The Bluesfest happens over Easter every year in Byron Bay, New South Wales. It’s an institution that has been watched and appreciated by hundreds of thousands of people since its inception. This year it is once again attracting the crowds with artists like Jack Johnson, Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club, Donavan Frankenreiter, The Gipsy Kings, Lyle Lovett and Jessica Mauboy, to name just a few, set to perform from 1 April to 5 April 2010 at the new site, Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm, just 10 minutes from Byron Bay.
“Green” Tradition
The permanent new venue chosen for the festival is a spacious and natural farm that will be home to the eco-friendly and relaxed festival. As tradition determines, the Bluesfest will continue to follow its “Waste Wise” theory in an ongoing challenge to provide the crowd with an event as sustainable as it can be.
In 2009, it was awarded a prestigious International Greener Festival award for the third year in a row. And Bluesfest remains committed to high standards of environmental sustainability, with the organisers aiming for a festival that will have the fewest impacts on the environment and that promotes awareness for the need to preserve it. As Peter Noble, the Festival Director, says, “As an event that has been waste-wise since 1997, we take our environmentally responsible actions very, very seriously”.
Waste Wise – Refuse, Reuse, Reduce and Recycle
Peter Noble says, “Bluesfest is dedicated to the ongoing challenge of climate change issues with the intention to keep developing the area and the festival as sustainable as possible”. In fact the management group takes pride in each year giving its recycling volunteers a great learning experience through specialised training so that they go on to promote green awareness throughout the event.
Other green initiatives being taken by the organisers, include forbidding glass on site, allowing only recycled plastic glasses and cardboard, ensuring local firms are used wherever possible, using compostable plates and utensils on food stalls and guaranteeing that after the festival, the farm is returned to its original condition, leaving nothing behind.
Along with these green initiatives, the festival ensures sustainability by reviewing and improving strategic goals year after year. Some of the festival’s six key sustainability goals include:
- A zero waste festival: All food and beverage containers and utensils are recycled and made from renewable sources. Feasibility studies have also been undertaken to identify practical and affordable sustainable materials to be used, and to investigate installation of onsite wastewater treatment systems and the opportunities of increasing water use efficiency onsite. Moreover, volunteers help to promote green awareness throughout the event.
- Carbon neutral initiatives: organisers will provide the crowd with attractions all day long in order to entice people stay onsite longer, preventing bad traffic conditions. In addition, all structures have been renovated to comply with NSW government building sustainability index (BASIX) and a target percentage of carbon footprint offset was established, following the goal of 60% to 80% emissions reduction by 2050.
- Healthy natural environment: the Festival’s management will show information regarding the site’s fauna and flora on posters, signs and brochures to create awareness for the need to preserve and protect native biodiversity. Moreover, insidious fauna and flora will be managed on regular basis so they won’t adversely affect the natural environment.
When all the music has finished playing and the fun has been had, hopefully everyone will leave the Bluesfest with great perspectives for the following years. As more and more people attend, they become aware of the positive outcomes that this Festival can bring for everyone, from organisers to the crowd, and also including the local community. And, that the natural environment remains an important issue that will prevail in future events.
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Bluesfest – Fun and Green
The Bluesfest happens over Easter every year in Byron Bay, New South Wales. It’s an institution that has been watched and appreciated by hundreds of thousands of people since its inception. This year it is once again attracting the crowds with artists like Jack Johnson, Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club, Donavan Frankenreiter, The Gipsy Kings, Lyle Lovett and Jessica Mauboy, to name just a few, set to perform from 1 April to 5 April 2010 at the new site, Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm, just 10 minutes from Byron Bay.
