Environment and Sustainability

“The festivals uphold the belief that sustainability refers to the capacity to endure – essentially that the needs of the present can be met whilst not compromising the ability of future generations to meet needs of their own”

The Falls Festival coordinators strive to minimise any negative impact on the environment from holding the festival over the New Year. It is recognized that any festival or event can produce quite large numbers of waste and pollution as well as leaving a mark on the land where it takes place.

To reduce the carbon footprint, they have in place many procedures that prevent possible negative effects on the environment. These include waste and recycle bins throughout the site in easily accessible areas, the plates and cutlery provided at food stalls are all biodegradable, and the toilets use pine bark instead of water where the waste can then be used as fertiliser.  Certain measures are taken to ensure the environment is sustained and managed so that the festival can continue to run over the years without leaving a mark on the beautiful natural environments where the festivals are located. A vast amount of time and effort is dedicated from the clean up crew and event staff to ensure the grounds are left in good condition.

A particular procedure to note is that of the stallholders, especially the ones selling food and beverage. The Falls Festival coordinators have implemented a checklist that a caterer (or any store holder) must comply with before they are given the green light to be a part of the festival.

As a new initiative this year, the ‘Falls Green Trader Award’ will be judged during the event, with the winning market stall or caterer promoted during the event on the Super screens on the main stages. This initiative aims to motivate festival traders to go the extra mile to becoming more environmentally friendly.

Unfortunately, there are always going to be negative impacts for accommodating such large numbers of people. Even though there are rules about how to behave and what you can and cannot bring into the festival some people still manage to break the rules.

Potential risk to the environment is controlled by restricting what can be taken into the site, such as:

• ·      No BYO alcohol - antisocial behaviour can cause harm to other people and potentially lead to destructive behaviour that may have an impact on the surroundings.
• ·      No glass – as well as risk to the patrons of the event, the local sheep may injure themselves during the rest of the year that they inhabit the paddocks.
• ·      Nothing flammable that can start a fire, this poses risk upon the surrounding bush especially in the dry summer.       

The Falls Festival has many keeping Green initiatives in place, the most prominent one being the Green Team. The ‘Green Team’ is employed at each of the festivals, managing all the waste programs, including collection and sorting pre, during and post event.

Compost toilets are used through out the event site. These toilets were chosen because of the process they use to eliminate waste. They are flush free, water free and chemical free. By treating and composting solid waste on site, there is no need for transporting and dealing with it in a treatment plant and so it doesn’t get pumped out into our ocean. No energy is required and the end product produces high-grade fertilizer and can be applied to improve soil conditions.

Another initiative being introduced this year is Offset Au Go Go, which aims to offset carbon emissions 

caused by travel by patrons to the event. In the past, the festivals have offset carbon emissions associated with all vehicle hire for use on site and international artist transfers as well as all artist/VIP accommodation and air travel provided by the festivals.

Based on travel data gathered from last year’s festivals, Climate Friendly have calculated the average emissions for each festival patron to travel to the festival is 145kg.  You can offset this average amount by contributing an additional $3.50 per ticket.  This amount will go towards accredited carbon credits from renewable energy projects through Climate Friendly. 

The Falls Festival continues to work hard at helping the environment and is now recognizable as one of the most eco-friendly festivals in Australia.