Event professionals are engaging more than ever in exploring and discussing sustainability - at online events, on socials and through action - such as the recent letter to the Culture Secretary calling for a ‘Just and Green Cultural Recovery.’

In this month’s newsletter: fill out the annual Vision: 2025 Event Industry Green Survey, meet the founder of the internationally renowned Red Rebel Brigade (XR), read an interview with Event Industry Forum Chair, Steve Heap, on Covid and sustainability.

The focus this month slants towards 'travel' in the form of a guest blog that considers the impact of drive-ins and the latest in electric plant for events in the Powerful Thinking blog - and of course our news picks from around the web.

Happy reading and keep in touch with your news and questions.

If you are event organiser, please take five minutes to fill out the 2020 Industry Green Survey, and let us know how this exceptional year has shaped your ambitions and plans. The results will help the Vision: 2025 steering group shape resources and support for event organisers as we move into a new season.

Take the survey HERE. 

Everyone who takes the survey will be entered into a draw to win a free 1-hour Breakthrough Session with an Event Sustainability Consultant. 

How can the live events industry innovate and maintain the momentum of environmental progress? Abi Moores, Project Manager at ecolibrium, discusses how event organisers can square the extra emissions from their innovative socially-distanced events with their sustainable ambitions.

ecolibrium is a charity that supports events, suppliers, music companies and artists to tackle their travel emissions through reductions and carbon balancing with climate solutions programmes such as renewable energy generation and tree planting, protection and regeneration. Read the blog HERE.

For this month's Q&A we welcome Doug Francisco: Director of Narrative for Boomtown Fair, and origniator of the Red Rebel Brigade, a global performance activist troupe affiliated with XR and other environmental movements.

Read Doug's Q&A HERE.

In June, AEG's Jenny Hamada took on our 20 questions - you can read her answers HERE. Next month we talk to Marie Sabot, Associate Director at We Love Green Festival. 

Steve Heap is Director of the Association of Festival Organisers (AFO), Chairman of the Events Industry Forum (EIF), and was Director of Towersey festival for 45 years – he champions and promotes sustainability practices in all his roles.

"'The world will never be the same again,’ is a phrase I hear often describing this crisis, but I believe it has been like that for some time: If we don’t do something about preventing harm to our environment then the world will certainly ‘never be the same again.'”

Read the full interview and find out more about the upcoming AFO online sustainability workshop HERE.  

Vision: 2025 has joined many arts sector organisations in signing a letter organised by Julie's Bicycle calling for the Cultural Secretary to support a just and green cultural recovery.

Add your endorsement: HERE

Positive News reflects on The Committee on Climate Change's recommendations for the UK government to deliver a green Covid-19 recovery, providing a clear context for the Vision: 2025 community's aim to halve industry emissions by 2025.

Read the article HERE

Season for Change, led by Julie's Bicycle and Artsadmin, has launched an open call for four £10,000 Commissions for UK-based artists, makers, or creators underrepresented in climate conversations.

In order to challenge existing imbalances in the climate movement, Common Ground invites applications from artists who identify as Black, Asian and minority ethnic/POC, refugee, D/deaf, disabled, neurodivergent, working class and/or LGBTQI+.

Deadline Thursday 30 July. Find out more HERE. 

Applications are open for the Green Supplier Directory, launching later this year on the Vision: 2025 website. This new resource will connect suppliers, who prioritise the environmental performance of their services and products, with outdoor event organisers in the Vision: 2025 network and beyond.

The Directory aims to promote and celebrate innovations in the supply chain that further the vision of reducing the environmental impacts of events by 50% by 2025. 

If you would like to apply please email HERE.

Love Saves The Day (LSTD) encourage their audience to travel on foot, bike or public transport to their site near Bristol's city centre.

In 2019, they also took the step to carbon-balance the CO2e emissions from all of their audience shuttle buses. In total balancing emissions from 90 round bus trips, carrying 3000 people each day. Read more travel case studies on the Vision: 2025 website HERE.

Here's what the Vision: 2025 team are watching, listening to, and reading this month:

Standout Magazine's 150th edition Green Column - How can event organisers navigate and benefit from taking part in the post-Coronavirus Green Recovery? HERE.

ecolibrium have launched a Travel Log App to help individuals calculate and record their travel carbon emissions - it can also be used to model emissions from journeys to find less impactful routes. Find out more HERE.  

Green Goblet re-purpose cup handles to avoid cross-contamination: news from The Showman's Show HERE.

UK arts' leading figures join call for green recovery from coronavirus crisis; Julie's Bicycle's letter to the UK government is covered in The Guardian HERE. 

Catch up on a recent European Music Council online workshop on Music & Sustainability which discussed circular economy, energy, carbon footprints, the Sustainable Development Goals & digital shifts HERE.

IQ launches Green Guardians to recognise people and companies in the industry for their green efforts HERE.

How peer pressure can help stop climate change, in the Washington Post HERE. 

The Government’s £1.57 billion aid package to include music venues: Access All Areas reports: HERE 

Oceanic Global have developed Covid-19 reopening sustainability guidelines for businesses in the hospitality industry HERE.