Midas have recently announced their latest initiative - the launching of its Energy Audit Certificate. Midas are already pioneers of show generators using 100% biofuels, sourced from ethical supplies.
Ahead of the game, as usual Midas will noz supply their clients with a framed certificate to show how much fuel was burnt to supply the energy required and the savings in Carbon emissions. They will also supply comprehensivefigures on all other noxious emissions prevented.
Once again in the raising of standards, raising of awareness and the ability to demonstrate the show organiser's commitment, Midas have a no-nonsense and practical approach. Please copy!
Midas - winners of NOEA Green Tribute 2006.
AWARD FOR SUMMER SOLSTICE (19/10/06 )
The Sunrise Summer Solstive celebration has just won an award! It was a Shelter award for being the most socially responsible event. They are delighted and they are raring to go for an even better event in 2007 and confident of overcoming the financial difficulties of 2006.
Meeting number four to develop the British Standard in Sustainable Event Management has just been held today. Previous meetings over the last month or so have tried to establish the common ground or at least the common processes between a whole diversity of events - for they range from sports matches, to corporate jamborees, airshows to village fetes. Does the definition cover the Church Coffee Morning ? – well in a way it does … indeed that was one of the debates we had.
The Big Green Gathering is all set to attract its biggest audience yet and licensed for 20,000 attendees. Alongside the forums, debates and working alternative technologies – the major
theme this year will be ‘Energy’ and the revitalisation of the anti-nuclear movement.
“Attitudes have definitely changed, and everyone is now aware of what needs to be
done,” says Brig Oubridge. “The people who came and made last year’s event such
a success know that. It was brilliant to see so many new faces. The message that
they were taking away was that ‘green’ could also be cool, and this year we want
them to bring their friends as well.”
The Big Green offers an unrivalled five days of music and discovery;
all day and well into the night…with all the performance on site powered by
renewable energy. While the generous open spaces allow festival goers to choose
for themselves when to chill – and when to party.
Says Brig: “This is the chance to really live the green lifestyle, whether that means enjoying a sweat lodge under the stars or discovering a brilliant new band playing in a tipi. People need to experience it and take those memories away to give the
green movement a positive boost for the future.”
Guardian NEWS (18/07/06)
Our work was publicised in the Guardian newspaper this week. For the full article see here. Please note the Big Green Gathering is not held in Wales but in Somerset!
RUNNING RAGGED (09/07/06)
The organisers are
really hoping to have a very green event. All the food and drink will be
organic and lots of it will have been grown on the farm itself. There will be no
generators Lots of eco talk is planned, with Lawrence Woodward from Elm Farm Research Association,
Satish Kumar of Resurgence, and Andrew Whitley, founder of the village
bakery
who's just bringing out a new book. Plus many other green and interesting folk. loads of stalls, crafts, music of course and a big kids area.
Imagine Islington is a green festival for all the family that aims to raise awareness about the environment in a fun and interactive way. Sited in and around the Angel N1 area, this year's theme for the event is climate change.
On the day there will be a number of attractions including;
live music, interactive displays, street performers, food stalls, games for the kids along with the chance to learn about the latest green technologies. There will be things to make and take, and fun ways of learning how to live, travel and shop in a more sustainable way. This year the festival is focusing on Climate Change and how you can do your bit to help. Its FREE and its Saturday 2nd September - 11am-5pm.
NORTHERN GREEN GATHERING - FIRMING IT UP (23/6/06)
The Northern Green Gathering is back after a three year absence. In 2006 it is billed as a member-only event - with the emphasis on it being a camp rather than a festival.
A solid basis for future development is being sought by requiring people to join a a membership scheme and seeking information about the skills they can contribute. Many people have sorely missed this event and we wish the organisers every success.
LONDON FESTIVAL TO CHALLENGE ISLAMIC STEREOTYPES (13/06/06)
28 June - 14 July
The line-up is now complete for a pioneering 17-day festival of Free Admission public events later this month that focuses on the creative and intellectual heritage of Islam. The Salaam Music village unites 11 groups of guest visiting artists from across the Islamic world with musicians, artists, teachers, poets and storytellers from London’s own Muslim communities in a range of free public activities throughout the capital. Together these artists will present key aspects of the breathtaking variety of art forms generated by Muslim peoples worldwide.
