Go Green at Your Next Music Festival
Here’s some amazing news: The city of Prague just banned single-use plastics at music festivals. If you’ve been to a music festival or concert, all you have to do is linger as the crowd starts to depart to be crestfallen. There are always, without fail, piles of trash: mostly empty plastic cups once filled with beer, old glowsticks, cigarette boxes, random papers, ridiculously small water bottles and other random junk.
Sometimes you can find some amazing ground scores — looking down has gifted me all kinds of valuable items, but that’s a different story.
This is a trashy story, but a hopeful one as well. If you’ve got a ticket to a music festival burning a hole in your pocket this summer, you do not have to contribute to the mound of garbage that overflows bins and fields after a music performance. Here are some tips to follow to reduce your ecological footprint and still have an amazing time seeing live music:
Pack Reusables
When you’re planning out what to shove in your luggage and cooler for this most epic weekend of your life, don’t forget the environment. Often, shopping lists will include buying disposable plates, plastic utensils and ye olde red Solo cups. Bring reusables instead. My ready-to-go festival kit always included a hardy plastic plate and bowl, utensils and a 10-oz steel cup with a clip that I could attach to my day pack as I headed through the gates. I have a collapsible Tupperware that I also pack along with a cloth handkerchief (tie-dyed by my dear friend Rosie!). That way, even if I buy beers or food in between shows, I don’t have to use single-use plastics.
Of course, just like at home, cooking at your site will reduce your trash if you’re conscious about it. If the festival doesn’t have a good recycling system — shame on them! — pack your recyclables out along with the rest of your gear.
Some people may worry about contamination if there aren’t wash-up areas. That’s smart. You don’t want to get yourself sick in the world of Port-O-Johns. Take extra precaution if you eat meat. Even better, go vegetarian for the weekend and reduce your ecological footprint even more.
Stay Hydrated Smartly
It’s not like you’re carting in a beer keg to your campsite. I get it. Some trash may seem inevitable. Cans are probably the best bet, as they are easy to crush and recycle. They’re also less potentially dangerous than glass bottles. But you don’t have to create such a heap with your water intake.
Lots of people will purchase those single-use, 8-oz. or 12-oz. water bottles. Drink ’em up, crush and toss ’em, right? But you’ll be doing that, like, six or eight times a day. Maybe more. What is a much better option would be to bring gallon or even two-gallon jugs of water and a reusable water bottle. Many festivals are starting to get conscious and offer drinkable water to refill your bottle. But if not, it’s not only better for the environment but also for your bottom line to bring in a gallon as your “one, unopened bottle.” Just stash it somewhere if you don’t want to lug it along from stage to stage.
Think About Souvenirs
Cheap plastic toys sure are fun. Don’t get me wrong: I’ve thrown many a plastic glowstick in my day. But it’s also fun to care about the environment. I know, when you’re in the thick of things at a music festival, it may feel like too much responsibility to think long-term. But I still encourage you to do so!
Think about what you are purchasing. Your consumer dollar is the most powerful thing you have to reduce your ecological footprint. When you want to buy something to remember your amazing weekend, consider supporting local artists who are creating unique, handmade products and art. My go-to souvenir for years was a tie-dye onesie for every new baby my friends were popping out while I was following a less traditional path. That gift had no packaging and no waste, supported fun people and made the new parents smile. That’s better than some plastic toy you can get at any box store.
The point is, just because you’re letting loose for a memorable weekend of live music doesn’t mean you have to leave the environment behind too. By caring for yourself, the ones around you and the Earth, you’ll leave the festival a better (and groovier) person than when you arrived.
