Event promoters, city officials team up for greener Dickson Street Music Festival
Posted on Friday, March 21, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/nwat/News/63328/
The Dickson Street Music Festival and Springfest will work with the city of Fayetteville to practice environmental responsibility during the event on April 25- 26.
Event promoters are teaming up with the city to reuse or recycle the waste generated at the event while also using the opportunity to educate the public on how to reduce their personal environmental impact.
Brian Crowne, one of the organizers of the music festival, said he hopes this will inspire other events to reduce their environmental impact.
The city will provide recycling stations to be placed along Dickson Street with large signs hung above them to make them easily visible.
Springfest is asking that vendors use environmentally safe supplies.
Two other organizations are also joining the initiative to make the weekend an environmentally friendly event.
Beatnik Environmental, an organization that promotes environmental awareness through music, art, and event production, and SocialSustenance. Org are organizing guidelines for vendors as well as educational programs.
Jason Daughtrey, of Beatnik Environmental, said it’s not every day that concert promoters think about the impact of an event and try to lessen the impact.
“ What we can do is eliminate as much waste as we can, recycle and raise awareness, ” he said.
Beatnik is also planning an earth-friendly art show and community art projects that emphasize ecological awareness.
Matthew Petty of Social-Sustenance. Org, a nonprofit that organizes and assists projects that emphasize sustainability, said Fayetteville’s Waste Reduction Coordinator Brian Pugh and Sustainability Coordinator John Coleman are helping to work out the details of the partnership.
Petty said even food waste will be recycled using a local composter.
The groups are looking for more opportunities to reduce the environmental impact of events by exploring renewable energy options for concert sound and lighting.
They see it as an opportunity to lead the way and affect other areas and increase Fayetteville’s profile.
Mayor Dan Coody credited the public involvement and the initiative shown by local organizations for coming up with ways to lessen the city’s environmental impact.
“ Otherwise, we wouldn’t be making much progress, ” he said.