“Salaam” means “peace” in Arabic and peace is at the very core of Islamic belief. The festival is a call to peace that comes at a time of heightened anxiety, and deep reflection on the nature of Islam’s relationship with the West. It aims to focus attention on how Muslims and non-Muslims have co-existed harmoniously and engaged constructively with each other for more than a thousand years.
PRIVATE SECURITY INDUSTRY ACT 2001 – APPLICATION TO SPORTS AND EVENTS SECTOR
We previously wrote to you in March to inform you of the Home Office’s publication of a consultation document entitled “Partial Regulatory Impact Assessment on Security Guards at Sports and other Events and the Private Security Industry Act 2001”. This document seeks your views on options for applying the licensing provisions of the Act to the sports and events sector, and is available together with a proforma for submitting comments on the Home Office website at:
I am writing to remind you that the deadline for comments is 16 June 2006. We are keen that as many stakeholders as possible take the opportunity to consider the issues and submit comments. We have set up a dedicated email address for your responses at: SESC@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk.
Some of you may be planning to make in your responses a case for the exclusion of your sector from the Act. If so, it would be helpful if you could very clearly flag this, so that Ministers can consider the case you make as part of their response to the consultation exercise.
GREENPEACE
GIVE GREEN FESTIVAL SEAL OF APPROVAL (05/06)
By Sam Gauntlett
When Greenpeace decided to support Earthwise,
it was a proud moment for the festival’s
founder, Bob Buxton. The family festival for
environmental awareness is run as a ‘not
for profit community business’, relying
on dedicated volunteers to make it happen.
Bob sees the official support from Greenpeace
this year as recognition for three years hard
work.......read
more
Camden Green Fair - June 4th/5th - Regents Park London Borough of Barking and Dagenham - June 9th/10th - Barking Abbey,
Broadway Green, Barking, Essex London Borough of Havering -
June 16th/17th - Harrow Lodge
Park, Hornchurch, Essex Ipswich - June 23rd/24th/25th
- Chantry Park, Ipswich, Suffolk Hook - June 29th/30th/July
1st - Hartletts Park, Hook, Hampshire London Borough of Southwark -
July 7th/8th - Southwark Park,
Southwark, London Cambridge - July 15th/16th -
Parkers Piece, Cambridge Herne Bay - July 20th/21st
- Memorial Park, Herne Bay, Kent
BGG London Borough of Redbridge -
September 9th/10th - Melbourne Field
, Valentines Park, Ilford, London Newport - September 16th/17th
- Crowpoint Festival, Coronation Park,
Newport, South Wales Maidstone - September 24th/25th/26th/27th
- Mote Park, Maidstone, Kent
FASHION
STATEMENT(05/06)
New style hoodie steward
jackets are to be launched at Kingston
Green Fair. Developed by Concept products
from greener polycotton fabrics the jackets
will be worn by the Registered Green Stewards.
DAISY
CHAIN LIVE - REVIEW(05/06)
The
organisers of this event set their sights
high to make a breakthrough in the concept
of marketing green products and services.
Well advertised and with a professional looking
design to the website and exhibitor information,
Sanna and Paul Evetts had obviously put a
lot of love and care into preparing for this
event.
There were not as many exhibitors as
they would have liked. All events when they
start off seem to find it hard to attract
both public and participants. It takes a while
to build your audience. We found a great selection
of stalls, though, and everyone was in good
spirits. Plus there was plenty of time to
talk in more depth than usual to the exhibitors.
We made excellent contact with ecological
web hosting and also found some beautiful
home furnishings from CAT. It was also
a chance to re-connect with Peter Lang
of Green
and Away who runs team-building
camps and we also spotted some very unusual
products on the Tango stall which we want
to market ourselves. There was a lack of choice
in the vegetarian catering department which
I am confident will be addressed properly
next year.
