The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, set for June 12-15 in Manchester, TN, has expanded its greening initiatives and is taking aggressive steps toward mitigating the 2008 event’s environmental impact, organizers announced this week.
In addition to its commitment to provide a first-rate entertainment experience, the popular festival is also committed to raising awareness about green issues and creating a community that cares for the planet. Clean energy initiatives, responsible product consumption, superior waste management, local sourcing and education programs are all part of the festival’s aggressive environmental plan.
“We work tirelessly to reduce the impact this festival has on the environment,” said Bonnaroo sustainability coordinator Laura Sohn in a statement, “and we inspire the Bonnaroo community to do the same.”
In partnership with the Clean Air Conservancy, Bonnaroo will buy enough carbon reduction credits to offset all emissions, making the festival a carbon neutral event. Attendees will be encouraged to enhance the effort by purchasing “Clif Cool Tags” wind energy credits to make up for emissions produced by their travel. The festival is also running a carpooling contest offering a chance to win VIP camping upgrades to vehicles with four or more people. To fight global warming throughout the year, Carbon Shredders will be on site to help fans track their personal carbon reduction. Fans will be invited to make a pledge to reduce their energy usage and carbon footprint by 10 percent by 2010, a shift that will keep hundreds of millions of pounds of CO2 out of Earth’s atmosphere.
Bonnaroo will also run an extensive recycling and composting program in partnership with Clean Vibes, an organization that has diverted 50 percent of the festival’s waste from landfills over the past two years. This year, the festival will start a compost processing site right on the festival property, which will eventually be used to nurture new life on the grounds.
