Alex Lepingwell, council member of the National Outdoor Events Association (NOEA) and MD of Green Stewards, writes about the move towards environmental sustainability and corporate social responsibility in business and the need for the currently unlegislated festival industry to take up to the challenge of creating a more sustainable future, in Connections, Business Visits and Events Partnerships (BVEP) Magazine.
Alex advocates NOEA members taking small incremental steps towards building in sustainable management processes in all areas of their business and talk about NOEA’s work with Powerful Thinking to help build these management systems.
Extract below and full article on p. 15 of BVEP magazine Spring 2016 edition.
“Currently there is no legislation in our industry demanding sustainable business practices, but it is not inconceivable that there will be in the near future. For most of us, that will be a serious challenge. Imagine health and safety regulations on steroids. What we need to do is start preparing now. Small, incremental, achievable steps across a range of areas that will allow us all to build in sustainable management practices over time. Much in the same way as we take sensible health and safety practice for granted these days, companies who don’t have sustainable procurement, closed loop product life cycle and energy ef ciency policies will stick out like sore thumbs.
To help our members with the building blocks of sustainable management systems, The National Outdoor Events Association is proud to announce that it will be working with Powerful Thinking. The industry led think tank that produced The Power Behind Festivals, an incredibly detailed and well-researched paper on energy use in the industry with practical advice on how best to manage energy sustainably. The Show Must Go On is its latest report looking at a much wider range of sustainability issues faced by the event industry. This report also launches The Festival Vision 2025 Pledge, aiming to get all festivals to halve their green house gas emissions by 2025.
Our industry has to take sustainability seriously, not for fear of legislation, loss of market share or even the increased efficiencies it will show. We have to do it because we owe it to our children, their children and the generations to come. It really is that serious.”