All in all it was a good day although we got
there late because of getting lost! This was
not the fault of the organisers but a cunningly
placed diversion off the motorway. For this
year the Show gets two
stars, based on content and sustainability,
and they had particularly good clear recycling
facilities.
Daisy Chain Live, Three Counties Showground,
Malvern, Worcs
Sat 22 & Sun 23 April 2006
The Ultimate Green Show http://www.daisychainlive.co.uk/
BIG GREEN GATHERING (05/06)
After
a marathon four-hour hearing Big
Green Gathering was given a licence for
this year. According to an insider some of
the objectors repeatedly made a number of
unsupported allegations about the organisation.
We were surprised to hear that these were
allowed to go unchallenged in what is supposed
to be a legal hearing.
VEGWARE (06/06)
VegWare
is a new company with a mission is to provide
a viable, sustainable alternative to disposable
plastic cutlery and food packaging. They
are preparing to launch a range of high-heat,
compostable utensils made from vegetable starch.
The knife/fork/spoon set is made from 80%
potato starch and 20% vegetable oil. Please see
our tools section or www.vegware.co.uk for more information and pictures of the products.
GREEN CARPET (11/06)
“However, the new plant should soon be able to cope with some of the industry’s total waste output. As far as we are aware our carpet, in the EVO-RIB range, is still the only genuinely proven recyclable product used, and disposed of, in the UK,” she added.
The new plant and systems have cost several hundred thousand pounds to develop, and represent the culmination of three years of intense research carried out in co-operation with the Polymer Cluster Project at Warwick University.
“With our research programme, we now have a process for turning our specialist cord into all manner of polypropylene products including flower pots, containers and roller-paint trays.
“The waste goes through a process of high-pressure densification and crumbling to make pellets that can be converted into anything made from B grade polypropylene. It cannot be used to make clear plastic products (A grade) because we dye it black to create a uniformly consistent look,” Clare Reed added.
What prompted Reeds’ move towards genuine recycling? “The Earth’s natural resources include only 200 years’ worth of virgin polypropylene at current usage rates,” said Reed. “At present recycling costs about double the rate charged for landfill, but over coming years those figures will get closer and closer. And sooner or later the exhibitions industry is going to have to accept more stringent environmental safeguards.”
“Companies keep going to landfill, and the cost per tonne is rising all the time. It involves a change of mind-set at all operational levels.
“One of the biggest challenges involved in carrying out these recycling programmes means that post-show pullouts have to be handled in a more systematic manner, so the right waste can be separated for recycling.”
Is there any limit to the types of carpeting that can be recycled? “Yes. Any carpet can be recycled, but the machinery that’s involved, on a broader basis, would cost millions!”
When will Reeds open its recycling doors to other contractors? “If they are using our specialised carpet we can recycle it now. We know Reeds Carpets cannot fit all of the carpet in the industry, but we could certainly supply all the fully recyclable carpet that’s needed,” she added.
It is interesting to see where the event industry is positioned – even definitions like “sustainable event” have various interpretations. We find there is already a standard BSi 8900 “Guidance for managing sustainable development” which is a very general outline to cover all sorts of organisations. And now we have the first “daughter standard” to appear with more specific guidance for our own industry.
However even agreeing on what are the particular processes involved in organising events is a tough task since the range is so huge. Also the standard is aiming to include the event supply chain, venue providers and other associates as well.
So this is your chance to contribute to this standard which we stakeholders are hoping will be very influential. We expect civil servants and their cohorts will be using it as a shortcut to choosing contractors - however we want the standard to assist and inform the event industry rather than being a paper exercise.
If you would like to comment on the “Straw Man” draft which is what we have achieved so far please contact us for the files. Comments by 3 October are very useful because 5 October is the last stakeholder meeting. That will not be the end of the consultation process - to quote:
The final draft of the Standard to be submitted to BSI in December 2006. The Standard will also be open to public comment in early 2007.
Please feel free to comment on the existing document and:
add any additional activities you feel appropriate to events in general
add any activities which you may consider unique to your type of event.
