Elma.live is now a sustainability platform for all performing art
Elma.live, a digital platform for sustainable development, was launched two years ago to support live music professionals in Finland in their sustainability efforts. Now, the platform has been enhanced to serve professionals across other performing arts. Through Elma, music, circus, dance, and theater professionals can learn about sustainability, create a sustainability program, and assess the carbon footprint of their activities.
Since autumn 2022, live music industry professionals have had access to Elma.live, a digital platform that provides information, tools, and support to promote sustainability. Elma is based on the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), covering ecological, social and economic sustainability.
Building a sustainable future together
Live music and other performing arts activities have many similarities, and from the very beginning of developing Elma.live, it was clear that sustainability tools were needed for other areas of the performing arts as well. Therefore, it was a natural progression to gather information and tools onto a single platform to serve professionals in music, dance, circus, and theater.
In the fall of 2023, the Elma project invited representatives from performing arts communities to test and provide feedback on the platform. Following this, new, complementary content was developed in collaboration with the Circus & Dance Info Finland, the Association of Finnish Theatres, and Theatre Centre (Esittävän taiteen vapaat yhteisöt ry, advocacy organization for independent communities in the performing arts).
“Most of the existing content on the Elma platform, originally tailored for the live music industry, is also very suitable for other performing arts. Now, we have had the opportunity to further enrich the content with materials supporting sustainability in circus, dance, and theater. The creative industries play an important role in sustainable development, and we at the Elma project are very happy about this collaboration and the opportunity to support sustainability efforts for all performing arts professionals,” says Anu Ahola, project manager of Elma.live.
The new content now available offers examples of what the sustainability goals mean from the perspective of performing arts, concrete action proposals for promoting sustainability in daily work, and a curated list of links for additional reading. Elma’s aim is to make sustainability a natural part of everyday work for everyone involved in live music and other performing arts. The platform includes both publicly accessible pages and content available to registered users. The service is free of charge for industry professionals operating in Finland, and key content is also available in English.
Key Themes and Content of Elma
LEARNING MATERIALS – A digital information and training package on sustainability in live music and other performing arts.
SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAM – A roadmap tool for creating, tracking, and reporting on a sustainability program.
CO2 CALCULATOR – A tool for assessing and monitoring the carbon footprint of one’s activities. (At the moment only available in Finnish)
COMMUNITY – A community function for information sharing.
Creators, supporters, and partners
The Elma.live project is managed by the Finnish Jazz Federation, and the platform’s technical implementation is provided by Sitowise Oy.
The construction and development of the Elma.live service have been funded by the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility, granted by the Ministry of Education and Culture, the Finnish Music Foundation (MES), and the ESES foundation. The project’s steering group and additional supporters include (in addition to the Finnish Jazz Federation) Finland Festivals, LiveFIN, Music Finland, the Finnish Musicians’ Union, and the Association of Finnish Symphony Orchestras.
Elma’s partners are Sitowise and Tiketti. The development of Elma has also been supported by Gramex, Open Creative House, Circus & Dance Info Finland, and Finnish Music Creators’ Association.The content tailored for the performing arts sector was created in collaboration with Circus & Dance Info Finland, the Association of Finnish Theatres and Theatre Centre. Elma.live CO2 calculator has been implemented as a separate project by umbrella organizations in the music industry and funded jointly.