Act now: can theatre help with climate change?

In the last two years, we've seen major plays at the National theatre, The Bush and the Royal Court, all addressing the issue of climate change. But are we practising what we preach? Old-fashioned habits die hard, and theatre has a fair few – it is energy-intense, print heavy yet perpetually short of money. Although we like to think of ourselves as a constantly changing and groundbreaking industry, in certain ways we're decades behind.

But change and innovation is happening. Things have moved on dramatically since the mayor of London launched the Green Theatre Plan in 2008. More than 100 theatre buildings are now tracking and sharing their energy performance online with Oxford University's Environmental Change Institute, a quiet revolution in energy management; Julie's Bicycle has launched a new UK-wide programme to help the industry improve its environmental sustainability and adapt to a low carbon economy, and east London's Arcola theatre continues its pioneering work with renewable energy, audience engagement and sustainable practices.

For our production of The Four Stages of Cruelty, we in the Simple8 theatre company are working with the Arcola and our lighting designer Michael Nabarro to develop new technologies in real time over the four-week rehearsal process. Ideas range from combining Arcola's new HyLight500 portable hydrogen fuel cell powered lighting system with the latest 24V tungsten light dimmer systems, to replacing PVC tape with used bicycle inner tubes, to encouraging audiences to drive less. We should admit that certain elements of this production make our lives easier. Based on four Hogarth engravings, it's set in the streets of 18th-century London and everything needs to look used and filthy. Suddenly, how to eliminate dry cleaning becomes less of an issue, while using tattered wood for the set seems more of a carefully considered aesthetic choice.

The theatre industry is far from perfect but in many ways it already has sustainability at its heart. Re-using, reducing, simplifying, economising – core tenets of sustainability – are common principles already enshrined. Above all, though, while theatre is competitive like any other business, it has one great advantage – it has always been (and hopefully always will be) truly collaborative. Take the collaboration that already exists. National and local groups are bubbling up: Newcastle Gateshead Cultural Venues, the London Theatre Consortium and the UK Green Theatre Network are examples of organisations – from venues and touring companies to suppliers and funders – working together to reduce their environmental impact and share information.

For Simple8, one of the main aims is to develop a template for how a theatre company can become ecologically sustainable. We're sharing everything we learn – especially our many mistakes, from where to source re-used materials, to low-energy lighting systems to how to market without paper – and in our experience other theatres and theatre companies are keen to do the same.

Finally, there is the small challenge of informing and influencing the wider public. Leo Hickman asked in his blog recently: "how do you get the public to listen to environmental messages?" The theatre industry is well placed. Theatre reaches a lot of people on a very direct level. Over 14 million people saw plays in the West End alone last year. These audiences can be involved, informed and influenced in countless ways – through information and displays in theatres, seminars, ticket offers, programme notes, websites, marketing campaigns, school workshops, after show talks and social networking – as well as the actual content of the plays themselves. We've made a start. Now we need to tell that story – how we reduce, reuse, recycle and innovate – with the same fervour as when we produce plays about it.