The East Coast Blues and Roots Festival, held annually at Byron Bay in northern New South Wales, Australia, has won a Greener Festival Award from the UK-based not-for-profit organization.
AGreenerFestival.com monitors music events and their effect on the environment.Bluesfest got "the thumbs up".
Peter Noble, director of the East Coast Blues and Roots Festival said in a statement, "Bluesfest is all about a marriage of diverse cultures, religions and beliefs - unifying factors which bring everyone together. Many of the artists we book believe strongly in presenting issues of social and environmental justice".
"Doing 'the right thing' is what should be done anyway, and we have up till now not publicised our ongoing commitment to social and environmental responsibility. However, I see the increasing importance of public awareness on all environmental issues and to lead by demonstration".
"When we do move to our permanent new site, it will be greener still. We will be installing wind and solar power, and we will have bio-diesel. We will strive to be the best and we will have the same motives through the whole festival".
Bluesfest helps the environment by following these policies"
• Actively promoting Waste Wise - Refuse, Reuse, Reduce, Recycle.
• Sponsoring the BEC (Byron Environment Centre) BIN-YA-BUTT concept.
• Allowing recyclable packaging and plastic on site (with clearly marked recycling stations around the festival).
• All food stalls on site use compostable plates and utensils.
• All plastic glasses and cardboard generated at the festival are recycled and reused in the production of other items.
• No glass is on site.
• Car parking income is shared back to schools after costs.
• Local firms are used wherever possible.
• After each Bluesfest event, the land is returned to its original state with the policy: Aim for Zero Waste and 'leave no trace'.
• Bluesfest works closely with Veolia Environmental Services (VES) and the focus is to ensure that the site is recycled to its fullest potential. Bluesfest transfers general waste to TiTree BioEnergy facility - a state of the art site converting waste into clean energy.
• Bluesfest always tries to find 'green' solutions and are committed to the principles of environmental sustainability.
The international winner of the Greener Festival Awards for 2007 will be announced in November at the UK Festival Awards.
Bluesfest 2008 will be held on the Easter Long Weekend from Thursday March 20th to Monday March 24th.
