5 Ways to Host a Sustainable Event

Have you considered hosting a sustainable event? The idea may be more daunting than the planning itself. Here are some ideas to help your sustainable event planning go as smoothly as possible.

So, what can we do? Is it possible to attend a concert or even a small open mic without stopping to think that about how you’re contributing to the health of the planet? Well, yes. It’s not like we should never have fun again. We just have to be responsible.

To help with that, I’ve come up with a few ways that artists, venues, and guests could come together to have fun and still be mindful of sustainable practices at the same time.

Here are 5 Ways to Host a Sustainable Event:

Go plastic-free

Ah, plastic. It’s everywhere. Even in our oceans. 

• If you’re a manager at a venue, consider serving drinks in reusable or biodegradable cups. Any music event that makes the effort to go plastic-free would be making a seemingly small, yet giant step towards progress.
• Another great way to contribute to this would be for guests to receive a free reusable water bottle with each ticket purchase.
• To go even further, the artist could provide a small discount on merch for those who bring their own bottle to the event.

Limit your paper 

This one should be easy! If you can go paperless, why not?

• Email any news relating to the event.
• Create event pages on Facebook. Social media is powerful, use it to your advantage.
• Create an event app to share and communicate information.
• Set up digital ticketing instead of mailing paper tickets.

Check into renewable energy sources

Hosting an outdoor event? Try using solar and wind energy sources… It’s not as hard as you’d think.

• Glastonbury, a festival in the U.K., uses biofuel taken from cooking oil to power some of their stages. The festival is also located on a farm which is powered by 1500 square meters of solar panels.
• At Coachella in California, they have what is called an “energy playground”. They built custom teeter-totters that convert kinetic energy into electricity, so you can charge your phone AND have fun!
• As for lighting, see if the venue has energy-efficient lights. Using compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) and light-emitting diodes (LEDs) will save you a lot of energy and money. Not to mention, they last for a long time, which is perfect for any music event that needs constant energy.

Encourage public transportation and carpooling

Transportation plays a HUGE part in our overall carbon footprint. The artist and venue could come together to create a campaign for the event that encourages the use of public transportation and carpooling.

• One way this could be done is by partnering up with a brand like Uber or Lyft.
  • Upon ticket purchase, the artist could provide a 15% discount code to use with Uber/Lyft as an incentive.
• If you live in an area where you can get to your event with public transportation, tell your fans to use it. They’ll save on gas and won’t have to worry about paying for parking. It’s a win-win!
• Going with friends? Use one car. All your friends piled in one car is more fun anyway.

If possible, pick a green destination.

If you’re an artist planning a future event, pick a place where you can make even the smallest impact on the environment. The greener the event, the better.

• Pick a place with a nice, natural setting. Show off the beauty of our planet. Just make sure to leave the event site as you found it!
• No natural setting? Find a venue at a central location.
• Have your manager call up city planners and ask if there are any known venues that practice green initiatives. Look for places that have a sustainability certification.
• And of course, recycle!

This is our home. If we take care of it, it will take care of us.