Can you cut 1 Tonne of carbon pollution out of your life?
Take the challengeMusic festivals are a helluva lot of fun. But that fun comes at a price, not only for attendees, but also for the environment. Some music festivals are more sustainable than others, and it's a good idea to research an event's environmental initiatives online prior to purchasing a ticket.
Next week is one of Australia's biggest 3-day music festivals, Splendour In The Grass. We take a look at what you can do to make your experience a little more planet friendly!
Planet-strong partying
Going to a music festival doesn't mean you have to throw all your sustainable lifestyle choices out the window for a few days. With a teeny tiny bit of extra effort, you can leave the festival knowing you partied as planet-friendly as you possibly could!
1. Getting there
For every 1000km an individual passenger flies in economy class, the core carbon calculation is 350kg of CO2 pollution. Road tripping is an adventure in itself, so rather than booking a short haul flight make the trip to the festival part of the weekend!
By carpooling with a bunch of friends you're already beginning to minimize your carbon emissions. Aiming to make your road trip zero waste gives your weekend a planet strong head start!
This year Splendour in the Grass has teamed up with 'Climate Friendly' to provide punters with the opportunity to offset their carbon emissions created by travelling to the event simply by paying an extra $3. This year all the money raised will go towards rehabilitating native forests in Tasmania and upgrading infrastructure in Thailand to utilize the use of renewable biomass fuel!
2. Camping
If you're camping, it's possible to have an earth-friendly tent set-up.Borrow camping gear if you don't have your own, and be sure to bring all your own cutlery, plates, coffee cups and water bottles that you can refill.
3. Festival fashion
Festivals are a time most people love to inject a bit more colour and fun into their outfits. Fast fashion retailers use the lead up to a music festival to market the latest trends, hoping to entice you to buy, buy, buy. Try to resist the urge to go out and buy a new outfit for every day of the festival, and instead go through your wardrobe and have some fun styling new combinations with clothes you already have. You'd be surprised how great an 'old' outfit can look with a different accessory! Alternatively, why not do a clothes swap with a friend and score yourself a new outfit that doesn't cost you or the Earth a thing!
4. All that glitters is not gold (but it could be plastic)
While we're on the subject of festival fashion, lets talk about glitter. I don't want to be a wet blanket, and I know how sparkly a sprinkling of glitter can make you look and feel. But glitter is simply teeny tiny bits of plastic, and throwing it all over you and your friends is essentially just littering on a small scale.
You can replace glitter (and impress your fellow festival goers) with home made and totally natural face paints.
5.Snack time
Festival food can be pretty darn good. If, like me, you're a sucker for a festival feed when it hits the 8pm mark and you need sustenance for a night of dancing, try and bring home cooked meals in tupper wear for the other meals of the day. This way you'll save money, and know you're getting a few nutritious meals throughout the festival. Find out how to keep your healthy snacks fresh without packaging here.Bring your own re-usable mug for coffee in the morning, and bring along cutlery and plates so you don't have to use any from the eateries when you buy food.
6.Leave nothing but footprints
We've all seen photos like this after a music festival:
Don't be those campers that literally just pick up their stuff and go at the end of the festival, leaving rubbish and camping gear behind. Sort and discard your rubbish as you go.
Splendour In The Grass have developed an onsite waste program so you can throw at your rubbish just like you would at home. There'll be options for recycling, general waste and even a green top bin for food waste.
Keep an eye out for the 'Eco Cops' a group of Environmental Science students patrolling the festival making sure that "in the midst of all the reveling, no one is stepping on any environmental toes".
Being sustainable at a music festival doesn't mean you need to forgo fun. Making mindful choices and planning a few things in advance will mean you can leave the festival guilt-free!
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