Discover the vegan and solidarity eco-festivals in France.

With the return of summer and sunny days, it's the opportunity to get outside again to meet up with our loved ones over a fresh fruit juice and some fun times outdoors.

After many months of staying at home, we almost forgot about the big outdoor summer events.

Unmissable event for fans of sound gatherings, festivals gather each year more than 7 million people across the world, around themes such as music, fashion, or even History.

Not spared by the health crisis in 2020 and the vast majority of them cancelled, the organisers and festival-goers are hoping to get back on track this year and come back in force to the forefront (no pun intended)!

Among them, the return of ethical festivals - also called eco festivals - whose number has been constantly growing in Europe for a decade.

So without further ado, we'll let you take out your sun cream, tents and earplugs from your drawers, and we'll take you on a little tour of the ethical festivals to discover or rediscover this summer.

1 - Polluting transport:

7 million festival-goers, that’s a lot of travel!

2 - Sorting waste:

These types of events generate an average of 80 to 90 tonnes of waste in a few days.

3 - Electrical energy:

An average stadium concert in Europe emits an average of 25 tonnes of CO².

Like any festival organized around a stage on which concerts take place, the eco festival is also an opportunity to bring people together around artists and speakers committed to the defense of ethical and solidarity causesThe site is thus fitted out with stands on which associations, volunteers and speakers come to express themselves, exchange and interact with the public around the environmental, humanitarian, social, anti-speciesist themes, etc.

The speakers share tips and give workshops there. to better understand issues such as the fight against food waste, permaculture, urban agriculture, the zero waste, there fight against over-packaging plastics, eco-citizenship, and many others. For example, festival-goers can take part in cooking lessons and thus rethink their way of eating, thanks to advice for a healthier and more eco-responsible diet; how to find short-circuit, local and organic foods, or look for AMAPs and regional players.

To meet the festival's electricity needs (stage and aisle lighting, power supply for instruments and sound systems, stands, refrigerators and hotplates, etc.), renewable energy solutions, including solar panels, are installed on the site, the idea being to be as energy independent as possible, but also toavoid overconsumption of energy by using suitable devices, and by inviting stand staff to monitor their own electricity consumption.

Some eco-festivals, like the Smmmile Festival, were also built on the idea of ​​introducing the public to a vegan lifestyle by only offering vegan products, in order to raise awareness of the ecological issue, but also to that of animal welfare.

From the food offered at the stands to the consumer products on display, the menu is exclusively vegan and cruelty free.

By going there you will be able to discover works on the vegan lifestyle, its particularities, the origins of veganism, but also products vegan cosmetics, of the ethical fashion items And vegan clothing, and why not one day, vegan shoes from your favorite brand ;)

Of course lThe major challenge of an eco festival is to leave behind a minimal ecological footprint. For this we build the stage and organize the site in such a way as not to weaken the environment once the event is over.

Before the festival, a communication campaign to raise public awareness about sorting and the need to moderate your consumption - especially of paper – is set up.

Festival-goers are invited to stop by one dematerialized ticketing, and the number of flyers printed for the event is reduced. During the festival, raw materials are revalued for the construction of structures. For example: use of straw bales to demarcate the aisles and used wooden boards to make the tables of the stands.

We are also working on using recycled materials for packaging consumables and we make sure to sell products without over-packaging. Plastic materials such as bottles and cutlery sold to festival-goers are replaced by water fountains, returnable dishes, biodegradable and compostable plates and napkins made from recycled paper and cardboard. Finally, a whole system of sorting waste thanks to the installation of collection bins and staff are present to remind visitors of the importance of sorting their waste properly.

Of Splendour in the Grass in Australia, passing through the Boom Festival in Portugal, or even the DGTL, there is no shortage of ethical gatherings and they are being organized all over the world

Among the many themes involved, we are convinced that you will find the eco-festival of your dreams!

So tell us which one you dream of participating in!

Festivals, trade fairs, specialist markets, opportunities to discover alternatives toconsumption more in tune with nature, while having a good time are not lacking.
Just one watchword: have fun and live theeco-responsible adventure as a curiosity, not a constraint.
Thank you for reading and sharing.

The COG Team

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