greener festivals

This past weekend was Lafayette's biggest festival, Festival International.

Now, Lafayette is not the most eco-forward city around, so I wasn't expecting anything from the Festival. But next to every trash can in the area was a cardboard box dedicated to recycling.

And people did actually use the bins. Lots of people in a small area for one weekend - that's the potential for a lot of waste. And these bins went a long way to reducing that waste.

Turning to another festival (one that I long to go to one day), Austin City Limits has an entire eco-program in the works, the Rock & Recycle. Basically, you participate by doing something on the green list (such as riding the free shuttle, riding your bike or purchasing carbon offsets) and you receive stamps, then get entered to win a hybrid car. It's a great idea to bring some environmental awareness to a huge music festival. Plus, I'm in love with the guitar recycling symbol.


2 comments

raindog said...

jazz fest had a shuttle as well ... for 14 dollars a person. and you've seen how well the recycling did. one thing was they had the recycling bins out with 'please recycle' stamped on them. the bins had little holes in the covers and if the items were too large for the little holes? well, lifting the lid was too much for the intoxicated masses to comprehend, so the trashcans overflowed. should they be given leniency because it was a day of record attendance? well, if your going to reel in the big bands and crowds, you can try a little harder.

Anonymous said...

Good point raindog. Festivals can make greener options available, but ultimately it's up to the people to decide to actually participate. You can't force them to do it, but my biggest desire is to make people WANT to do it.

And I could only imagine the forces keeping people from recycling.

And it's definitely crazy to charge $14 dollars to ride the shuttle when everything else is already expensive. At least Festival International had a free shuttle. (Even though the UL buses are anything but eco-friendly.)

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