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WELCOME TO THE Vision: 2025 February 2023 NEWS BULLETIN

In this month's newsletter: 

  • Industry Green Leader Q&A with Wiebke Schumacher at Futur 2 Festival, an 100% off-grid event in Hamburg, Germany
  • The Green Code for Events receives funding from the EIF to support Vision: 2025’s development of sustainability best practice and standards for the outdoor events industry 
  • Powerful Thinking blog on National Grid policy for renewable energy and the future of energy storage systems
  • Guest Blog: Green Events NL on tackling the environmental impact of food and drink at events
  • Sign up to the Waste Data Reporting project for events to support progress in 2023
  • Upcoming event sustainability dates for your diary: The Event Production Show, The AFO Conference & #GEI15 
  • Sustainable Suppliers: Arena Group reduces waste through collaboration with local communities
  • Behaviour Change Principles Workshop for environmental and climate changemakers
  • DGTL Festival release documentary about their road to becoming the world's first circular festival
  • Selected news, jobs, events and comment from across the live events industry and beyond.

Get in touch with your questions and suggestions at info@vision2025.org.uk

Green Leader Q&A #29: Wiebke Schumacher, Head of Communications, Futur 2 Festival

Weibke Schumacher has been working in the music industry for almost 20 years. Since 2019, she's been Head of Communications at Morgenwelt GmbH, which organises the Futur 2 Festival, in Hamburg, Germany. Futur 2 is a completely off-grid festival that generates all the electricity for the event onsite from renewable sources. The Futur 2 team design the whole festival around how much solar energy they can generate, then decide what kind of entertainment they can offer audiences. Read about Weibke's sustainability journey in our monthly Q&A. 

In January 2023, we spoke to Selina Donald, Founder of Sustainability Consultancy, The Bulb, Read Selina's answers here.

NewsGreen Events Code Receives EIF Funding

The Event Industry Forum (EIF) has awarded Vision: 2025 a grant to lead on development of the Green Events Code, for the Outdoor Events Industry in 2023. The grant will contribute to further development of the industry Green Events Code, to establish sustainability best practice and standards for the outdoor events industry, and to producing the 2023 edition of the Sustainable Events Summit at the Showman’s Show, October.

More news on Green Code for Events funding. Read about the development of the code and download the beta version.

Powerful Thinking Featured News

When the Wind Blows; the Terrible Truth About Constraint Payments

In this article Tim Benson, Chair and Project Lead for Powerful Thinking, looks at renewable energy generation in the UK; examining the inefficiency of National Grid storage systems for renewable energy and the grid-balancing policy, involving ‘constraint payments,’ which sees wind farm operators paid to curtail generation when supply exceeds demand.

Tim examines why the government’s net zero strategy, involving the commission of more nuclear power plants, will do nothing to stop ‘constraint payments’ and looks to a more hopeful future with UK companies, Noriker and Zenobe, advancing battery farm technology capable of storing surplus renewable energy for the grid: Plus how this technology is entering the mobile energy storage market, with products being tailored for the live events sector and other temporary applications. Read the full article on the Powerful Thinking website. 

Guest Blog: Green Events Netherlands on tackling the environmental impact of Food and Drink at events

This blog from Green Events Netherlands highlights the environmental impact of food and drink at events and shares three inspirational Green Festival Stories that highlight best practice in sustainable food strategy and practice from across Europe: Tollwood Festival, Germany, creating an all-organic supply chain by working closely with partners; NorthSide, Denmark, offering plant-based meals only; and Way Out West, Sweden, going 100% vegetarian. Read the guest blog.  

Sign Up Now: Waste Data Reporting Project for Events 2023

Vision: 2025's Zero Waste Festivals Project has been working for over a year on identifying barriers and opportunities for more sustainable waste practices, with a comprehensive industry report landing soon!

The next step in this journey is to work with a group of events to collect and report waste data (anonymously), to help further build the picture of UK practices. Participants will be provided with clear instruction on what data is required and will be making a valuable contribution to industry progress. Sign up here to express interest. 

