SUSTAINABILITY - WHAT DOES IT MEAN AND WHY WE DO IT
“Be the change you want to see” Mahatma Gandhi.
Sustainability is defined as "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
At Peats Ridge Festival our passion is to marry music, art and sustainability to nurture, educate and entertain our audience in pursuit of true sustainability.
It has become a leading example in producing festivals as sustainably as possible. With other festival organisers following Peats Ridge's lead of including Sustainable Education and a Global Village approach, our initiatives are having far reaching consequences. In order to keep up with the festivals growth and ensure minimal impact on the valley we are continually improving and implementing more sustainable practices.
A major part of the Peats Ridge experience is developing ways to live more sustainably and therefore reduce our impact on the site and our planet as a whole.
There are many ways to experience this in action at the Festival but for true sustainability to occur everyone must be thinking and working together to reduce the impacts of our lives on the world and on each other.
We have an Ecoliving Village with a full program of workshops, talks and films to provide you with practical tools and advice to help you live your life more sustainably.
By car pooling and using public transport, not bringing any glass or plastic onto the site, using the container deposit system, knowing your waste and following the REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE principle you will be going a long way to minimising your impact on the Festival site.
We have many industry and even world leading initiatives in practice at the Festival. Just a few of these initiatives include 100% renewable energy to run our office and onsite through solar and biodiesel generators, reduced flush onsite toilets, grey water management and reuse, a container deposit system, organic waste composting, reclaimed materials for decoration, solar thermal showers certified organic food at our stalls, biodegradable cutlery, onsite bike couriers, soy based ink printing and natural cleaning products.
In promoting sustainable living practices Peats Ridge has become a leading example in producing festivals sustainably and has provided advice and support to other events looking to improve their practices. If you would like to discuss your event with us please contact our Sustainability Manager on 02 9516 0639.
SUSTAINABILITY AWARDS
Its not all about prizes for us but its nice to be recognised. Peats Ridge has won the following awards for its sustainability achievements:
The 2009 Australian Event Award for Most Sustainable Event in Australia
The 2007 and 2009 & 2010 'Greener Festival' award of Excellence – as International leaders of the field.
The 2009 Faster Louder Festival Award for Most Sustainable Festival in Australia
The UN also officially acknowledges us for our work in Environmental Education and Peats Ridge Festival is the only Southern Hemisphere founding Partner in the United Nations Music & Environment Initiative.
