Red Square Music, the team behind the Bello Winter Music and Mullum Music festivals, have partnered with Green Music Australia to bring a green festival model to the inaugural Bendigo Autumn Music festival this April.
The festival has committed to a waste reduction strategy and will implement a cup exchange program, only serve re-useable cups at festival bars, ensure rubbish is sorted and provide free water refill stations around the festival.
Having reduced bar waste by 85% at the most recent Bello Winter Music festival, festival director Glenn Wright said they "want to be on the front foot from day one of BAM with a real commitment towards waste minimisation".
"We are excited to be partnering with Green Music Australia, the artists performing, and our sponsors and commercial venues to achieve a small and sustainable footprint," he said.
"We want to walk the walk and that means a reusable cup exchange at our festival bars (sponsored by Stone & Wood), drink bottles, water stations, sorted rubbish and sensible transport options. If people want to get involved head to the website to register your interest in being on the waste team.”
Green Music Australia Co-CEO, Emma Bosworth, shared his sentiments.
“We are thrilled to be working with the crew at Bendigo Autumn Music in their pioneer year, and even more thrilled that they are starting the festival right by implementing positive environmental practices from day one," she said.
"A festival using existing infrastructure and staffing is a highly effective way of keeping carbon emissions to a minimum, and is a great approach to event sustainability. BAM will be encouraging attendees to utilise Bendigo’s extensive public transport infrastructure, educating vendors, artists and punters on best sustainable practises, using reusable cups in pop-up bars and providing an interactive workshop for festival goers to solve environmental concerns with performing artists. We congratulate BAM on its forward and innovative thinking and look forward to enjoying the music and reviewing the results together in April.”
The festival in conjunction with Green Music Australia will also present a workshop featuring Madeline Leman, on how punters can take environmental action and affect change.
"Putting on a festival in the heart of a regional centre not only brings people into these incredible buildings to maximise and use them, which is clearly a great thing, but it also means no portaloos are needed, no chairs need to be hired, no marquees, no elaborate stages and sound systems, no lighting rigs," Wright shared.
"There are existing dance floors, parking, bars, toilets and staff who know these venues inside out. And for those environmentally conscious Victorians, there's a train direct from Melbourne. The festival is designed for punters to explore on foot - with all venues under ten minutes walk from each other, it's good for the environment, and good for the festival atmosphere."
Tickets for the inaugural Bendigo Autumn Music festival are on sale now. Scroll down to theGuide for all the details.
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