Oh hey there! Glad to see you starting to poke your head out from that winter hibernation.
It seems that spring is coming earlier and earlier with each passing year. While that may seem great for all the warm weather things we love, it comes at a cost. That climate change is causing record-high temperatures globally.
While true action on climate change must come on a massive scale, you can still chip in to be more sustainable. Because as much fun as festivals are, any large gathering of people is going to leave a footprint. It’s up to you to keep it as sustainable as possible.
Here are five ways to do that:
1) Lose the plastic water bottles
The bane of any festival is trash, and one of the worst offenders is those plastic water bottles. Increasingly, festivals are committing to eliminating single use items like disposable cups, water bottles, and other such wasteful sundries. Regardless of festival policies, reusable bottles are your friend. Don’t forget to wash them occasionally though…
2) Don’t travel
The success of the music festival format has led to a proliferation of them around the world. Chances are: there’s one near you, and it’s got a pretty fantastic lineup. Reduce your travel carbon footprint and go local. Or if you MUST travel, take a train. Or a bike. Or walk?
3) Support green artists
Many artists have made commitments to reducing their own personal carbon footprint or supporting causes advocating for climate change. Support these artists with your dollars. Purchase their albums instead of streaming them. Buy some of their swag. Donate to sustainability causes in their names.
4) Leave no trace
Some festivals are actively promoting a “leave no trace” policy. This ideally means that once the festival packs up and moves out, nobody will even know they were there. No trampled plants, no garbage strewn everywhere, no vomit stains. It’s a laudable goal that’s worth supporting when choosing which festivals to go to.
5) Composting!
What’s the only thing better than leaving no trace? Leaving a positive trace of course. Composting does just that. Take all that food waste and make it into rich, loamy soil to help the Earth grow anew.
