Towards eco-responsible events

The event sector has a considerable impact on sustainable development, so, in recent years, this sector has been adapting to rethink the way we consume by turning to an eco-responsible approach.

So, in order to support festivals, we participated in the workshop”Respect the open-air site of my event” organized by the Collective of Eco-responsible and Solidarity Festivals in the Southern Region (COFEES). Many speakers were present: the Calanques National Park, PNR Préalpes d'Azur, PNR Préalpes d'Azur, the Breton Biodiversity Agency, the Camargue Festival, the Encore Festival, the Roque d'Anthéron Piano Festival and finally a representative of the regional Canoe Kayak Committee.

The challenge of this collaborative work was to find sustainable and responsible solutions to be applied on the site of an event.

The Sustainable Development Charter for Festivals

In order to encourage festivals, the Ministry of Culture and the signatories have put in place a charter in order to develop practices that are more respectful of the public and the territory. The aim is to reduce the impact on the environment and climate during outdoor events.

The Charter presents the eco-responsibility approach to which the signatories adhere through the following 5 articles: responsible waste management, respect for natural sites, consideration of economic and social impacts, responsible food, responsible food, control of water and energy consumption, soft and active mobility. Each festival is committed to establishing an operational action plan, which is then implemented over three years from the date of admission. In addition, this membership gives access to transversal aid dedicated to sustainable development.

The sites where to hold your event may have environmental regulations, so we advise you to check with the community carefully.

The impacts of protests on open-air sites

• Load capacity/accommodation capacity‍

Carrying capacity can lead to an alteration of the general quality of reception, through the saturation of infrastructures and equipment as well as an alteration of tranquility, silence, the ability to isolate oneself, and more generally to the atmospheres and character of sites.

• Flora & Fauna

The flow of pedestrians causes repeated trampling and the destruction of vegetation. and habitats, noise and visual pollution. In addition, the waste can be ingested by the species present.

• Pollution/Degradations

Pollution through transport (GHG missions, creation of car parks, informal car parks, logistical transport), through the evacuation of wastewater, abandoned or floating waste.

Degradation caused by holes in the ground or buried cables as well as signage/technical information (ground marking, joint clamps, colsons) not to mention the risk of fire.

An event can generate a lot of stress for the local fauna and flora. Indeed, the occupation of places in the middle of nature blocks nesting, hunting, displacement for example. In order to respect their environment, the organizer and the manager must work hand in hand to become aware of the possible damage caused by the event.

The solutions envisaged

By the organizers:

The organizers present shared with us the solutions already tested for their event. Upstream, collaborate with stakeholders on the protocols to be put in place in order to protect fauna and flora. In addition, mark out areas that are accessible to the public. To reduce noise, you can set up a zone of silence or conduct a noise impact study in order to define the maximum volume not to be exceeded, the orientation of the sound, etc. In addition, in order to avoid the trampling of certain habitats and to respect certain itineraries on the beaches, you can set up signage for easy identification of places to take, materialized by stone paths for example. Regarding traffic, set up shuttles departing from major cities as well as car parks outside the natural area of the event or participate in the establishment of carpooling via a shared board to connect interested people.

A large number of initiatives can be put in place to reduce waste: use of reusable dishes, rental of ecocups, rental of ecocups, pocket ashtray, installation of water coolers, distribution of bottles to equip artists and staff, installation of containers by the municipality, establishment of containers by the municipality, establishment of a selective waste sorting system, Green Brigade made up of volunteers trained beforehand to collect waste on the site throughout throughout the event and at the end.

By Wilout:

By using our solutions, you can reduce the impact of your event on the environment. Indeed, by using an online ticketing system, as the ticket is electronic, the participant does not need to print it out. All he has to do is show his QR-code on his smartphone at the entrance.

In order to reassure your participants when making an online purchase, we have partnered with TicketSwap for the sale and redemption of Wilout online tickets.

Cashless can also be an ally in your approach. By using our eco-friendly NFC supports to pay for an event, the participant, via his cashless account, can download all these receipts and invoices. So you can say goodbye to tickets on the floor! In addition, by having the logo of a partner/sponsor engraved on your NFC devices, you can have certain providers financed such as ecocups or pocket ashtrays.

Finally, our cashless system allows you to create instructions, whether for reusable dishes, or reusable cups... A fun tip: if a participant picks up 10 cups on the ground, a drink can be offered to him!

In the end, once your solutions are in place, it is important to raise awareness among your participants beforehand and on the big day using your social networks, your website and/or awareness panels.

And why not reserve a stand for an environmental association during the event? This would make it possible to raise awareness and inform the public present. In addition, inform them about alternative mobility options (on foot, by bike, by car sharing or public transport) via your website and social networks, the main thing is to communicate.