40 Festivals and organisations met on the 26th January to shape the future of the Festival Vision: 2025.
Hosted by Chris Johnson (Shambala Festival/Powerful Thinking) and Julie’s Bicycle founder and CEO Alison Tickell, the day included presentations from Richard Gilles, former Sustainability Director at M&S and Director of Festival On The Wall, ZAP Concepts event sustainability consultants Rob Scully and Paul Schurink, Programme Manager Laura Pando from Julie’s Bicycle and Victoria Chapman, Sustainability Coordinator at Festival Republic.
Topics included cup deposit systems, changing the supply chain, energy efficiency and water management. Workshops on managing and monitoring energy effectively and understanding travel and waste data gave delegates the chance to share experiences, get advice, and gain practical knowledge to help with meeting the shared vision for a sustainable future for the UK festival industry.
Outcomes from the day include a call for clearly defined standards and reporting on waste across the events industry; the development of affordable energy monitoring equipment accessible by all Festival Vision:2025 events, and exploration of a purchasing consortium.
Find out more about Festival Vision: 2025 and join the 56 festivals who have already pledged to work together for a more sustainable festival industry at www.festivalvision2025.net