How to take water and environmental protection into account?
Rock the Baltic Sea campaign was a part of the Waterchain project. The campaign was initiated to increase awareness of water protection and the Baltic Sea challenges. Porispere festival, which takes place in Pori, Finland, joined the campaign and wanted to update their environmental plan in collaboration with Satakunta University of Applied Sciences. The status of environmental actions was monitored through several visits before, after and during the festival in summer 2017. The following points are gathered from the environmental plan to create an overview of the best practices that can be used by the majority of festivals.
Energy consumption
- If possible, all energy should be generated with renewable sources.
- Energy consumption should be monitored. Yearly gathered consumption data should be evaluated and compared.
- Led lights can be used in places where possible. Light sensors that switch the lights off in daytime can be used to make sure that lights are only on when it is needed.
Waste management
- Festivals should have a waste management plan which defines for example cleaning schedules and responsibilities related to cleaning.
- The festival area should have enough reasonably placed trash bins.
Domestic water and waste water
- The festival area should have enough and reasonably placed public lavatories to prevent urination in the nature.
- If possible, the festival should be connected to the local domestic and/or waste water system.
- The festival area should have enough drinking water fountains with suitable water pressure. These points could have automatic taps to save water.
- The efforts to reduce the environmental load caused by wastewater could be brought up in marketing.
Transportation
- The festival should favor local actors when possible to minimize emissions from transportations.
- The festival should encourage visitors to arrive by walking, cycling, public transportation or carpooling. Festivals can give information and schedules about public transportation in their website.
Sound and light
- If possible, the location for the festival should be picked in way that noise and light cause minimal harm outside the festival area.
- The festival should be aware of BAT (Best Available Technology) and implement it to their actions.
- When planning audio and lights, the shape of the ground and its special characteristics should be taken into consideration.
Purchasing and products
- Goods used at the festival can be stored and re-used the following year. The festival can rent or borrow used furniture.
- The necessity of the products should be considered carefully. Attention should be paid to manufacturing processes and materials.
- It’s important to collaborate with local partners who are also interested in environmental issues.
- Festivals can obligate partners to take environmentally friendly actions by agreements. For example, using only biodegradable service ware.
- To reduce plastic waste, drinks should be served straight from the bottle/can.
- It’s important to pay attention to life cycles of all purchased products.
Marketing and other activities
- The festival should use digital marketing to replace the conventional printed marketing.
- The festival should become acquainted with local environmental protection work and projects related to it. Collaboration with schools, projects and other parties is highly recommended.
- The festival can use local students, organizations or consultants to develop/update their environmental plan.
- Merchandise can be changed to more environmentally friendly ones. For example, normal cotton can be changed to hemp, bamboo or organic cotton. If possible printing and sewing work can be done by local companies.
- Seasonal workers should be engaged in the festival’s environmental values by a proper introduction.
- Each year the festival should pick and carry out an environment related theme.
