On 28 February, the 15th Green Events & Innovation (GEI) Conference was held in London, organized jointly by the International Live Music Conference, a leading platform for the live music sector, and A Greener Future, a non-profit company of event sustainability specialists. All of them are committed to innovation and a sustainable future for live events.
The conference addressed a wide range of topics, not only the production of musical events, but also other types of events, with sessions and talks about energy, transport, food, equality and inclusion, climate justice, design, sustainable materials, among others.
Source: A Greener Festival.
Impact of events on the environment: A Greener Future
A Greener Future is a non-profit company that, since 2005, investigates the impact of the environment on live events and offers industry agents advice, certifications, training and free downloadable resources. Among them are the Green Artist Rider (a free document for artists to include in their own rider), the Sustainibility Toolkit (a comprehensive manual for managing sustainable events) or the Sustainable Tour Flight Check, developed by specialists and building on United Nations experience and sustainable goals.
All this with the initial objective of covering four points: reducing single-use plastics, offering food with low environmental impact, reducing waste and reducing offset emissions.
A Greener Future Awards
Among its many initiatives, the International AGF Awards stands out, with such outstanding nominees as the spanish festivals Primavera Sound and Sonidos Líquidos (winner of the AGF Community Action Award this year).
Other festival initiatives: Sonidos Líquidos
The Sonidos Líquidos festival is held annually in Lanzarote, a festival in which gastronomy and the environment are the most important things. “Here the most important thing is the environment, and our headlining is always the same, La Geria”.
They are a great example that a festival can be made without damaging the environment, since year after year they manage to celebrate the festival without deteriorating such a delicate environment, which is a biosphere reserve and protected natural space. Their commitment to the local, the territory and their community has led them to receive the AGF Community Action Award 2023.
To protect this environment, they carry out numerous actions to protect and preserve the area, involving the local community. In addition to work for the preservation of spaces, they engage with local associations of all areas and hire people at risk of social exclusion.
They also work to give visibility to the women whose work has been crucial for the protection and development of the territory.
LD Eventos: commitment to sustainable events
Sustainability is one of the flagship brands for LD Eventos, a member of the local organisation Barcelona + Sostenible. We have gradually implemented changes in each part of the production process in favor of sustainability, such as including water services to reduce the use of plastic bottles.
However, our most significant contribution to the world of ephemeral events is the award-winning Cartonbuild: modular structure designs for stands made of 100% cardboard, recyclable and reusable.
You can consult our sustainability guide for events, with tips to introduce in the different processes, elements and agents of production: enclosures, energy, waste treatment, logistics and transport, food and drink, communication and branding, and services and suppliers.