Every OFE performance has
a positive environmental impact.
Yours can too.
As musicians, we have to adapt how we work. Here we share our approach to environmentally positive music-making — alongside ideas and resources to help others do the same. 
Music that makes
a difference
We use music to inspire care for the natural world by creating experiences that move people and bring them together.
Through our concerts, tours and collaborations, we connect world-class music with environmental ideas, stories and partners, helping audiences feel closer to nature and more motivated to protect it.
Sustainable touring
Touring is one of the most powerful ways to reach people — and one of the most challenging to do sustainably. From the very beginning, we’ve committed to finding better ways of travelling, working and performing. We believe sustainable practice doesn’t diminish artistic quality. In fact, it often deepens it.
Green Performing
Ideas from John Warner, Artistic Director
Anyone who has experienced a thunderstorm or a sunset knows that nature speaks to the same deep emotions as music. It’s no coincidence that composers from Mozart to Mahler escaped busy cities to write in the countryside. The natural world — its beauty, complexity and unpredictability — fed their imaginations.
That’s why we believe almost all music, not just overtly “nature-themed” works, has deep roots in the natural world. Music is uniquely powerful when it comes to today’s environmental challenges. It can stir emotion, create connection and prompt reflection in ways facts alone often can’t. Cultural change matters — and music has a vital role to play in it.
So how do we put this into practice? By collaborating. Nature-led programming opens doors to new venues, partners and voices — from scientists and authors to activists and local communities. Our concerts have taken place everywhere from the Eden Project’s biomes to Alpine mountainsides and the Houses of Parliament, reaching people who might never otherwise attend a classical concert.
Concerts are also meeting places — spaces for shared listening, conversation and connection. In a crowded, polarised world, that matters. Our performances have helped spark real-world projects too, including a new nature reserve in Austria created with audience members.
We don’t claim to have all the answers. But we’re excited to see musicians and organisations across the world raising their voices for our shared home — and to be part of that growing movement.
We partner with Eden: People + Planet to plant a tree for every OE ticket sold. This isn’t about offsetting emissions. It’s about amplifying the positive impact of our work.
Eden works with local communities to restore forests in regions affected by deforestation and extreme poverty. These projects improve soil health, protect water sources, reduce flooding and restore wildlife habitats — supporting both people and ecosystems.
Tickets for Trees
Sustainable Touring
Touring allows us to build relationships with communities and landscapes — but it must be done responsibly.
We often tour with smaller orchestras (around 25 players or fewer), which significantly reduces per-person emissions and allows us to perform in regional and rural venues closely connected to nature. Where larger forces are needed, we work with local orchestras, creating meaningful cultural exchange.
We avoid flying, travelling instead by train and coach — which is not only lower-carbon, but more sociable and more connected to the landscapes we pass through. We plan routes carefully, minimise unnecessary travel, and often present multiple programmes in one location to make the most of each visit.
These choices aren’t just about impact — they also support musicians’ wellbeing and help us perform at our best.
Strings4All
Orchestra for the Earth is delighted to be taking part in Strings4All, a simple and imaginative scheme run by Harmonic Progression which collects used strings from professional musicians and donates them to players who need them around the world. Professional string players often replace strings while they still have plenty of life left in them; Strings4All gives those strings a second life, helping young musicians, music schools, youth orchestras and professional ensembles who might otherwise struggle to access good-quality strings. Since the scheme began in 2021, it has collected and donated more than 15,000 strings.
We have collection boxes at our rehearsals so that our players and visiting musicians can pass on spare violin, viola, cello and double bass strings. It is a small act, but one that sits closely with OE’s values: reducing waste, sharing resources and supporting musical life beyond our own immediate circle. Through the scheme, strings that might otherwise sit unused in a drawer can help another musician keep playing.
More Resources
If you’d like to go further, we recommend:
• Julie’s Bicycle — tools and guidance for cultural organisations taking climate action
• Music Declares Emergency — a global movement calling for climate action across the music industry
• Smithsonian Symposium (2021) — research on culture and climate change
Others Taking Action
We’re inspired by organisations leading the way, including:
• Lahti Symphony Orchestra’s journey to carbon neutrality
• Fretwork’s flight-free touring policy
• Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment’s musician-led decision to tour by train
• Opera North’s organisation-wide sustainability work