EventUPCOMING EVENT SUSTAINABILITY CONFERENCE DATES

Association of Festival Organisers Conference: 25th Feb 10:00 - 17:00 Online:  Chris Johnson, Vision: 2025 Chair, presents a session to the AFO online conference on the industry Green Events Code, alongside Victoria Chapman (Festival Republic) and Hannah Cox (Better Not Stop), exploring how it can provide clear and robust minimum standards and shared targets for sustainability across the outdoor events industry. Read the full agenda and register

The Green Events and Innovations Conference (GEI15) have announced their full agenda:  Read the full line up and join them on Tuesday 28th February, 2023 in London. 

The Event Production Show returns to the ExCel Centre, London, 1-2 March. Vision: 2025 joins to host two sessions: 'Sustainable Solutions Now', 14:30-15:15, 2nd March with Graham Brown (Vision 2025 / Brown Fox Comms). Plus, a session on The Green Events Code on the Futures Stage, 10:15 -11:00 with Chris Johnson. Find the full #EPS23 agenda and register to attend.

GREEN SUPPLIER DIRECTORY - FEATURED CASE STUDY

Arena Group reduces waste through collaboration with local communities

Arena Group delivers some of the world’s most iconic sporting and cultural events; through their environmental strategy they are committed to tackling the issue of waste across their global operations, adopting a circular economy model, reducing waste, recycling and repurposing materials with collaborations that support local communities.

In Malaysia, teams from Arena work with Ground Control to turn used event carpets into plant pots for urban gardens and linings for compost bins (pictured). In the UK they work with social enterprise, The Wood Shack, to collect timber waste onsite with 100% reused or repurposed, to support disadvantaged people in learning carpentry skills. In St Ives, Arena's office donates 100% of its out-of-date first aid kits to a nearby Cadets groups, to help with their learning and training in first aid skills. Read more about Arena's strategy for tackling live event industry waste.  

DGTL release Road to Circularity Documentary

After working for many years on their sustainability initiatives, DGTL have reached a milestone - organising a completely circular economy model dance festival for 50,000 visitors in Amsterdam. 

To share their journey DGTL have released the 'Road to Circularity' documentary which shows how they've become the world’s first circular festival; with a 100% plant-based and waste-less food court and achieving less than 100 grams waste per visitor. Watch the documentary.

Behaviour change workshop: with Sustainable SidEKicks

Are you trying to engage the people around you in the sustainability agenda? Do you need to find new ways to communicate your messages, reach a wider audience and inspire them to care? Behaviour change principles can help you influence change and increase your impact. Join this online behaviour change workshop on 2nd March with Livvy Drake (Sustainable Sidekicks) and get to grips with behaviour change principles.

Thu 2 March 2:30pm-2pm or 5pm-6:30pm. Get your tickets.

OUR GREEN NEWS PICKS FROM THE EVENT SECTOR AND BEYOND

Our selected news picks from across the Live Events Industry and beyond, including jobs, blogs, reports and what the Vision: 2025 team have been watching, listening to, and reading this month:

Julie's Bicycle are recruiting for a sustainability coordinator for a 4-month contract to support their partnership with Arts Council England HERE

Five solutions to tackle camping waste: Article by Green Events HERE

Línte na Farraige is a series of light installations highlights the impact of sea level rise around the Irish coastline; the third installation was launched this week HERE

Sounds Like a Plan podcast is the place for climate action in music updates and inspiration: Listen to season 1 episode 2 'Determination' – with guest The 1975's manager Jamie Osborne HERE

With Earth Day, April 22nd, approaching check out Enviral's guide to making the most this moment to celebrate your sustainability campaign HERE

Julie's Bicycle announce the list of applicants that will be joining their Creative Climate Leadership (CCL) programme in the UK HERE.

Our newsletter reaches over 3,600 UK event professionals interested in sustainability. Send jobs, events, resources and articles to feature here to: info@vision2025.org.uk