While commenting on the following Stages and Activities, please keep in mind that the Standard must be sufficiently generic to cover the events industry in general while also noting specific exceptions that apply to sectors within the industry.
STONEHENGE SOLSTICE CELEBRATION (06/06)
Sunrise at Stonehenge will occur at 03:58 GMT (04:58 BST) on Wednesday 21st June 2006 but the astronomical timing of the event known as Summer Solstice will be at 12:25GMT (13:25 BST).
GMT - Greenwich Mean Time, now replaced by UTC, Coordinated Universal Time, the international standard on which civil time is based.
BST - British Summer Time
Designated Car Park Opens - 2000 hours (8pm) Tuesday 20th June Access to Stonehenge - 2200 hours (10pm) Tuesday 20th June Last Admission to Designated Car Park - 0600 hours (6am) Wednesday 21st June Designated Car Park to be vacated - 1300 hours (1pm) Wednesday 21st June Stonehenge Closes - 0900 hours (9am) Wednesday 21st June
Billed as the UK’s biggest free community environmental festival Newcastle attracted 10 or 11 thousand visitors this year for two days of festive fun. Music was heard on three stages and the event culminated in a fabulous fire show.
FESTIVAL
REVIEWS (08/06)
A new feature on our diary pages - the red apple logo indicates you can get a taste of the event in our review section. And if you have attended an event recently and would like to review it on these pages, we would love to hear from you.
GREENPEACE
GIVE GREEN FESTIVAL SEAL OF APPROVAL
(05/06)
By Sam Gauntlett
When Greenpeace decided to support Earthwise, it
was a proud moment for the festival’s founder,
Bob Buxton. The family festival for environmental
awareness is run as a ‘not for profit community
business’, relying on dedicated volunteers
to make it happen. Bob sees the official support
from Greenpeace this year as recognition for three
years hard work.
A corporate events organiser in a former life, Bob
had tong wanted to see a green festival in Dorset
where education and entertainment could combine.
‘Regionally there isn’t an event that
helps people lead a more sustainable life. I wanted
to create an event that would offer people the opportunity
to learn about alternative ways to live.’ He
made the first festival happen in 2004.
Earthwise promotes sustainable lifestyles, natural
health and social justice through live music, a
children’s area, cinema, workshops and seminars.
The four- day festival includes an array of activities
and entertainment for all the family. You could
make your own didgeridoo, watch a yurt being built
or throw a clay pot to take home. A programme of
alternative cinema will showcase independent and
issue based films and entertainment will be provided
by well-known bands such as Nik Turner’s Galaktikos,
Seize the Day, Kangaroo Moon and SubGiant. There
is even an exhibition space for environmental and
ecological art and performance art.
The festival showcases green technology, includes
a fair trade market and organic cafes and offers
a chance to hear guest speakers on a variety of
subjects. The entire event is powered by the wind
and sun, an amazing feat when you consider that
an Internet café housing twenty computers,
a cinema and two live music stages wilt provide
entertainment for the duration of the event.
The healing area includes a variety of alternative
and natural therapies and workshops offer the chance
to take part in earLy morning yoga, or African drumming,
or even the hugely popular Laughter workshop. You
can also learn about and pledge support to green
campaigns.
The kids’ area is an important aspect of the
festival for Bob where activities that teach environmental
awareness through play are timetabled daily.
‘The children’s activities teach recycling,
reusing and being creative. It’s about exploring
green issues in kid’s terms. They are our future.
They are the people who are going to have to live
with what we have left for them.’ He said.
Although the festival only happens once a year,
Bob wants to see the programme extended to provide
year round events and services.
‘Sustainable living skills is where we have
to go.’ He said. ‘I would like Earthwise
to show people how to use sustainable building methods
and energy production to live without leaving hardly
any footprint, and more importantly to have fun
with being clean and green.’
Earthwise takes place on a hilltop near the Cerne
Abbas Giant from 1st to 4th June. www.earthwise-uk.com
Greener Living . Mind, Body and Spirit . Local Food
. Arts . Community Events
NEW
PARTNERSHIP FOR A SUSTAINABLE LONDON
(02/06)
Kingston
Green Fair has been asked to become the official
preview event for London Sustainability Weeks.
