Natural Solution

Sydney Morning Herald

Friday November 28, 2008

Conrad Walters

ON-SITE RECYCLING AND A WORM FARM ARE AMONG THE STARS AT A NEW FESTIVAL THAT IS HELPING SET THE ECO STANDARD. CONRAD WALTERS REPORTS.

A CAMPERVAN trip through NSW at the peak of the drought drove Paul von Bergen into action. He couldn't make it rain but he could try to inspire people to care about nature and address climate change by reconsidering their own behaviours.

His solution: combine music, dance and cinema at an Earth Festival to raise awareness of how humans are affecting the planet.

Von Bergen, a Sydneysider with a background in event marketing, isn't the first to combine entertainment with an environmental message. If anything, the combination is emerging as a popular pairing (see box below).

"We have to practise what we preach," says von Bergen, who has worked for 20 months to create a festival with green credentials. "Special events can be quite environmentally unfriendly if you're not careful."

He's aiming for an event with near-zero landfill. All packaging for food and drinks will be biodegradable. A 2800-litre worm farm will be installed to compost food scraps. On-site glass recycling machines will crush bottles. The festival's four generators will operate on biofuels. And proceeds from sales of the program will go to the Australian Marine Conservation Society.

It's not realistic to think carbon emissions can be cut to zero. Delivery trucks, for example, will produce carbon dioxide. But von Bergen says the festival is "tracking all of the emissions and after the event we'll tally it all up and offset".

Musicians, too, are arriving with an environmental attitude.

Edo Kahn, one half of the Kahn Brothers, says the green aspects of Earth Festival are a key reason for participating. Kahn, who works as a sound therapist for humans, believes there is ample scope to help the environment.

"I'm very interested in how sound can be used to heal nature and help the world," he says, explaining he will conduct a ceremony ahead of the festival to purify the site. He believes chanting can remove pollution from the air and soil.

Cynics may dismiss any spiritual link between amped-up festivals and the planet but environmental activists say events such as Earth Festival can produce positive results.

The executive director of the Centre for Sustainability Leadership, Larissa Brown, says: "Green festivals show sustainability in action. Everything from the container that your chai comes in to the biodiesel energy generation is something you could try back at home or work.

"Some people would rather get their information from a dreadlocked rhythm drummer, while some prefer an executive with a PowerPoint presentation. Australians are diverse and so are our ways of engaging in a complex issue like sustainability."

Alexandra Graham, of the Australian Conservation Foundation, agrees. Events such as Earth Festival can set a standard for how other events should be run, she says. And although green festivals can find themselves preaching to the converted, they also reinforce that green consumers are not alone.

"I do think there is a lot of worth in holding these events in terms of education," she says.

And, of course, there's the entertainment. The musical acts, on three stages, include Abby Dobson, Kerrianne Cox of Broome, the Kahn Brothers, Declan Kelly, Steve Kilbey and Saritah. An outdoor projector will show docos such as David Attenborough's Blue Planet series and a 360-degree indoor cinema will run nature films.

Other attractions focus on dance, a high-wire trapeze and activities for children.

Earth Festival is on Saturday from noon to 10pm in Centennial Park; $35 in advance or $50 on the day. Children aged 11 to 15, $15; under 10, free. For more information see www.earthfestival. com.au.

GREEN DAYS OUT

Earth Festival is the next eco-friendly event on the music festival calendar but it's not alone. Others with a green edge include:

* Homebake, December 8, achieves a high recycling rate through requiring deposits on drinks. It reclaimed 115,000 aluminium cans and 8500 PET plastic bottles last year.

* Peats Ridge, December 29 to January 1 in Glenworth Valley, has won numerous sustainability awards and bills itself as "the first major event in Australia to run completely on renewable energy".

* Byron Bay Bluesfest, next April 9 to 13, includes among its goals a desire to generate zero waste and to be carbon neutral.

© 2008 Sydney Morning Herald

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