Green Against the Machine

The music festival season is upon us, but this year the promoters are using more than headliners to one-up each other. Star power is still key, but the latest bragging rights involve green power.

"[It's happening] mostly because organizers care, but it's also what the audience increasingly wants," says A Greener Festival co-founder Ben Challis, a non-profit company dedicated to helping music events adopt eco-friendly practices. "Sometimes it can save money, too, and keep a festival cleaner and greener."

Bonnaroo, which takes place June 11-14 on a giant farm an hour outside Nashville, might be one of the biggest U.S. festivals with headliners like Metallica and Pearl Jam, but it's also one of the leaders in progressive environmental thinking. This year's festival introduces a permanent onsite electricity facility that plugs directly into the local grid to reduce generator use by 70 percent. Bonnaroo also installed new water wells as part of its free water initiatives that include refilling your bottle at one of the wells or filtered water stations. Other permanent site additions include a composting pad and a Victory Vegetable Garden, while future plans include a huge solar power investment. In addition to these infrastructure changes, Bonnaroo is also greening up its logistical operations with a new "buy local" focus for all its purchases.

The festival itself also includes the cause-driven Planet Roo village, recycling and composting programs by Clean Vibes, and a Trading Post for exchanging bags of recyclables for prizes and memorabilia. The festival also partnered with Conscious Alliance (as did Rothbury, Mile High and other festivals) for the 6th Annual Bonnaroo Food Drive in which donated foods items (no Top Ramen you cheapskates!) can be exchanged for a limited edition Bonnaroo poster by artist Michael Everett.

"Since the inception of Bonnaroo years ago, we have been committed to sustainability through initiatives during the festival and year-round," remarks Laura Sohn, the festival's Sustainability Coordinator. "We recognize that everyone involved -- from attendees to sponsors to performers to volunteers -- are interested in taking care of the environment and ensuring a cleaner planet for future generations. Each year we try to incorporate real solutions such as recycling programs and composting. We believe leading by example is one of the best ways we can educate our guests and do our part to live the message."

One of the other top green-friendly fests, Rothbury is, ironically, situated in the Motor City state. Taking place July 2-5 in its namesake city, Rothbury features artists like Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Nas and the only summer performances by The Dead and the String Cheese Incident. By partnering with the eco-experts at the Spitfire Agency, this is a festival that even out-greens Shrek!

With an in-house production goal of near-zero waste, the Rothbury offices only use recyclables and reusables and purchase carbon offsets for all travel. They also direct their monies toward eco-friendly companies, like printers that use recycled paper and soy-based ink, and contractually obligate vendors to minimize their waste output. The festival itself will run on biodiesel generators, while solar power will be used to recharge cell phones. They even set up a reclaimed art exhibit and a Think Tank center where a rotating array of experts will discuss the festival theme "Joining the New Green Economy."

With so many green efforts, Bonnaroo and Rothbury were fittingly 2009 winners of A Greener Festival's "Outstanding Award" in the States.

Regarding A Greener Festival's efforts and awards, Challis notes, "All we have done is provide a source of knowledge, relevant information, practical guides and a forum to swap good ideas. Many ideas promoting environmentally friendly practices are easy to adopt once a festival organizer knows what to do and why to do it. However, our Greener Festival Awards have meant that festivals have a framework within which to develop green policies and practices."
 
Not to be shown up, the Outside Lands Festival in San Francisco has amped up its efforts for the Aug. 28-30 event in Golden Gate Park. The festival -- featuring groups like the Beastie Boys, Dave Matthews Band and the Black Eyed Peas -- adopted many of the same programs as previously mentioned like solar cell phone charging stations, refillable water stations, local farmer's market foods, compostable cups and plates, and biodiesel power generators. And being located in such an urban center, the festival encourages patrons to travel there by bicycle, which over 3,100 people did for last year's event.

As the father of alt-rock music festivals, Lollapalooza certainly didn't want to be left out in the cold. The event features artists like Depeche Mode, Lou Reed, the Killers and Jane's Addiction at Chicago's Grant Park on Aug. 7-9. Fans will saunter down Green Street with earth-friendly shopping and a Rock & Recycle program where participants vie to win a 2010 Honda Insight hybrid. Patrons also have the chance to offset their festival travel by spending $5 on a Lollapalooza BeGreen Fan Tag, something that over 8,500 concertgoers did last year.

"Environmental programs at festivals are evolving at a record pace," says Global Inheritance founder Eric Ritz, whose eco-friendly programs and exhibits will run at most every major U.S. festival this summer. "Promoters are now competing against each other to see who can come up with more creative ideas to limit their carbon footprint and educate the festival goers. Seven years ago, these same promoters viewed environmental programs as selling dream catchers and tie-dyed muumuus."

If festivals have come this far in seven years, imagine the potential change we could see in another seven years if everyone put this same effort into protecting Mother Earth.

Who said rock 'n' roll can't save the world?