The fair, held on Bank Holiday Monday 29 May has
until now missed out on this important period in
the sustainable event calendar. Now people will
be able to get a taster of what is available during
the two week extravaganza when they visit the Kingston
Green Fair.
The new partnership will benefit Kingston in terms
of publicity and Sustainability Weeks will gain
a training opportunity for many volunteers involved
in the summer’s green events.
Do
you use the Event Safety Guide (published by the
Health & Safety Executive)?
Does it still meet your needs?
Is there anything you think should be changed?
The second edition of the Guide was published
in autumn 1999, following a thorough revision
of the first edition, with considerable input
from the Event Sector. Since 1999 the Guide has
been re-printed several times, most recently in
July 2005, when references to relevant legislation
were also updated.
The Event Safety Guide aims to “help those
who organise music events so that the events run
safely.” and “… brings together
information needed by event organisers, their
contractors and employees to help them satisfy
the requirements of the Health and Safety at Work
etc Act 1974 (HSW Act) and associated regulations.”
HSE are considering a review of the Event Safety
Guide. If the Guide still works well, it will
not be changed. To start the process, a scoping
exercise is being carried out and the aim of this
notice is to enable as wide a response as possible,
so that people involved in events can put forward
ideas. This is your chance to make your views
known. It would be especially helpful if you could
refer to chapter/paragraph numbers and say:
Ý If you think the Guide should be changed, and
how
Ý If there any gaps where you think more guidance
is needed (and what they are?)
Ý Is anything unhelpful or not useful?
Ý If the layout/design or sequence of the chapters
should be changed? (If so, make some suggestions)
If you are interested in contributing to a review
in any way, for example, by writing or checking
any materials, please let us know and provide
your contact details. If you know of anyone else
with an interest, please suggest that they respond.
The next stage will be for HSE and Event Sector
Associations to consider the views put forward,
to decide if the Guide will be revised.
Much
has been said or (unsaid) about the new licensing
act. This summer will be the first year that our
green event industry will have had to wade through
the process. Lacking the financial and legal back
up of many more corporate events it may well be
a struggle indeed . But is this new legislation
more of a unnecessary complication than a service?
Some green events, the Big Green Gathering for instance,
had existed for years being exempt from entertainment
licensing. And the BGG have attained a far greater
degree of cooperation from their multi agency stakeholder
groups than they could ever have imagined. Interpretation
of this act is likely to vary regionally. Green
Futures Festivals are keen to hear of your experience
and hope to publish a range of your views on this
website.
Few
would argue that the British events industry is
the best in the world. But can this bold, sweeping
statement be applied to every aspect of an event
from conception to completion?
We’re not just talking about production values,
front line services, logistics, customer care, health
and safety, licensing and security and the million
and one other things we busy our lives with. When
in all of this, does anyone mention environmental
issues? And when is there ever a discussion to try
and lessen that impact?
If we as an industry are, broadly speaking, ignoring
possibly the biggest crisis to face mankind, can
we really then claim to be the best in the world?
Thankfully there are exceptions top the rule; some
are very big events – Glastonbury and Womad
spring to mind. Waste management, recycling and
their “carbon footprint” are very much
in the forefront of their thinking.
One day, and one day quite soon, environmental issues
will come with as much legislation as health and
safety does now, we may as well wake up to that
fact. If we are what we say we are, the best, should
we really sit by and let someone else take the lead,
should we wait to be hit by yet more reams of legislation,
or should we take a more active stance?
We as an industry are paid to think “out of
the box”, laterally – creatively, its
one of the things we export around the globe. So
if we are serious in our claims as industry leaders
perhaps its time to take a lead. We CAN do it. We
should do it, and may one day regret it if we don’t.
Dave Noble
Midas Bio-Diesel (Midas hire Biodiesel generators
for the event industry)
http://www.midas-uk.co.uk/
New
date and new focus for Newcastle
(02/06)
The
12th annual Newcastle Community Green Festival will
now take place on Sat 3rd June -Sunday 4th June,
following a request to tie in with the United Nations
World Environment Day on 5th June. They are now
the Flagship event for World Environment Day in
the North of England.
