Soul Highway is committed to the development of environmentally sustainable events, starting with the Wave Rock Weekender. We expect to learn a lot along the way, and improve our performance every year. We’ll need help and feedback from people who come to the show to get it right. Broadly, these are our environmental objectives:
We’re undertaking the following initiatives in 2007, and hope to extend these in future years. More stuff may be added to this page as we refine plans for the show. We’re open to suggestions
Working with the Men of the Trees Carbon Neutral Program and the Shire of Kondinin, we have established a Wave Rock Weekender Forest, in a wheat-belt location en route to Hyden. In the price of each transport option you buy with your ticket, we have included the cost of planting enough trees to offset a return journey to Hyden. Men of the Trees will assist us to calculate any other carbon debts associated with staging the Wave Rock Weekender (see our 2006 report for the scope), and we will ensure trees are planted to offset this debt, making the event 100% carbon neutral. Our forest will be added to each year, establishing a memorable legacy for us and everyone who attends the show. We are of course taking whatever opportunities we can to reduce our energy use and greenhouse gas emissions and will aim to improve our performance each year. Soul Highway is concerned about climate change and wishes to adopt best practice event management policies that demonstrate environmental responsibility, in the hope that we may reduce the environmental impact of our events and encourage our patrons and suppliers to make positive changes in their own lives.
www.carbonneutral.com.au
We’re employing a waste recovery system with the aim of diverting as much waste generated at the event as possible from landfill. We will work with vendors, suppliers, and patrons to separate all rubbish into three streams: compostable; recyclable; and other waste. Compostable waste will be processed and used in the local area. We hope to divert a minimum of 80% of all waste from landfill in 2007, up from our 71% result in 2006, and keep improving this performance each year. We minimise waste through a number of strategies including using compostable containers rather than standard packaging. Patrons can also bring their own clean, reusable plates, cups and containers and get food served in them to minimise waste.
Thanks to the generous support of DZOLV Products, we’ll be using 100% compostable drinking cups throughout the event site. Food vendors will use 100% compostable food containers and wooden cutlery. These and all other compostable waste will be processed, and eventually used as a natural fertiliser in the local area. These compostable containers need to be placed in the green Compostables bins. With everyone’s help, these measures will help us to reach our waste management goal for the festival this year to divert 80% or more waste from landfill. Patrons can also bring their own clean, reusable plates, cups and containers and get food served in them to minimise waste.
We’re offering reasonably priced coach travel packaged with tickets to enable patrons to travel to and from the show easily and with lower carbon emissions than if they travelled individually. We hope to see 50% of patrons take up this option in 2007, and a higher rate in subsequent years.
All diesel vehicles and equipment under our control – coaches, trucks and generators used to supplement power for audio and lighting equipment – a biodiesel blend, rather than normal diesel. The fuel products available at retail consist of up to 20% biodiesel, which is fuel produced from sustainable vegetable crop sources that creates less emissions than petroleum diesel fuel. The carbon debt associated with the use of this fuel will be offset with tree planting by Carbon Neutral in the Wave Rock Weekender Forest. You can buy a biodiesel blend fuel yourself at selected service stations in metropolitan and regional WA..
We’ll be experimenting with solar technology and low energy LCD and compact fluorescent lighting around the event site to reduce our grid power use. If you have any cool solar camping equipment or other solar ideas, please bring them to the show so we everyone can check them out.
Thanks to Synergy, we will be using NaturalPower at the Wave Rock Weekender site for all grid power used during the event period. NaturalPower is electricity generated from 100% renewable resources such as the wind and sun and is fully accredited by the national GreenPower program. No greenhouse emissions are produced in NaturalPower generation. You can select NaturalPower for your home or business instead of power produced by coal or gas. Contact Synergy for more information.Finding out more about sustainable technology
Links to great organisations who can inform you on your trip down the enlightened path of sustainable living:
http://www.sustainableliving.wa.gov.au/
http://www.earthgarden.com.au/
We’re not affiliated with these organisations, and don’t necessarily endorse all their content, these are just some ideas to get you started.