Since 2014, we’ve been one of the first grassroots venues to use renewable electricity - avoiding gas heating and investing in greener power.

In 2022, we secured funding to install solar panels on the roofs of Grow Studios.

With support from our 2023 crowdfunder, we introduced technology to enable battery storage.

We are now seeking funding to install batteries and store more of the energy we generate.”

Grow has been committed to paying the London Living Wage since 2014, recognising that fair pay is fundamental to a sustainable and equitable community. In a sector where rising costs and ongoing challenges are a constant reality, maintaining this commitment requires care, resilience, and long-term thinking.

As an accredited Living Wage employer, we prioritise fair working conditions, training, and development, reflecting a belief that social value should sit alongside environmental and economic sustainability

Since the beginning, planters have been part of the space—creating a welcoming environment for people while supporting local flora and fauna. In 2021, this expanded to include a canalside floating ecosystem. Rather than filling the canalside with seating, we chose to prioritise people and planet—creating a green oasis in the city. The floating planters, often described as a ‘floating terrarium’, form islands for birds, bees, and pollinators, helping to improve biodiversity within the Lee Navigation.

Built by volunteers, the project reflects a shared, hands-on approach to strengthening green space and climate resilience.

Grow has been built on circular economy principles since the beginning, long before the term was widely used.

Sharing resources, exchanging skills, and reusing, repairing, and repurposing materials are part of how the space operates day to day.

Across the site, a local economy is in motion: artists, makers, and small businesses support each other, materials are given new life, and knowledge is passed between people.

This approach keeps value circulating within the community - environmentally, socially, and economically - showing how resourcefulness and collaboration can shape a more sustainable way of working.

Grow is a self-organised, independent project that has evolved through collective effort from people at every level rather than top-down planning. Built by artists, makers, and the local community, it has been shaped through shared responsibility, resourcefulness, and a commitment to making something work with what’s available. While rooted in collaboration and ongoing dialogue, it also reflects the long-term commitment and responsibility held by its founders, alongside the reality that not every decision can be shared or agreed on. Holding this balance has created a space that remains responsive, resilient, and grounded in lived experience