Caring For Our Environment

Below are some of the ways in which we try to be more sustainable and create as little impact as possible. These include:

• Assessing the social, economic and environmental impact at the start of the planning process
• Including sustainability clauses in contracts with our suppliers
• Reducing, reusing and recycling wherever possible
• Communicating electronically rather than by paper
• Minimising the impact of travel
• Thinking about the wellbeing of our suppliers, stallholders, staff and the local community
• Raising awareness of our efforts and sharing best practice

Transport

In order to reduce the need for and impact of travel, wherever possible we:

• Consider whether video/Skype or teleconferencing might be a viable alternative to physical meetings
• Provide any accommodation within walking distance of the venue
• Provide a maps digitally or printed on recycled paper to inform the public how they can reach the venue on foot
• Encourage the public to walk, cycle, take the train or other forms of public transport via promotion across our website and social media channels.

Suppliers

We work with environmentally conscious and sustainable suppliers, where possible who comply with our sustainability policy:

• That our main suppliers – power, staging, sanitation, bar providers – come from within a 40mile radius of the event to reduce travel / carbon footprints
• The supplier will use energy and water as efficiently as possible
• The supplier will comply with the event organiser’s waste management requirements, including a recycling policy
• The supplier will comply with the event organiser’s sustainable catering requirements

Food Retailers…..Humans & Dogs!

Our aim is to ensure 90% of our stallholders are from within a 50 mile radius of Lymington to reduce travel and minimise carbon footprints. Additionally, we ask our catering suppliers as far as possible to:

• Serve fresh produce in season
• Consider produce meeting farm assurance standards, such as New Forest Marque, Red Tractor, LEAF Marque, DEFRA registered …..or equivalent
• Fish from sustainably managed and local sources
• Retail and promote seafood that is from healthy stocks and responsible caught
• Use fairly traded products, such as coffee, tea, bananas and chocolate
• Ensure the festival provides vegetarian or vegan options and choices suited to specific dietary requirements
• Source food from their wholesale suppliers who share our values on sustainable production and limiting packaging
• No plastic straws, cutlery.
• No polystyrene.
• Offer tap water to drink. If bottled water is unavoidable, buy water in biodegradable corn-based bottles or, as a last resort, ensure the bottles are recycled
• Any waste they take away from the event is recycled wherever possible

Waste

Our waste supplier (Veolia) operates a ‘waste to clean energy’ solution. Through trial and experience, we know that providing waste bins that are clearly labelled for recycling purposes does not always work as the public will cross contaminate. So, whilst offering recycling options, any general waste gets converted into clean energy. In addition;

• We avoid excessive paper usage by carrying out all marketing, correspondence and registration electronically
• We ensure that all pre-event paper waste is recycled
• We reuse used paper for printing drafts
• We use double sided printing and non-glossy, recycled paper, with vegetable based inks, where possible

Unfortunately, nobody in the UK has yet found a use for dog poo, but it won’t be long as projects have started in Canada. https://www.theloop.ca/forget-solar-weve-just-started-making-energy-dog-waste/ So stay tuned for more Poop to Power updates!!

Event Administration

• We provide links to downloads of literature rather than providing large handouts
• We use reusable, rather than event-specific signs and display materials and collect these items after the event for reuse
• If reusable materials are not appropriate, we use recycled and/or recyclable materials for packaging, paper etc
• We return all unused sponsor items/branding to sponsors for reuse

Raising Awareness

We make our stakeholders aware of the sustainability measures being taken to improve the image and reputation of the client and to protect the environment.

Evaluation

We evaluate the success of the measures taken and learn for next time. Where possible we offer those involved the opportunity to provide feedback. Investigate how we can use carbon calculators to calculate the emissions generated by the event.