Environment & Sustainability

Inspiring and educating the public to change behaviours

Arts and cultural events and festivals can positively connect and empower people, inspiring advocates and documenting change. For decades, artists have been at the forefront, inspiring and educating the public to change their behaviours to be more sustainable, whether through writing, photography, community engagement, performance, or innovative partnerships with scientists and environmental advocates. The arts have been shown to amplify the uptake of pro-environmental messaging and to improve the clarity and impact of the message. Anecdotal research shows that the use of the arts to illustrate complicated issues related to the environment can inspire thousands of people to take action who would not have otherwise. Visually representing complex concepts can help people better understand problems and how they can help. Researchers have found that artist created visualisations of complex scientific concepts not only help the general public better understand, they also help scientists understand the meaning of the data and devise next steps.

South Australian festivals are leaders in sustainable practices:

Festivals and events in South Australia have the opportunity to demonstrate leadership in sustainable practices and influence behaviours of the public, patrons and participants. For example:

For the last 25 years, WOMADelaide has led the nation and won many awards for the environmental initiatives to reduce waste, offset the festival’s carbon footprint and educate and inspire the audience. The Adelaide Festival aims to be an exemplar of environmental responsibility and is proud to become the first major arts festival in Australia to be certified carbon neutral.

In March 2022, the Adelaide Festival held a public Climate Crisis and the Arts event which brought together the arts and sciences to discuss sustainability, climate action and exploring the roles creativity and the arts play in inspiring change. Additionally, in the lead up to the event, Adelaide Festival hosted Adelaide’s first Culture and Environment Roundtable, which was convened by the UK non-profit organisation Julie’s Bicycle and the Adelaide Festival in partnership with the British Council and Australia Council for the Arts.

A significant recent undertaking is that Festival City Adelaide has been working with its member festivals to develop a collective strategy for achieving agreed environmental goals including a five-year sustainability action plan and roadmap. The vision is that South Australia’s festival sector exemplifies environmentally sustainable and regenerative practice.

Short-term:

• Every FCA member to create and commit to a Sustainability Action Plan with the assistance of the newly appointed FCA Sustainability Manager
• Develop central data collection standards and management

Long-term:

• Develop long-term partnerships and cooperative models for FCA members to leverage economies of scale for sustainable solutions
• Support festivals to implement sustainability initiatives, including resources, training, communication tools and advocacy
• Undertake sector-wide/joint action to support regeneration, reforestation, and First Nations initiatives and campaigns.

Examples in Practice:

Case study – WOMADelaide 2022 Sustainability Report.

Environmental leadership is fundamental to the ambitions of WOMADelaide, and the festival has a long history of driving and embracing new sustainability practices that have subsequently become industry standards. In 2001 it was the first major event in Australia to adopt a waste management strategy meaning only biodegradable and recyclable wastes were produced by festival goers, followed in 2009 by the three-bin system that is now ubiquitous at festivals and events. Twenty years on, WOMADelaide now diverts over 98% of festival waste from landfill and has embraced circular economy practices across its operations. Some of the key sustainability initiatives and outcomes from the 2022 WOMADelaide festival include:

• Regeneration and Conservation: In partnership with Greening Australia, WOMADelaide’s carbon offset program has overseen the planting of over 85 hectares of forestry and biodiversity conservation sites around South Australia on Kaurna, Ngarrindjeri and Peramangk land since the project began in 2007. In 2022, another $36,408 was donated to the WOMADelaide Forest projects, with new sites for revegetation identified on the Fleurieu Peninsula in partnership with the Hills and Fleurieu Landscape Board. These sites cover approximately 17 hectares of shrubland and woodland that will be revegetated to provide habitat for critically endangered local species as part of the Back from the Brink Project, while also providing additional carbon sequestration to offset the emissions generated by the festival.
• Biofuels proof-of-concept model for events: WOMADelaide partnered with Green Power Solutions to explore new ways to accelerate our transition away from fossil fuel use. The partnership introduced the diesel-alternative B100 – 100% biodiesel (fuel made entirely from organic matter, such as food waste, with zero mineral diesel) – to power two stages at the festival. The project involved sourcing a biodiesel compatible generator and the use of approximately 1,000 litres of biodiesel, both supplied by Green Power Solutions. Aimed as a proof-of-concept model for other outdoor events in Adelaide, WOMADelaide hopes to expand on the success of the project to continue to reduce the sector’s reliance on fossil fuels and continue to lower the emissions generated by the event. This project was the first time in South Australia that a large-scale outdoor event used 100% biofuel to reduce fossil fuel usage and cut down emissions.
• Reusable revolution: WOMADelaide continued its rollout and expansion of its campaign against single use items. Following the success of initiatives introduced in 2021, the festival further drastically reduced the use of single-use food containers and increased the number of drinks sold in reusable cups. In 2022, WOMADelaide prevented over 100,000 single-use cups from being used and entering the waste system. This site-wide project was facilitated by the ‘Cup Squad’ and supported by Bettercup, who washed over 20,000 cups per day across the four days of the festival.
• Zero waste to landfill: WOMADelaide successfully maintained its target of being a zero-waste-to-landfill event. In 2022, less than 0.5% of festival waste generated went to landfill. Approximately 40% of the waste generated by the festival was composted by Jefferies and approximately 20% was recycled by Scouts Recycling. All packaging used in the Global Village and across the festival’s food and drink stalls is 100% compostable and biodegradable, supplied by WeSalute.