This has seen a reduction in the number of flights taken by selected artists by 61% and 83.3% in 2021 and 2022, respectively, compared to 2019. In 2022 we announced that all artists selected from mainland Europe would typically be expected to travel to and from the Making Tracks residency by rail. As part of this, we pay a daily stipend for each day spent en route, and use the journeys to start conversations about music and the environment. Since 2022 we have also limited the number of artists selected based outside Europe to a maximum of one-per-year. These changes have helped us to considerably reduce our estimated greenhouse gas (GHG) transport emissions. In 2024, our estimated transport emissions were 61.8% lower compared to 2019.

The practical changes we’ve made don’t stop with trains. Making Tracks' delicious residency menu is fully vegetarian and vegan, while we also provide partner venues with 'green riders', route our tours as efficiently as possible, and are working towards eradicating single-use plastics.

More information and resources

• Read our Transport Emissions Reports:
  2024 Report / 2022 Report / 2019 Report
  
• Read an article by Making Tracks' Director, Merlyn Driver, on Making Tracks by Train - exploring slow travel and the challenges of environmentally-responsible touring.
  
• Read an article about how carbon offsetting works, and its many flaws.
  
• Read an article by our director about the challenges of navigating cultural exchange with environmental responsibility, and our current focus on slow travel and reducing emissions at source.
  
• Download our 'Green Rider' template for artists.