The venue is Leazes Park, Newcastle Upon Tyne, with
a family day running from 12 noon – 6pm on
the Saturday and the main festival from 12 noon
-10.30pm on the Sunday. There will be 5 stages of
music on both days, covering folk, acoustic, indie,
techno, world music, funk & jazz + samba drummers,
steel drums etc. Alcohol will be on sale on the
Sunday whilst Saturday will be alcohol free.
The festival intends to be 100% carbon neutral,
and the organisers are also developing the event
by providing a new environmental trade fair.
A new circus area operated by the North East Circus
Network sounds very exciting There will also be
a wide range of childrens activities, craft workshops
and demonstrations, performance art, visual art,
kids parade, alternative cinema, social centre,
MP's environmental debate etc. Truly a packed couple
of days!
Kingston
Green Fair 29th
May 2006 Kingston-upon-Thames
(02/06)
The
Green Fair has been in operation since 1987, attracting
nearly 15,000 visitors each year making it the UK's
most successful one-day green family event! 100's
of stalls; vegetarian food; showcase technology;
performance; workshops; arts & crafts; sustainability
demonstrations; music; healing; dance and drama;
circus skills; theatre; walkabout; cafes & cakes;
community campaigns. visit
website
Big
Green Gathering 2
- 6 August 2006 Chedder, Somerset
(02/06)
The
Green Forum returns with the BGG in 2006 with Speakers
and debates and some new features to further diversify
its' eclectic campaigning mix. Each day will have
a general theme, around which Speakers will present
their campaigns and subjects. Lunchtimes will feature
a variety of campaigning presentations through music,
performance poetry and other mediums. Evenings after
'Any Green Questions' will feature bands and music
for entertainment. visit
website
Midas
The Sunrise Summer Solstive celebration has just won an award! It was a Shelter award for being the most socially responsible event. They are delighted and they are raring to go for an even better event in 2007 and confident of overcoming the financial difficulties of 2006. 
Meeting number four to develop the British Standard in Sustainable Event Management has just been held today. Previous meetings over the last month or so have tried to establish the common ground or at least the common processes between a whole diversity of events - for they range from sports matches, to corporate jamborees, airshows to village fetes. Does the definition cover the Church Coffee Morning ? – well in a way it does … indeed that was one of the debates we had.
The 
The organisers are
really hoping to have a very green event. All the food and drink will be
organic and lots of it will have been grown on the farm itself. There will be no
generators Lots of eco talk is planned, with Lawrence Woodward from Elm Farm Research Association,
Satish Kumar of Resurgence, and Andrew Whitley, founder of the village
bakery
who's just bringing out a new book. Plus many other green and interesting folk. loads of stalls, crafts, music of course and a big kids area.
The 
The line-up is now complete for a pioneering 17-day festival of Free Admission public events later this month that focuses on the creative and intellectual heritage of Islam. The Salaam Music village unites 11 groups of guest visiting artists from across the Islamic world with musicians, artists, teachers, poets and storytellers from London’s own Muslim communities in a range of free public activities throughout the capital. Together these artists will present key aspects of the breathtaking variety of art forms generated by Muslim peoples worldwide.
The
organisers of this event set their sights
high to make a breakthrough in the concept
of marketing green products and services.
Well advertised and with a professional looking
design to the website and exhibitor information,
Sanna and Paul Evetts had obviously put a
lot of love and care into preparing for this
event.
Kingston
Green Fair has been asked to become the official
preview event for London Sustainability Weeks.
Do
you use the Event Safety Guide (published by the
Health & Safety Executive)?
Much
has been said or (unsaid) about the new licensing
act. This summer will be the first year that our
green event industry will have had to wade through
the process. Lacking the financial and legal back
up of many more corporate events it may well be
a struggle indeed . But is this new legislation
more of a unnecessary complication than a service?
Few
would argue that the British events industry is
the best in the world. But can this bold, sweeping
statement be applied to every aspect of an event
from conception to completion?
