Future-Proofing Our Festivals

Future-Proofing Our Festivals

Music festivals create images of late summer evenings, the humid day dissolving into a crisp night, with music rolling over fields. What is often ignored is the mess remaining when the festival-goers have left: a sea of white, dropped disposable cups and plates. Also unseen are the environmental costs of energy use, food production and food waste. By incorporating sustainable practices, organisations can ensure future festivals will enjoy the same experience we do today. Sustainability has been a major objective of Nostalgia Festival since its inaugural year. As a result, Nostalgia is the second festival in New Zealand to achieve the Conscious Consumer festival accreditation. Conscious Consumers is a registered charity that allows consumers transparency on which organisations incorporate sustainable initiatives.

In order to become accredited Nostalgia follows policies that meet Conscious Consumers’ standards. Nostalgia has implemented initiatives including reusable cups and wash stations, and transport from the city. Festivalgoers are encouraged to take public transport or bike to the event; there is a specific festival bike gang where people can bike straight into the festival with bike stands available inside. All employees are from Canterbury, supporting the local workforce. By showcasing local performers and sourcing food locally, Nostalgia is able to cut down on its carbon footprint.

Waste control company, Ourdailywaste, works closely with Nostalgia to cut down its landfill waste. Sharon McIver, of Ourdailywaste, has been impressed with Nostalgia’s sustainable initiatives. Nostalgia made it clear to Ourdailywaste that they wanted more than just recycling services but to engage in true waste management. “It’s paid off,” says, McIver: out of the events Ourdailywaste provides services for, Nostalgia has “the lowest figures for an event that size”.

The Christchurch City Council’s Events Production Team are in the process of creating an Event Sustainability Framework. This framework will consist of waste management, transport and power usage standards that will help festival organisers consider the full impact of the festival on the natural environment. “It is great to see events like Nostalgia doing just that,” says Katherine Ralph-Triebels, Events Coordinator on the Event Production Team: “[by] embracing sustainable event management practices such as utilising great organisations like Our Daily Waste and initiatives like Conscious Consumers”.

How to distribute beverages is an obstacle when considering waste management. Nostalgia has utilised NZ-made Globelet, a recycled cup that can be washed and reused many times over, since 2015. Ryan Everton, the creator of Globelet, pictures a world without disposable products. “The entertainment environment is an ideal place to conduct educational activities for the environment,” says Everton. It is a “simple and fun” system, Everton explains, and, “with reusable cups, the consumer becomes active in sustainable development”.

That consumers are active and interested in sustainability means that organisations listen. Melissa Keys from Conscious Consumers points out that “sustainability is becoming more important to businesses as consumers are caring more and more”. Sustainable organisations attract those conscious consumers, ensuring repeat business. Nostalgia has seen the benefits to both its long-term success and the future of festivals through sustainable initiatives, and continues into 2016 with sustainability in mind.

ENDS

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