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Pared-down parties
16th February 2008
Music is supposed to be a force for good - and it can be
Music festivals don't have to be purely hedonistic: the bubble wrap covering this hill at the Secret Garden Party in 2008 was made from biodegradeable bioplastic - and produced on machinery run on biodiesel.
Environmentalism isn’t just about austere self-denial – the biggest parties on the planet can be green as well. Last month, the first Green World Awards were handed out at the MIDEM music festival in Cannes; Roskilde in Denmark (one of the world’s largest festivals, attended by over 100,000 revellers) and Paleo Festival Nyon in Switzerland were recognized for their green efforts. And next week Festivals and Events Ontario will hand out an award for the best greening of a festival at its annual conference.
Music is supposed to be a force for positive change, whether it’s helping to break down racial barriers or fuel anti-war protests – or at least that’s what they thought in the sixties. But all too often festivals can be summed up as little more than hedonistic celebrations of excess, with vendors charging $5 for eco-hostile bottles of water and thoughtless crowds leaving trails of garbage and chaos in their wake (think Woodstock 1999’s riots). Even Live Earth – designed to raise climate-change awareness – was panned by critics for the excessive carbon footprint left by massive lighting rigs and private jets.
It doesn’t have to be that way – music festivals can promote and celebrate sustainability. At Roskilde, 90 per cent of drink containers are recycled (bonus: attendees are given free beer for their efforts). Paleo claims to be entirely powered by renewable energy. And the Hillside Festival in Guelph, Ont., serves food and drink only in reusable cups and plates, runs a solar-powered stage and gives free tap water to patrons. “We showcased that you can have an outdoor event in the middle of nowhere without any water bottles,” festival manager Rachel Thompson says.
Published in The Green Report in The Globe and Mail
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