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Foliage on a green roof at The Lexi Cinema


SUSTAINABILITY


The Lexi and Sustainability


The Lexi Cinema is housed in an adapted Edwardian hall, retrofitted for sustainability, and in 2021 we opened The Lexi Hub, a new build space for the community which has been designed along cutting edge ecological principles. Sustainability has been at the heart of all that we do since we opened our doors in 2008.



We give 100% of our distributable profits to The Sustainability Institute in Lynedoch, South Africa – the charity we have supported since we first opened. Income from the Lexi has supported training in ecological farming method for local farmers, replanting of indigenous trees and many youth programmes (from nursery years to afterschool clubs), using nature as a resource for learning and therapeutic outcomes.



https://www.sustainabilityinstitute.net/ https://thelexicinema.co.uk/our-charity



Infrastructure - timeline of improvements:

2013: Loft insulation – topped up to 270mm main roof void.

2014: Instantaneous hot water heaters installed at bar and in toilets.  Ceramic low-energy radiators installed in bar.

2015: Switched to Ecotricity as our energy supplier.

2016: Auditorium retro-fitted with LED panels

2018: Solar panels fitted to supplement energy supply.

2019: Under-floor insulation fitted.

2021: Energy efficient Barco projectors installed in both screens


Office:

  • Paperless billing
  • Recycled paper only
  • Refilled printer cartridges.

 

Bar & Kiosk:  

  • Recycling systems are in place, where possible, for waste materials generated by the venue.  We have been straw-free since 2018.
  • Our sweets and bar snacks are served in refillable glass jars which are returned at the end of the film. We believe we are the only cinema in the UK serving sweets in this way!
  • We use local suppliers wherever possible.



Further Reading

The Lexi Hub

The Lexi Hub housing our second screen, is designed along sustainable principles to counter the loss of biodiversity and other effects on the environment. The project is the result of a 2 year campaign of grants fundraising and crowdfunding, and we are proud to have received a contribution of £50,000 from the Mayor’s Team. Our architects RISE Design Studios worked with Enhabit sustainability consultants, who advised on all aspects of the build. We aim to be a model for other community projects and new developments, showcasing the latest ecologically sound ideas in design. Features of the new building include:


  • Green Roof providing the benefits of insulation, increased urban wildlife habitat and regulating the drainage of rain-water
  • Super-insulated walls built with locally reclaimed materials
  • Air-tightness + MVHR: this innovative system brings fresh air into the building whilst retaining most of the energy that has already been used to heat the building.​


https://risedesignstudio.co.uk/charity.html    https://www.enhabit.uk.com/ 

Lexi Food Bank

Lexi Food Bank The Lexi has been a collection point for our local food banks (Brent Food Bank and Sufra) since 2016. During the Covid lockdown we had permission from Brent Council to keep our doors open for donations and Zoe ran our box office as a local depot throughout Covid closure for deliveries from all over the borough. These were driven to the Food Bank by Sean, our gas man!  


We are also working with Julie’s Bicycle to track the impact of our sustainability upgrades and make sure that we are constantly improving in this area: https://juliesbicycle.com

Programming

We are committed to supporting awareness of sustainability on screen as well as in the running of our business. For I AM GRETA we programmed an XR Youth Takeover with young activists addressing the audience before every screening. Our screening of the film 2040 was followed by an extended panel with Friends of the Earth and XR Brent.